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Media watching color China Industry News reports: China's titanium industry has a low self-sufficiency rate in resources, and the industry chain promo

Titanium is hailed as the 'metal of the future century'. In recent years, China's titanium industry has shown a steady growth and continuous optimization trend, with the output and demand of various major products reaching new highs. On October 16th, the first China CIS Titanium Industry Development Forum, guided by the Titanium Zirconium Hafnium Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association and the International Titanium Association of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and hosted by the Northwest Nonferrous Metals Research Institute and Baotai Group Co., Ltd., was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.
The attendees unanimously expressed that titanium is widely used in various industries and plays an important role. With the continuous development of technology, the application of titanium in urban pipeline networks, medical equipment, food manufacturing and other fields will continue to expand and deepen. As an important global producer and consumer of titanium, China has always maintained a good development momentum. The production and demand of titanium have reached new highs, and the application fields are constantly expanding. Significant achievements have been made in the coordinated development of the entire industry chain, and the titanium industry has achieved remarkable results.
Technological innovation drives the expansion of titanium industry applications
The titanium industry is a key raw material industry that promotes technological development and national economic growth. It plays an indispensable role in the construction of national key projects, economic and technological development. The level of development of the titanium industry is an important indicator of a country's comprehensive strength.
In recent years, China's titanium industry has adhered to the strategy of innovation driven development, continuously promoted technological innovation and industrial upgrading, optimized industrial structure, strengthened upstream and downstream coordination of the industrial chain, improved product quality and production efficiency, promoted the expansion and application of titanium in traditional and strategic emerging industries, and deeply cultivated personalized, popularized, and diversified application scenarios. The application of titanium in daily consumer goods has also made significant progress, "said De Bing, Vice President and Secretary General of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, at the meeting.
Zhang Pingxiang, academician of the CAE Member and president of the Northwest Academy of Nonferrous Metals, said that as an important part of modern industry, titanium industry, with its unique advantages of light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance, plays a key role in aviation, aerospace, ships, nuclear industry, medical care, environmental protection and other fields. In recent years, with the advancement of technology and the continuous growth of market demand, the titanium industry has developed rapidly and become an important engine for promoting high-quality development of the global economy.
The reporter learned from the meeting that in 2023, China's titanium ore production will reach 3.247 million tons, accounting for 37% of the global total production; Sponge titanium production reached 218000 tons, accounting for 63% of the global total production; The production of titanium materials is 159000 tons, accounting for 64% of the global total production; The consumption of titanium materials is 148000 tons, accounting for 59% of the global total consumption. Titanium, as a strategic rare metal, plays an irreplaceable role in many fields such as aerospace, marine engineering, new energy, biomedicine, etc. due to its excellent properties such as high strength, low density, and corrosion resistance.
It is worth noting that titanium and titanium alloys have particularly prominent applications in the aerospace industry. Titanium alloy, due to its high strength, light weight, and strong heat resistance, is used in the manufacturing of structural frame components such as aircraft beams and frames, as well as forged titanium fans, compressor discs and blades, engine hoods, exhaust devices, and other components. It can not only extend the service life of the aircraft, but also reduce its own weight, improve the flight performance of the aircraft, and reduce energy consumption; In the aerospace industry, titanium alloys are also widely used to manufacture various pressure vessels, fuel tanks, fasteners, instrument straps, frames, and rocket shells.
In the fields of shipbuilding and ocean engineering, titanium is also widely used. Titanium has excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, and low density, making it an ideal material for manufacturing ships and marine engineering equipment. It is used to manufacture various types of ships such as nuclear submarines, deep-sea submersibles, atomic icebreakers, as well as ship equipment such as propellers, whip antennas, and seawater pipelines. In ocean engineering, titanium is also used in fields such as seawater desalination, offshore oil drilling, and ocean thermal energy conversion power plants.
Meanwhile, in the fields of chemical and petrochemical industries, titanium has become the preferred material for manufacturing various chemical equipment due to its excellent corrosion resistance and chemical stability. In automobile manufacturing, titanium is used to manufacture components such as connecting rods, crankshafts, retaining rings, valves, etc., which can reduce the weight of the car and improve fuel efficiency; In motorcycle manufacturing, titanium can improve the performance and durability of motorcycles. Titanium is also used to manufacture components for railway vehicles and other transportation vehicles.
In addition, the application of titanium is becoming increasingly widespread in the medical field. In the field of construction, the application and development speed of titanium is accelerating. In the field of daily necessities, titanium is also used to manufacture kitchenware, cups, small appliances, eyeglass frames, watches, computers, camera housings and other daily necessities, as well as sports equipment such as golf clubs, badminton rackets, tennis rackets, etc. In the field of energy, titanium alloys can be widely used in hydrogen fuel cells such as titanium bipolar plates and electrolytic cells for hydrogen production through water electrolysis; In geothermal energy development, titanium is used to manufacture equipment such as condensers, turbines, pumps, etc., which can improve the heat recovery rate and extend the life of geothermal wells; In thermal and nuclear power generation devices, titanium made condensers and heat exchangers have a service life of up to 40 years.
