Opportunities and Challenges Brought by the Bankruptcy of Global Titanium Dioxide Giant Venator

Gemme

09-29-2025 18:23:42

Venator Materials, a major global titanium dioxide producer with nearly 150 years of history, has recently filed for bankruptcy...

Venator Materials, a major global titanium dioxide producer with nearly 150 years of history, has recently filed for bankruptcy. The company first shut down its Krefeld-Uerdingen plant, followed shortly by the closure of its Duisburg plant, putting 700 jobs at risk—around 410 employees at the Krefeld site and 290 at the Duisburg site. In the previous year, Venator had already carried out large-scale restructuring measures, cutting about 290 jobs and ceasing titanium dioxide production. However, these layoffs were not sufficient to maintain profitability.

Venator Materials was formerly known as the German company Sachtleben Chemie GmbH, whose main products included titanium dioxide, lithopone, barium sulfate, and zinc sulfide. Sachtleben was founded in 1878 by Dr. Rudolf Sachtleben under the name Schöningen Lithopone and Permanent White Factory AG. In 1892, the Duisburg plant in Germany began producing barium sulfate and zinc sulfide products. In 1959, Sachtleben and DuPont established a joint venture, Pigment Chemie GmbH, in Wilmington, USA, to produce titanium dioxide. In 1961, Sachtleben merged with Kemira Pigments in Pori, Finland, forming a company focused on titanium dioxide and functional additives (barium sulfate, lithopone, zinc sulfide), playing an important role in global markets such as coatings and plastics. In 1962, titanium dioxide capacity was expanded at the Duisburg plant in Germany. In 1996, a joint venture was established in Guangzhou, China—Guangzhou Hualy-Sachtleben Chemical Co., Ltd.—relocating lithopone production from Germany to the Guangzhou plant. In 2004, Sachtleben was acquired by Rockwood Holdings, Inc. in the United States and became an independent subsidiary. After several subsequent transfers and ownership changes, the company has now declared bankruptcy.

Gemme Specialty Chemicals is headquartered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and has been engaged in the barium sulfate materials business since its establishment in 1996, with nearly 30 years of continuous focus and deep cultivation in specialized markets. As a peer company in the barium sulfate materials industry, Gemme Specialty Chemicals has both competed and collaborated with the early Sachtleben Chemie GmbH in global application markets, maintaining long-term, multi-faceted friendly exchanges and interactions. In 2009, Gemme Specialty Chemicals acquired the entire Guangzhou Hualy-Sachtleben production line and established in Foshan, Guangdong, China’s first surface-treated barium sulfate production facility at that time. By digesting and absorbing Sachtleben’s particle size control and surface treatment encapsulation modification technologies, along with undertaking multiple targeted and innovative R&D initiatives, the company has developed numerous independent intellectual property rights and taken a leading position among peers in the barium sulfate industry. Meanwhile, the Guangxi project represents Gemme Specialty Chemicals’ second major production base, strategically laid out under the group’s sustainable development approach. Located in Xiangzhou County, Laibin City, Guangxi—renowned as the “World Capital of Barite”—the project leverages abundant and high-quality local barite resources to secure raw material quality and supply stability from the source. Covering a total area of 106,000 m², with a planned total investment of RMB 678 million, the project has already completed RMB 400 million investment in its first phase and officially commenced production.

As a specialized chemical enterprise covering the entire industry chain from mining, raw material beneficiation, product R&D, to production and sales, Gemme Specialty Chemicals (Guangxi) not only produces core products such as precipitated barium sulfate and synthetic barium sulfate, but also supplies by-products including sodium sulfide, zinc sulfide, and barite powder. The company provides one-stop barium salt material solutions and customized services for specific applications in coatings, inks, plastics, chemical fibers, and other fields, significantly enhancing product performance for customers and ensuring their long-term market competitiveness.

On the product side, Gemme Specialty Chemicals (Guangxi) offers a wide range of barium sulfate grades and specifications that are regarded as quality benchmarks in the coatings industry, providing precise solutions tailored to different coating application scenarios: Nano-scale barium sulfate: Produced using Corning’s liquid-phase synthesis control technology from the United States, with particle size strictly controlled within 10–50 nm. It is specially developed for ultra-thin coatings, specialty inks, UV-curable coatings, and photoresists, meeting the stringent requirements of high-end coatings for transparency and fineness.

