On November 10, a delegation from the CPC Tonglu county committee and the Tonglu county government traveled to Germany to inspect Gernsheim,the core production base of SUSONITY, a subsidiary under Global New Material International. During the visit, the two sides officially signed the “Letter of Intent for the Research and Development of Synthetic Mica Application”, reaching a deep consensus on cooperation in the technological research and development, project implementation and industrial ecosystem construction of synthetic mica-based functional materials.
In-depth Exchanges to Experience the Strength of German Manufacturing
Zhang Suping, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Tonglu County Committee and Party Secretary of Tonglu Economic Development Zone, Du Yongxiang, Director of the Tonglu County Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, Zhang Quan, Party Secretary of Baijiang Town, and Wu Zhaowu, Deputy Director of the Government Office, participated in the delegation.
Michael Weiden, Head of Global Business of SUSONITY, Carsten Pluge, Head of Global Research and Development, and Oliver Kaufhold, Plant Manager of Gernsheim, were present throughout the inspection.
The delegation visited the production workshop, research and development laboratory and quality inspection center of the Gernsheim plant to learn in detail about the preparation process, coating technology and environmental treatment system of SUSONITY’s special pigments and surface performance materials based on high-purity synthetic mica as functional substrates.
Oliver Kaufhold, Gernsheim Plant Manager, highlighted the factory’s intelligent production system, quality control mechanism and sustainable development initiatives, and shared the technological upgrade process of the production line, the capacity scale and the experience of coordinating with the global supply chain. Members of the delegation stopped from time to time to ask questions and had in-depth exchanges on issues such as production efficiency improvement, green manufacturing and high-end talent cultivation, and highly praised the factory’s strict management system and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
Sino-Germany Collaboration, A New Chapter of Deepening Cooperation
Michael Weiden briefed Secretary Zhang Suping and his delegation on the development of SUSONITY as a leading global brand of surface solutions and the progress of its strategic integration after being incorporated into Global New Material International. Based on the global resource allocation capabilities of Global New Material International, SUSONITY’s German technological advantages and the manufacturing and market advantages of GNMI Asia-Pacific headquarters in Tonglu are accelerating their integration. Currently, a synergy pattern of “European R&D + Asia-Pacific manufacturing + global market” has been formed, which is highly consistent with the strategic direction of Tonglu county government to build a high-end new materials industrial cluster.
Dr. Carsten Plueg, Head of Global Research and Development at SUSONITY, focused on the surface performance material system with synthetic mica as the core substrate. SUSONITY takes advantage of the high transparency, heat resistance, electrical insulation and environmental friendliness of synthetic mica, combined with multi-layer optical coating and precise particle size control technology, to develop high-performance products that are widely used in high-end cosmetics, new energy vehicle coatings, electronic component insulation and aerospace materials. These products not only reach the international leading level in terms of visual effects and functional performance, but also set industry benchmarks in terms of sustainability and safety.
Dr. Plueg also vividly presented to the delegation the innovative applications of synthetic mica-based materials in areas such as beauty products, automotive exterior coatings, and thermal management and insulation systems of new energy batteries through physical demonstrations and application cases, allowing the visiting guests to directly experience the technical advantages and market potential of the material.
Strong Alliance to Promote Industrialization
During the visit, Michael Weiden，on behalf of SUSONITY, officially signed the “Letter of Intent for the Research and Development of Synthetic Mica Application” with the Tonglu county government. The two sides reached a deep consensus on the research and development innovation, industrial transformation and ecological construction of synthetic mica-based functional materials – relying on the technical accumulation of SUSONITY R&D team and industrial resources and policy support of the Tonglu government,jointly promote the application expansion of synthetic mica-based materials in emerging fields such as flexible electronics, green energy and advanced manufacturing, accelerate the transition of technological achievements from “laboratory” to “production line”.
Co-create the Future and Boost the Upgrading of Global Value Chain
During the discussion, Secretary Zhang Suping said that this visit not only gave a direct impression of SUSONITY’s technological strength and international influence, but also showed the results of Global New Material International’s global integration of “technology + market + manufacturing” through cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Serving as Global New Material International ‘s Asia-Pacific headquarters and intelligent manufacturing center, Tonglu will continue to optimize the business environment, fully support enterprises in deepening Sino-German technological synergy and industrialization, promote the agglomeration development of high-end new materials industry centered on synthetic mica, and help GNMI keep a leading position in global new materials industry.
Since Global New Material International made its acquisition of Merck SUSONITY in Germany in 2024, GNMI has officially launched the construction of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Tonglu. The Tonglu government delegation’s visit to the German factory will further strengthen the resource linkage and technological synergy between China and Germany, accelerate the integration of production and research and industrialization, and drive China’s new materials industry to evolve from “technology following” to “value co-creation”. In the future, Global New Material International will use the technology research and development at its Gernsheim plant as an innovation engine and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Tonglu as a manufacturing and marketing hub to continuously deepen Sino-German cooperation and provide more competitive and sustainable surface performance solutions for global customers.