Regarding the prediction of future demand for titanium materials in China, An Zhongsheng, Vice President and Secretary General of the Titanium Zirconium Hafnium Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, stated that the chemical industry is still the most titanium intensive field, and the aviation industry will be a promising growth point. In addition, titanium for marine use has great potential, but it needs to be vigorously promoted. It is worth noting that the titanium consumption in the metallurgical and power industries will grow slowly, while the 3C, daily necessities, and air conditioning sectors may become new growth points.
Multi party collaboration to solve industry problems
While acknowledging the remarkable achievements of China's titanium industry, we must also be aware of the existing problems. Although China's titanium industry occupies an important position in the global market, with production and consumption ranking among the top in the world for many years, it still faces challenges such as further optimization of industrial structure, insufficient supply of high-end products, surplus of low-end products, and need to strengthen technological innovation capabilities.
Currently, China's titanium industry is facing problems such as a low self-sufficiency rate in resources, significantly higher production capacity growth in the smelting end compared to the processing end, and a mismatch between the expansion cycle of the titanium processing end and the industry cycle, "An Zhongsheng analyzed.
An Zhongsheng further stated that in recent years, 35-40% of China's titanium ore needs have come from imports. Although the country has increased its efforts to develop titanium ore, it still cannot escape the situation of a large dependence on imports. At the same time, the production capacity growth of the smelting end is still significantly higher than that of the processing end, and there are more newly built EB furnaces and VAR furnaces, resulting in the smelting capacity of titanium ingots exceeding downstream demand, and some equipment is idle. In addition, the expansion cycle of titanium processing is not synchronized with the industry cycle, and the growth rate of demand side is significantly lower than that of supply side. What is more noteworthy is that some production capacity is excessively built ahead of schedule, and enterprises may face a longer period of development.
Reporters have found that, from a global perspective, in 2023, the growth momentum of the world economy will be insufficient, regional hot issues will occur frequently, and the complexity, severity, and uncertainty of the external environment will increase. The foundation for the sustained recovery and improvement of China's economy is not yet stable, with insufficient effective demand, overcapacity in some industries, weak social expectations, and still many risks and hidden dangers. There are bottlenecks in the domestic circulation and interference in the international circulation. The simultaneous emergence of various unfavorable factors both domestically and internationally has further increased the pressure faced by Chinese enterprises. Specifically, although the raw material prices have slightly fallen, they are still at a high level, and domestic downstream smelting and processing enterprises are facing enormous pressure from high production costs and continuously declining product prices.
From a domestic perspective, in 2023, the operating conditions of high titanium slag and sponge titanium enterprises will significantly deteriorate in the smelting sector. High titanium slag enterprises have been operating at breakeven levels almost throughout the year, and some enterprises have been forced to shut down due to low product prices. With the increasing prevalence of downstream users building their own high titanium slag production lines, the market space of traditional high titanium slag enterprises is constantly being compressed. The problem of relative overcapacity in the sponge titanium industry began to emerge in the second quarter of 2023, with a significant decline in product prices. Some companies were forced to reduce production and shut down due to the phenomenon of inverted product prices. Affected by the decline in domestic product prices, there is also a certain gap between export order prices and foreign enterprise selling prices, and the price difference will expand to over 10000 yuan/t by the end of 2023.
Regarding this, An Zhongsheng has stated that he will continue to increase attention to resource security work. Although the production of titanium ore in China has been increasing year by year, and some enterprises have achieved initial results in the production of sponge titanium and titanium dioxide by boiling chlorination method, the basic research and process control capabilities are insufficient, the level of production and testing equipment needs to be improved, and the lack of technical reserves for high-end applications still requires long-term and sustained investment to gradually solve these problems, "said An Zhongsheng.
In An Zhongsheng's opinion, it is necessary to further strengthen the cooperation between industry, academia, and research, and promote the transformation of achievements. In the future, the cooperation between China, academia, research and development will become closer, and the technological transformation of advanced technological achievements will be completed as soon as possible, thereby achieving rapid improvement in product quality.
In addition, he also stated that efforts should be made to accelerate the integration of domestic and international standards for smelting products and promote the export of related products. With the expansion of domestic smelting and processing capabilities, the export of sponge titanium and titanium ingot products is conducive to alleviating domestic market pressure. However, during the export process, some products face the problem of inconsistent quality system standards both domestically and internationally. It is recommended that capable domestic enterprises pay attention to changes in foreign markets, strengthen communication and docking with foreign customers, produce products that meet foreign demand in a targeted manner, and expand export scale.
Regarding this, He Shulin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer of Baotai Group Co., Ltd., introduced that in recent years, Baotai Group has led the development of four international standards, including the "Titanium and Titanium Alloy Naming System", which have been released and implemented successively, filling the international gap; The development of multiple specialized melting and production equipment for titanium materials has effectively improved the development level of the titanium industry. At the same time, continuous innovation in technology and leading demand have opened up numerous new markets such as new energy and 3C electronics, injecting new momentum into industrial development.
