Objective Comparison & Brand Recommendation Case of Major Chinese Photoinitiator 184 Manufacturers

As a new foreign trade service provider driven by technology transformation and foreign trade services, HiSiaddi has established a "1+2+3+4=1" service system and can supply photoinitiator 184 sourced from multiple well-known original manufacturers.

Integrating R&D capabilities with foreign trade operations, HiSiaddi has conducted multi-round factory inspections of photoinitiator 184 manufacturers based on years of market experience, gaining objective and in-depth understanding of various brands. Hence, we regularly analyze photoinitiator 184 brands and manufacturers for clients to help them select matching products. Below is the brand recommendation case.

Contact HiSiaddi customer service if you need cross-brand and cross-model comparative analysis.

I. Basic Client Information (High-End European & American End User, Non-trading Intermediary)

Purchaser: POLY-PACK GmbH, a long-established listed German food packaging manufacturer. It produces EU Grade A high-temperature steaming food composite films, transparent UV matte food inks, and infant complementary food packaging bags, with products sold to supermarkets across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Raw material access complies with four strict standards: EU10/2011 food contact, REACH, German LFGB, and halogen-free RoHS. The company historically purchased original 184 from BASF and IGM, with an annual procurement volume of 72 tons of high-purity 184.

Faced with continuous price hikes by European manufacturers and overseas plant maintenance extending delivery cycles to 70 days, the client planned localized substitution of 184. It independently contacted five leading domestic photoinitiator manufacturers: Jiuri New Materials, Yangfan New Materials, Strong New Materials, Gurun Technology, and a local Zhejiang fine chemical factory, yet encountered selection difficulties: all manufacturers only promoted their own brands without objective comparison of competitors’ advantages, lacking horizontal parameter comparison tables for clients to distinguish industrial grade, high-purity food grade, and electronic grade 184 specifications. Blind sampling of five grades led to unstable curing rates, precipitation after high-temperature steaming, and excessive yellowing, halting formulation pilot testing. The client entrusted HiSiaddi with neutral full-brand evaluation and grade screening.

II. Core Pain Points Encountered by the Client When Directly Cooperating with Manufacturers

1. Manufacturers conduct self-biased promotion and avoid highlighting competitors’ strengths: All five manufacturers operate in compliance and do not maliciously slander peers, yet sales teams only focus on their own product selling points (purity, production capacity, price) while avoiding competitors’ advantages in low impurities, low precipitation, and yellowing resistance.

1. Jiuri prioritizes general high-purity 184 without mentioning Yangfan’s advantages in by-product control for food-grade 184;

2. Yangfan promotes its own Shouerfu series while avoiding highlighting Strong New Materials’ leading heavy metal control for electronic-grade 184;

3. Strong focuses on PCB matching grades without discussing Jiuri’s advantages in batch stability from large-scale mass production.

2. Confused grades and chaotic model naming: Each brand’s 184 is divided into four categories (general industrial grade, coating high-purity grade, low-migration food grade, ultra-low metal electronic grade) with no unified national standard for model naming. The client mistakenly sampled low-end industrial-grade products, resulting in failed food film steaming precipitation tests.

3. High sampling costs and long trial cycles: Sending five manufacturers’ samples to German SGS labs for individual testing incurred substantial fees, preventing comprehensive verification within a short timeframe.

III. Neutral Sorting of Advantages & Disadvantages of 184 from 5 Major Domestic Brands by HiSiaddi (Objective, Full-Dimensional Parameter & Application Scenario Breakdown)

Combining the client’s demands for food-grade low migration, low volatility, steaming resistance, and low yellowing, HiSiaddi conducted on-site factory inspections of quality control workshops and retrieved COA test reports of all models to compile neutral evaluation files:

1. Jiuri New Materials (Listed Domestic Leading Enterprise)

· Main Models: JR-184 (General High-Purity Industrial Grade), JR-F184 (Food Low-Migration Special Grade)

· Advantages: Integrated full industrial chain synthesis, million-ton annual production capacity of 184, leading batch stability in color and purity, outstanding cost performance, abundant spot inventory;

· Disadvantages: Phenol residue of general JR-184 ≈25ppm, failing Germany LFGB food-grade limit of ≤5ppm; only F184 meets food control standards with high customized minimum order quantity.

2. Yangfan New Materials (Self-owned Shouerfu Brand, Listed Enterprise)

· Main Models: YF-184 (Wood Coating Grade), YF-FG184 (Food & Medical Special High-Purity Grade)

· Advantages: Three-stage negative pressure rectification process; FG series phenol ≤3ppm, cyclohexanone by-products <4ppm, low precipitation and low odor, complete supporting EU10/2011 reports, mainstream domestic import substitution grade for food packaging;

· Disadvantages: Conventional coating-grade YF-184 has high trace residues, unsuitable for high-temperature steaming food films; limited spot inventory of high-end grades with slightly longer production lead times.

