Twenty Years of Dedication to Reach the Pinnacle of the Industry - The Ascent Journey of Zhongqi and Zhonglian

"No matter how long the road, perseverance will lead to the destination; no matter how high the mountain, unremitting climbing will reach the summit." This sentence, full of resilience, serves as a vivid footnote to the two-decade-long dedication of Zhongqi (Guangdong) Silicon Materials Co., Ltd. and Shandong Zhonglian Chemical Co., Ltd. in the field of food-grade silicon dioxide. From repeated laboratory adjustments to global market recognition, from being a follower of industry standards to a leader in regulatory development, they have measured their growth with steady steps and defined their heights through unyielding pursuit.

Though an invisible food additive, food-grade silicon dioxide undertakes a crucial mission of food safety. Its purity control, functional adaptability, and compliant production can be regarded as the "high mountain" in the industry. When Zhongqi was established in 2011, the domestic high-end food-grade silicon dioxide market was dominated by imported products, with technical barriers and standard gaps forming a formidable barrier ahead. However, the team firmly believed that "even a long road will be covered if one keeps walking." Starting from building its first laboratory, after thousands of raw material screenings and process optimizations, Zhongqi finally overcame the challenges in preparing high-adsorption silicon dioxide and developed core products capable of accurately adsorbing impurities and improving product fluidity. To fortify the quality defense line, Zhongqi built GMP-standardized workshops and 10,000-ton intelligent production lines, equipped with cutting-edge testing equipment such as atomic fluorescence spectrometers, and established a full-link quality control system from raw materials to finished products. It has successively obtained multiple domestic and international certifications, including the ISO22000 Food Safety Management System and EU CE certification.
 

Over the past two decades, the industry has witnessed constant waves of changes: the implementation of the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Additive Production in 2024, with annual unannounced inspections and full-process quality file requirements putting great pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises; the tightening of environmental policies leading to the withdrawal of 12,000 tons of non-compliant production capacity from the market. Facing these "obstacles," Zhongqi broke through with technological innovation, accumulating 21 patents in total, among which 17 core patents built a solid technical barrier. Its specially developed filter aid for beer even filled the domestic gap with its high-efficiency filtration performance. As a national high-tech enterprise and a "specialized, refined, characteristic, and innovative" enterprise in Guangdong Province, Zhongqi not only achieved international leadership in product purity and stability but also participated in the formulation of industry standards based on practical experience, becoming a regulatory bellwether in the field of high-end food additives.

"Walking alone is fast, but walking together is far-reaching." Zhongqi’s ascent journey has always been accompanied by Shandong Zhonglian Chemical. As Zhongqi’s exclusive sales partner, Shandong Zhonglian has promoted domestically produced high-end food-grade silicon dioxide to the global stage with its global sales network covering Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. To overcome the access thresholds of European and American markets, the two parties jointly tackled key challenges, customizing exclusive products in line with EFSA standards, and successfully entering the European dairy supply chain. At the 2024 Nuremberg International Chemical Exhibition in Germany, the "green silicon solution" jointly launched by them attracted attention from customers in more than 50 countries and secured intended orders worth 120 million yuan. This collaborative model of "technological R&D + market expansion" has driven a 15% increase in market share and an 8-10 percentage point rise in profit margin after the partnership, demonstrating the strength of "climbing together."
 

Today, Zhongqi and Zhonglian have grown from industry followers to leaders: Zhongqi’s products empower nine major fields including food, pharmaceuticals, and oral care, becoming a trusted choice for many Fortune 500 enterprises; Shandong Zhonglian continues to deepen its overseas layout, planning to establish 3-5 regional sales centers within three years, with the goal of achieving a 40% overseas sales ratio. The achievements along this journey have no shortcuts—it is the persistence in countless sleepless nights in the laboratory, the dedication to millimetric precision on the production line, and the responsiveness to customer needs in the global market.

From the initial workshop in Guangzhou to the global supply chain network, from a single product to a full-dimensional solution, Zhongqi and Zhonglian have proven over 20 years: the so-called industry pinnacle is nothing but making every R&D step solid and every breakthrough firm; the so-called distant destination is nothing but integrating the word "persistence" into day-to-day dedication. Just as food-grade silicon dioxide silently guards food safety, this resilience of "keeping going" and determination of "climbing up" are exactly the core driving force behind the breakthrough of China's intelligent manufacturing.