Elkem Xinghuo Silicones intensifies its efforts to advance innovation in science and technology and build scientific research platforms, keeps strengthening the work of intellectual property (IP), establishes a sound mechanism for IP creation, application, management and protection, and gives full play to the role of IP in protecting its technological innovation, promoting commercialization of research and development deliverables and increasing core competitiveness. In recent years, it has made remarkable results and effectively enhanced its brand value and influence.
Elkem Xinghuo Silicones integrates its IP strategy and development strategy, has established the Intellectual Property Management Committee and the Confidentiality Committee headed by the Party Secretary and General Manager, and has established complete management systems and a professional team for IP management. Elkem Xinghuo Silicones protects and carries out the work of conventional intellectual property rights as well as patent application and maintenance, and establishes early warning mechanisms for patent portfolio, patent infringement response and prevention, and avoids possible intellectual property risks. By taking measures such as employee intellectual property training, signing of confidentiality agreement and making of patent incentive policies, Elkem Xinghuo Silicones actively raises intellectual property management and operation as well as its employees’ awareness of intellectual property protection to a new level.
As a state-level enterprise technology center, Elkem Xinghuo Silicones makes the cooperation between industries, universities and research institutes an important approach to technical innovation and has established project partnership with famous colleges and universities including Beijing University of Chemical Technology. In May 2019, Jiujiang University Xinghuo Silicones Industrial Research Center and Ganjiang New Area Silicone Innovation Research Institute held a signing ceremony for enterprise-academy-research strategic cooperation and project approval, and formed a complete system integrating silicone monomer research, engineering scale-up, production and application. In 2019, Elkem Xinghuo Silicones commercialized over 50 products, made a number of its products recognized in the market, and entered a phase of steady commercialized production. So far, Elkem Xinghuo Silicones has applied for inclusion into the key new product program of Jiangxi Province for its 15 products.
Elkem Xinghuo Silicones has built a complete IP system, which allows the company make great achievements in patent application and authorization. It has currently 90 authorized patents. In recent three years, it has applied for 44 patents for invention, including one PCT international patent, 20 utility model patents, and eight appearance design patents, involving upstream & downstream silicone production technologies, intelligent plant and advanced process control, etc. These scientific & technological achievements provide Elkem Xinghuo Silicones with strong technical supports for increasing its overall economic returns, environmental benefits and social benefits. Specifically, “A method for synthesizing hydroxy terminated PDMS”, which was invented by the team headed by Liao Guigen, has won the 21th China Patent Prize and the First Prize for Patents of China’s Fluorosilicone Industry.