Surface-treated barium sulfate: With a particle size of 0.2–0.7 µm, processed through silica-alumina coating or organic surface encapsulation technology, it offers excellent self-dispersion and resin compatibility. This enhances coating density, delivering more uniform gloss and improved surface smoothness.

Synthetic barium sulfate: With purity exceeding 99% and a particle size of 1–3 µm, it demonstrates outstanding weather resistance, making it especially suitable for outdoor coatings and high-durability industrial coatings where long-term performance is critical.

From the perspective of corporate strength and supply chain security, Gemme Specialty Chemicals is a trusted long-term partner for coating enterprises. Since its establishment in 1996, the company has adhered to the core principles of “technological innovation + quality stability.” It has built two major production bases in Guangdong and Guangxi, with a combined annual capacity of 150,000 tons, while the Guangxi facility alone is designed for a total capacity of up to 300,000 tons—fully capable of meeting peak season demand in the coatings industry. To further ensure supply chain resilience, the company has also established a barite supply network across ASEAN countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, effectively mitigating risks from domestic raw material fluctuations.

At the same time, Gemme Specialty Chemicals has established an Advanced Materials Application R&D Center, introducing professional production and testing equipment from Germany and forming an interdisciplinary team of chemical experts, application engineers, and automation specialists, ensuring strict quality control from production processes to product testing. Both the Guangdong and Guangxi plants have obtained ISO9001, ISO14001, and ISO45001 international management system certifications. Moreover, the company is the first in the industry to complete EU REACH, Korea K-REACH, and Turkey KKDIK registration and certification. Headquartered in the Hong Kong SAR, Gemme Specialty Chemicals has also set up wholly-owned subsidiaries in Seoul, South Korea, and Osaka, Japan, as well as six overseas warehouses. Together with 12 agents across different regions worldwide, the company provides comprehensive localized services. Its products comply with the laws and regulations of major global markets, and it has consistently ranked among the top exporters of barium sulfate for many consecutive years.

In diverse application scenarios such as coatings, inks, and can coatings, Gemme Specialty Chemicals’ barium sulfate materials demonstrate significant advantages, truly helping enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency:

Powder coatings: The BIANCO Fine series barium sulfate, as a functional extender material (with usage up to 70%), can effectively replace about 20% of titanium dioxide without compromising coating opacity or gloss. It also reduces dispersion time, improves processing efficiency, minimizes “orange peel” effects, lowers binder consumption, and extends the service life of extruders.

Automotive coatings: The MIKRO Fixe series surface-treated barium sulfate can partially replace titanium dioxide in electrodeposition coatings. With excellent dispersibility and weather resistance, it stabilizes pigment flocculation, enhances the depth of metallic colors and the flatness of metallic flakes, thereby meeting the high-quality and superior weathering performance requirements of automotive topcoats.

General coatings: The BIANCO Fisso series barium sulfate has low oil absorption and is compatible with all paint and coating systems. With strong chemical stability, it enhances corrosion resistance, making it especially suitable for high-gloss and acid-resistant coatings. By adjusting the filler content, it can also control film thickness, improve sagging issues at edges and corners, and reduce the amount of carbon black needed, optimizing overall color performance.

Against the backdrop of barium sulfate market fluctuations and coating enterprises facing dual pressures of “cost and quality,” Gemme Specialty Chemicals (Guangxi), with its full industry chain layout, stable production capacity, high-quality product portfolio, and customized application solutions, has become a reliable partner to help coatings companies stand out during the peak “Golden September and Silver October” season. Choosing Gemme Specialty Chemicals means not only selecting premium barium sulfate products but also securing long-term supply chain stability and a partnership focused on cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Looking ahead, Gemme Specialty Chemicals will continue to drive product upgrades through technological innovation, upholding its corporate philosophy of professionalism, innovation, and sustainability. Together with global partners in coatings, inks, plastics, and other industries, the company is committed to promoting high-end and high-quality industry development.

For more information about Gemme Specialty Chemicals’ premium products and related details, please contact:

Zhang Xinyuan：+86-13911175523

Mr. Zhao：+86-18928519888

andy@gemmecorp.com