Yu Guo is talkative.

When it comes to the domestic and international environment of environmentally friendly coatings, he has some insights: "With strong support from national policies, the transition from traditional paints to environmentally friendly paints is an inevitable trend. In the field of industrial paints, among the four environmentally friendly coating methods, powder coatings have strict baking conditions, high cost of UV curing equipment, high solvent-free viscosity, and difficult construction, all of which have certain limitations

The Chinese paint market has over 400 billion yuan, with industrial paint accounting for 52%, but there are still very few environmentally friendly and non-toxic paints. Only water-based industrial paint is the necessary path for the development of industrial paint and the mainstream of national promotion. Yu Guo believes that there will be a significant contribution from him in this regard.

A has conducted tens of thousands of experiments for research and development

Yu Guo, born in the 1980s, is from Shanxi. After graduating with a Master's degree in Materials Science from Southwest Jiaotong University, he joined DuPont, a Fortune 500 company, in 2008 to engage in the domestic introduction of new projects and testing of new products, officially starting to deal with water-based industrial paints.

Yu Guotan Chen, as a traditional manufacturing industry, the dry paint industry doesn't sound very high-end and is considered a "grassroots industry" by most people. When I was in college conducting experiments, whenever I encountered toluene, my hands trembled and I held my breath. No one dared to touch it, but since I came into contact with this industry, I realized that this substance, which 'can't kill anyone at once when inhaled,' is already considered 'good' in the industry. This made Yu Guo respect the painters who traded health for life.

What surprised him even more was that the development of water-based industrial paint in China was at least fifty years behind that of foreign countries, to the point where related books could not even be found in bookstores. In 2008, when promoting water-based industrial paint in the Philippines and Malaysia, he also clearly felt that the acceptance of water-based industrial paint in foreign markets was much higher than in China. Yu Guo had an idea: since he has been reading for so many years, he should strive to make some changes.

In 2012, Yu Guo began working on the research and development of water-based resins, dedicated to solving the problem of poor anti-corrosion and rust prevention effects of water-based industrial paints in outdoor and room temperature environments. Yu Guo has a simple explanation for water-based resin: "Water based resin accounts for 50% -60% of the cost of water-based industrial paint. To paint, it is like the CPU of a computer or the meat of stir frying. To make a dish delicious, it depends on the chef's skills, and what we do is to control the source of the ingredients

The path of scientific research is inevitably difficult.

In Guo's view, a recipe is like a layer of window paper, which may be easily torn by a gentle poke, or it may be exhausted for a lifetime without achieving anything. Therefore, there is a common situation in the industry where "one recipe lasts a lifetime" and "one trick can be eaten all over the world".

For research and development, Yu Guo conducted tens of thousands of experiments day and night. R&D is an extremely challenging task that tests one's perseverance. "If one link is wrong from 7am to 12pm, it's like working for nothing all day. If one direction is wrong, it's like working for half a year

Fortunately, in "The Way of Life," Yu Guo found inspiration and motivation. The author of the book "The Way of Life" is Japanese industrialist Kazuo Inamori, who owns two Fortune 500 companies. In the book, he positively expounds on the significance of entrepreneurship, the state of life that one should have, and his own thoughts on major issues. Whenever he encounters obstacles, Yu Guo will think of Kazuo Inamori standing on the mountaintop waving and smiling, constantly motivating himself to move forward.

In addition to research and development, Yu Guo also needs to go to various parts of the country for testing: to Kunming to make locomotives, to Anhui to make flooring, to Xiaoshan to test steel structures... After repeated failures and successes, in 2015, Yu Guo's formula finally achieved results.

B seizes the opportunity to change lanes and overtake

In July 2016, Yu Guo founded Changmu (Ningbo) New Material Technology Co., Ltd. - a high-tech enterprise that integrates research and development, production, and sales, mainly focusing on self-developed chemical process conversion type air drying water-based resins, and providing a complete set of self drying water-based industrial paint solutions.

From research and development to entrepreneurship, the company has developed to possess water-based resins such as waterborne polyurethane modified alkyd resin, waterborne alkyd baking paint resin, waterborne epoxy modified acrylic baking paint resin, as well as water-based additives such as base wetting agents, water-based dispersants, and water-based drying agents. It has applied for 19 patents, including 12 invention patents, 7 utility model patents, and 4 valid trademarks.

At the same time, Yu Guo was also one of the drafters of industry standards such as "Alkyd Resin for Water based Coatings", "Water based Anti corrosion Coatings for Steel Structures", and "Construction and Acceptance Specification for Water based Anti corrosion Coatings for Industrial Construction Steel Structures". In addition, the company also has a research team of 5 people who provide 24-hour technical services and a complete set of personalized solutions for downstream enterprises, helping downstream customers transform and upgrade.

With the explosive development and rapid transformation and upgrading of the domestic paint industry, Yu Guo believes that in the industrial field, although environmentally friendly paint is still in its infancy, it is also the most cost-effective and inevitable trend. According to environmental standards, a fully compliant air incineration device requires 30 million yuan, and a minimum configuration small device also requires at least 2 million yuan, which is too high in cost. Water based industrial paint not only has almost no emissions of toxic and harmful gases, but also meets the requirements of the environmental protection bureau. Moreover, our developed products are even cheaper than traditional paint, with a cost of only 40% -50% of traditional paint. Why not do it

In 2016, Yu Guo received the first round of financing of 8 million yuan, and at the end of 2017, he received the second round of financing of 10 million yuan. Recently, he has also completed the latest round of financing of 10 million yuan. He said, "This industry is always a sunrise industry. As long as new products emerge, paint is needed. Therefore, it is both an industrial product and a consumer product. Water based industrial paint brings change and opportunities to the paint industry. Social civilization is moving forward, and without me, the development trend of the industry will not change. But since I have seized the good opportunity, I must seize it and change lanes to overtake

On the path of transformation in the paint industry and the overtaking lane in the new materials industry, Yu Guo is very determined.

Note: Reported by Southeast Business Daily on January 4, 2019