Titanos----The Largest Tio2 Distributor in China
Interview with Chairman Yang Tao by ICOAT.CC.

Commercial manager of ICOAT.CC Jiang Xue visited Titanos Group on May 5th in Shanghai and had an interview with the company¡¯s Chairman Yang Tao, in which Yang shared with her the development of Titanos Group from a small trade company in 1980s to a business group that integrated production and R&D. Yang also analyzed the market changes of titanium dioxide in recent years, anticipated the industry development in 2013, and shared his future plans about Titanos Group.

Grow with the Industry

Titanos Group has participated all the steps of the industrial development, from the tens of thousand tons output to millions output of total national production, said Yang. During this process Titanos Group witnessed changes and achieved great progress. In the beginning Titanos mainly dealt with trade business, but after 20 years of development, it becomes an enterprise that includes domestic and foreign trade business.
The main product of Titanos is titanium dioxide and the annual sales volume over one billion Chinese Yuan. Besides, the self-owned brands of Titanos receive the market acknowledgement and account for the certain market share. Yang also said that with China¡¯s fast economy growth Titanos would try best to expand business abroad and does its bit for the country.
Building on over 20 years of operations and expertise, Titanos Group is well equipped and uniquely positioned to deliver our superior products and services from the Shanghai headquarter to the rest of the world, spanning the reach across all continents. ¡°With our current exports to Asia, America, Europe, Oceania and Africa, the Titanos Group has already established stable and long term strategic relationships with numerous Fortune 500 companies,¡± said Yang.
Titanos Group is the parent of 10 wholly-owned and holding subsidiaries, including Shanghai Titanos Industry Co. Ltd.,, Shanghai Hongyunyuan Chemical Co. Ltd.,, Shanghai Titanium Source Industry & Trade Co. Ltd.,, Shanghai Xinli Titanium Chemical Technology Co. Ltd. Guangzhou Titanos Industrial Ltd.,, Xiamen Titanos Industry Co. Ltd.,, Hangzhou Titanos Industry Co. Ltd., Titanos (Hong Kong) Limited, Titanos (Malaysia) Limited, and the Beijing Titanos Northern Chemical Co. Ltd. The Group's international presence extends to our 4 representative offices located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Hamburg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and New Delhi, India. Within China, we have 5 representative offices strategically located in Chongqing, Qingdao, Yuyao, Dongguan, and Foshan.

A Cheerful Prospect for TiO2 Industry

Considering the slump in titanium dioxide industry in 2012, Yang said that 2011 was the golden period and the TiO2 industry is till promising in the first half year of 2012 according to many companies¡¯ financial statements.
The depressed market of titanium dioxide began in the latter half of 2012, exactly started in September and lasts till now. The main reason that leads to the weakness of the industry is blind construction, decrease of demand, over capacity, homogenization and low quality of upstream firms, added Yang. However, he is very confident about future titanium dioxide market. In his view, it is inevitable that every industry meets its highs and lows. ¡°It is a cycle, and are the darkest hours before the drawn,¡± said Yang.
In 2012, most enterprises that dealt with titanium dioxide are in deficit, and only a few of them are making profit. Facing general debility of the industry, Yang suggested that companies improve the quality and lower the cost so as to step out of the trouble. ¡°Those projects that begin without deliberation would certainly fail,¡± said Yang. ¡°Titanos only cooperates with competitive enterprises.¡±

Values Lie in Service, Profits Come with Scale

In 2012 the overall situation of the industrial was not going well. However, Yang enjoyed a delightful result. In the depressing market environment in 2012, Titanos increased its total sales volume by 10 percent through complete products, satisfying service and good faith. The success is attributed to the concerted effort of teamwork and the trust and support of customers.
According to Yang, one of the most severe problems for today¡¯s TiO2 industry is over capacity, and he appealed for rational expansion. ¡°Let¡¯s view the whole industry as a dragon, and the head is always the last to be replaced,¡± Yang said. ¡°Companies that produce excessively and stay defective in a long time would surely be annexed or closed down.¡±
As the largest distributer of titanium dioxide in the country, Titanos provides comprehensive services and preparations for customers. The company¡¯s products include not only titanium dioxide but also kaolin and barium sulfate. ¡°Product diversity is one of our core competence,¡± said Yang. ¡°If Titanos develop in a diversified way, the risks will be lowered greatly.¡± Titanos would insist its concepts and keep improving its services to expand the market and satisfied customers.

Long Way to Go

In 2011, annual sales of Titanos Group have exceeded one billion Chinese Yuan. Propelled by product innovation, high quality services and effective sales channels, Titanos sales are forecasted to increase by 15 percent in 2013. Yang¡¯s confidence comes from the company¡¯s 20-year steady development to a fully equipped marketing channel home and abroad. The goal of Titanos is to build a service-oriented company that integrating technology, information and channels. In the future, Titanos still aims at creating values and having more and more new products while keeping titanium dioxide as main product, and all kinds of pigment, additives and resins will be sort out in accordance with different demands so that customers can save cost in shortest terms.
Titanos also provides specific service and procurement. To provide such comprehensive service, technology should be equipped in place. In 2011, the Titanos group, in collaboration with the prestigious Shanghai Jiao Tong University, established the "Shanghai Jiaotong University-Titanos Industry New Materials United Research Center", which symbolizes that Titanos achieves a new step in transferring from a traditional trade company to a technical service. Titanos always insist transferring the greatest technology into productivity and providing timely solution for customers. Now the strategic partnership between Titanos and PPG has been confirmed, promoting Titanos plans to be global. According to Yang, the network construction would be fully improved in the future.
Yang¡¯s practical and precise working style is quite impressive, and there is reason to believe that Titanos can live up its goal soon and see a bright prospect.