Jun 11 2010
China is the leading producer and consumer of silicon carbide, and its output of silicon carbide in 2009 reached 535 kilotons or so, occupying 56.3% of the global total and ranking the first worldwide. Chinese silicon carbide industry characterizes large output but lack of competitiveness. Despite the sufficient supply of output, most of China-made silicon carbide products are low-end and preliminarily processed, while certain demand-supply gap exits in the refined and deep-processed products with high added value. Furthermore, the supply of the products with high technical content such as silicon carbide whisker and silicon carbide crystal are far from satisfaction. In 2009, China imported 1.3 kilotons of silicon carbide to make up for the domestic market deficiency.
In spite of some opportunities brought by the upgrading of product structure and the extension of downstream demand, the development of silicon carbide industry, which is featured by high energy consumption and pollution, is exposed to hindrance from the influence of energy shortage and national energy conservation policy, in specific, the examination and approval of new projects are restricted, and relevant preferential policies like low electricity price have already been cancelled. Consequently, we can say that the future development of Chinas silicon carbide industry will face many uncertainties.
Apart from the focus on the operation environment, current development, supply & demand, competition pattern, import & export, price trend, and development outlook of China silicon carbide industry, this report also highlights the analysis on the supply & demand and price trend of silicon carbide upstream markets such as anthracite, petroleum coke, etc., current development and prospect of silicon carbide downstream industry, as well as the operation and development advantage of key Chinese enterprises.
Take Yicheng New Material (the original Yicheng Silicon Carbide) as an example. It has expanded against the global financial meltdown. After purchasing two silicon carbide material enterprises in Qinghai, etc., it invested the photovoltaic-based silicon carbide powder Phase II project and put it into operation at the end of November, 2009; therefore, its annual output capacity has been increased to 600 million tons, and it has become the largest manufacturer of silicon carbide fine powder for the photovoltaic industry all over the world. Through the business strategy of Transfer of Profits but No Transfer of Market, the company has continuously developed new clients while consolidating old clients. In 2009, the sales revenue of the company turned out to be RMB2.8 billion, up 75% yr-on-yr. Along with the recovery of silicon carbide market, the company made remarkable achievements in the first quarter of 2010 with the sales revenue hitting RMB 960 million, a 140% YoY rise.
With regard to development advantage, Yicheng New Material is currently the biggest manufacturer of photovoltaic silicon carbide in China. It enjoys high market shares and its output capacity takes an 11.2% share of the entire silicon carbide market. Meanwhile, as the company is located in anthracite-abundant Henan Province, the sufficient and stable source of raw materials not only greatly lowers the production cost, but also effectively guarantees the steady quality of its silicon carbide products.