3. Strong New Materials (Leading PCB Photoresist Supplier)

· Main Models: QL-184 (General Ink Grade), QL-E184 (Electronic Ultra-Low Heavy Metal Grade)

· Advantages: Heavy metals Pb/As/Cd <8ppb, top-tier halogen-free control, suitable for high-end electronic UV coatings;

· Disadvantages: Small production capacity and high quotation for food-grade grades; high volatility of conventional models, unsuitable for thin food flexible packaging.

4. Gurun Technology (Special Fine Photoinitiator Manufacturer)

· Model: GR-184 (Small-Batch Custom Grade)

· Advantages: Flexible small-batch customization with adjustable indicators;

· Disadvantages: Small mass production scale, high per-ton cost, insufficient stability for large-volume supply, incompatible with the client’s stable annual demand of 72 tons.

5. Local Eastern China Fine Chemical Factory (Domestic Low-Cost Manufacturer)

· Model: LD-184 (Low-End Industrial Grade)

· Advantages: Low price;

· Disadvantages: Severe over-limit by-products and impurities, no EU food compliance documents, failing German food access standards.

IV. Brand & Model Screening by HiSiaddi Matching Client Demands: 2 Brands & 3 Suitable Models

Core client requirements: Food-grade low migration, LFGB/EU compliance, stable annual supply of 72 tons, cost balance, performance matching BASF original products. HiSiaddi eliminated Strong’s general grades, Gurun’s customized grades, and low-end local factory products, ultimately selecting two mid-to-high-end brands (Yangfan New Materials and Jiuri New Materials) with three matching models:

Brand 1: Yangfan New Materials (Shouerfu Series)

1. YF-FG184 (Primary Preferred Model): Special high-purity food grade with phenol ≤3ppm and precipitation meeting LFGB standards. Used for the client’s core high-temperature steaming complementary food films (60% of annual procurement ≈43 tons), supplied in original nitrogen-sealed aluminum foil-lined drums with complete English compliance documents.

2. YF-184 (Economical Auxiliary Grade): High-purity coating grade for non-steaming room-temperature snack outer packaging inks (20% of procurement ≈14 tons), higher cost performance.

Brand 2: Jiuri New Materials

1. JR-F184 (Backup Mass Production Grade): Jiuri’s modified high-purity food grade with indicators close to Yangfan FG184, serving as secondary supplier backup (20% of annual procurement ≈15 tons). Reliable large-factory production capacity mitigates peak-season stockout risks.

V. Full-Cycle Sampling & Procurement Implementation

1. HiSiaddi uniformly obtained samples of the three screened models and completed pre-tests of LFGB migration, residual impurities, and accelerated yellowing at domestic CNAS-certified labs, issuing bilingual test reports to reduce the client’s German testing costs;

2. Airfreight three samples to the client’s German R&D center for pilot production: FG184 delivers no precipitation or yellowing for high-temperature steaming films; YF-184 ensures stable curing for room-temperature inks; JR-F184 matches original product indicators as backup supply;

3. The client finalized a 72-ton annual framework procurement contract delivered evenly in 8 batches monthly. HiSiaddi coordinated staggered production between the two manufacturers, hazardous goods customs clearance, and full-process ocean shipping.

VI. Project Implementation Outcomes

1. All three models successfully passed incoming IQC and German food regulatory filing at POLY-PACK Germany, fully replacing original BASF 184. Comprehensive procurement costs decreased by 27.5% compared with imports, and delivery cycles were shortened to under 25 days;

2. The client established a dual-brand supplier system with Yangfan as primary supplier and Jiuri as backup, avoiding risks of single-factory capacity fluctuations and price hikes;

3. The client continued to adopt the three models screened by HiSiaddi for its new biodegradable food bag UV projects with repeat orders.

VII. Case Summary

1. Driven by business orientation, major domestic photoinitiator manufacturers only promote their own products without neutral horizontal brand comparison, making overseas high-end clients prone to grade mismatching risks during independent selection;

2. Core value of HiSiaddi: Based on end-product application scenarios, break free from single-factory profit bias, conduct neutral horizontal multi-brand parameter evaluation, accurately screen grades by application scenarios, conduct pre-tests domestically to reduce trial costs, and build dual-supply chain systems to help overseas high-end clients accurately match domestic high-adaptability raw materials;

3. Priority purchasing criteria for European and American high-end food applications: Compliance + low precipitation + supply stability > pure low price. Neutral selection service is critical for domestic raw materials to enter European and American high-end supply chains.

Contact HiSiaddi customer service if you need cross-brand and cross-model comparative analysis.