Regarding the rapid increase in production and intensified competition in China's sponge titanium industry, coupled with market customers' demands for "quality" and "price" of sponge titanium, Jiang Jianwei, Deputy Chief Engineer of the 725th Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, stated that this will force upstream sponge titanium enterprises to increase technological innovation, improve production efficiency, and reduce production costs. Firstly, the existing Crowell process production technology and equipment upgrades will be improved; The second is to research new smelting technologies and methods to achieve short processes, low costs, and high efficiency, thereby achieving high-quality development of the sponge titanium industry.
Deepening communication and cooperation to promote the vigorous development of industries
The titanium associations of China and the Commonwealth of Independent States have always adhered to the purpose of serving enterprises and promoting industry development, actively playing a leading role in service and coordination, building various communication platforms, focusing on technological innovation and application field expansion, continuously making breakthroughs in key technologies and equipment, and the titanium industry has shown a good trend of vigorous development.
It is understood that the CIS countries have abundant titanium ore resources and a complete titanium processing industry chain, occupying an important position in the global sponge titanium market and a global leading position in titanium processing and manufacturing technology.
Andrey Alexandrov, President of the Titanium Association of the Commonwealth of Independent States, stated at the meeting that titanium is evaluated as a promising structural material in CIS countries, which can ensure technological progress in various industries. The titanium industry in CIS countries has outstanding resource advantages, a complete industrial chain, solid research and development level and industrialization technology foundation, and high-end manufacturing and supply of titanium materials are renowned worldwide. Therefore, he emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation and exchanges, and contribute to the development of the global titanium industry.
Meng Hao, member of the Standing Committee of the Xi'an Municipal Party Committee and Deputy Mayor, stated in his speech that in recent years, China's titanium industry has developed rapidly. Shaanxi Province's titanium industry is at the forefront of research and development as well as industrial scale in China, with advantages in high-end applications and a series of important achievements. Shaanxi Province regards the cultivation of a billion dollar titanium and titanium alloy industry innovation cluster as an important lever to accelerate the formation of new quality productivity and continuously shape new driving forces for high-quality development.
Meng Hao introduced that the titanium and titanium alloy industry chain enterprises in Xi'an also have advantages in technology, equipment, and talent. Currently, a midstream enterprise group in the titanium and titanium alloy industry has been formed, with Western Superconductor and Western Materials as industry leaders. A downstream enterprise group led by Xi'an Airlines and AVIC Xifei has also gathered a number of university clusters for titanium industry research and teaching, such as Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwestern Polytechnical University. The industry chain is complete and the development is healthy and orderly.
As the cradle of China's titanium industry, Baoji City has formed a full industry chain development pattern with Baotai Group as the leader, a group of specialized and innovative enterprises such as Topda Titanium Industry and Yongshengtai Titanium Industry as the backbone, more than 600 related enterprises as supporting facilities, and platforms such as the National Titanium Testing Center, Northwest Nonferrous Metals Baoji Innovation Research Institute, Baotai New Materials Research Institute, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Shaanxi Mechanical and Electrical Vocational and Technical College, Baoji Vocational and Technical College as the support for cultivating technological innovation talents, integrating titanium melting, processing, manufacturing, etc. During his speech, Gao Hongzhen, member of the Standing Committee of the Baoji Municipal Committee and Deputy Mayor of Shaanxi Province, stated that by 2023, Baoji's titanium material production will reach nearly 70000 tons, with a total industry chain output value of 64 billion yuan, and the titanium industry scale will rank first in the country. The titanium and titanium alloy industry was included in the national strategic emerging industry cluster development project in 2019 and selected as a national small and medium-sized enterprise characteristic industry cluster in 2022.
The reporter learned from the meeting that China and the CIS countries account for more than three-quarters of the global total production of sponge titanium and titanium materials. The deep cooperation between the two sides will not only help enhance their competitiveness and influence in the global titanium industry, but also promote higher quality and more sustainable development of the global titanium industry. The cooperation between China and the titanium enterprises of the Commonwealth of Independent States is beneficial to the mutual benefit and win-win situation of both sides, and has made positive contributions to promoting the stable growth of the regional economy and the prosperous development of the global titanium industry.
An Zhongsheng stated that titanium civilian products will become a new driving force for the future development of the industry, and international cooperation should be actively carried out. There is a vast space for cooperation between China and Taiwan, for example, in the field of civil aviation and passenger aircraft. Through joint efforts of both sides, we strive to break the existing monopoly pattern.
Duan Debing suggests strengthening cooperation from three aspects: firstly, enhancing cultural communication and promoting complementary advantages. The second is to strengthen consultation, co construction and sharing, promote model innovation, and promote the upgrading of titanium industry cooperation. The third is to deepen cooperation among social organizations, leverage the role of associations and chambers of commerce, and build a high-level interactive platform.

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