Recently, Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. received encouraging news: four of its subsidiaries—Honggang, Hongjing, Hongwei, and Rongtai—have all been officially recognized as "National High-Tech Enterprises" and awarded the corresponding certification. Together with previously certified entities—Shenghong Refining & Chemical, Sirbang, and Hongyang Thermal Power—the entire industrial group has now achieved full-scale "National High-Tech Enterprise" status. This milestone in scientific and technological innovation fulfills the group’s firm commitment to "building a high-tech industrial group," injects powerful momentum into its future high-quality development, and underscores Shenghong Petrochemical’s robust capabilities and unwavering determination in the realm of technological innovation.
The "National High-Tech Enterprise" designation serves as an authoritative benchmark for a company’s innovation capacity and core competitiveness. As one of the most prestigious national-level credentials, it significantly enhances a company’s brand image and credibility. Notably, this certification allows for a reduction in the corporate income tax rate from 25% to 15%. Furthermore, it provides a competitive edge in areas such as applying for key scientific and technological projects, accessing R&D expense tax deductions, securing financing, and obtaining local government project support or financial grants.
"The group placed great importance on this certification process. We began preparations as early as the end of 2024," says Zhou Dapeng, a senior engineer for scientific research management at the Innovation Center. "Our Finance Department, Human Resources Department, various business divisions, and functional centers worked in close coordination, pooling their key talent to overcome challenges and lay a solid foundation for this success."
The application process for this designation is rigorous and complex, encompassing multiple dimensions such as technological innovation, the commercialization of research findings, intellectual property, and financial compliance. To ensure the application process was both precise and efficient, the project team maintained a firm grip on every critical stage. Regarding the identification of innovation, team members engaged directly with R&D operations to pinpoint key technical challenges, distilling a range of proprietary innovations that underscore the company’s technological leadership. In terms of the translation of these innovations into practical outcomes, the team systematically compiled technical documentation, customer feedback, and market application data to clearly demonstrate the tangible value of these achievements. Regarding intellectual property (IP), the team guided technical staff to pursue multi-dimensional IP filings, creating a comprehensive protection network around core technologies. Furthermore, finance and R&D personnel collaborated closely to ensure the rationalization of R&D expenditures; by strictly adhering to accounting standards and the specific requirements for "High-Tech Enterprise" (HTE) certification, they standardized the categorization of R&D costs and optimized the expenditure structure. This provided a clear, robust justification for the reasonableness and sustainability of the company’s R&D investment, ensuring the rigor of the application materials.
The full-scale success in securing "High-Tech Enterprise" certifications serves as a vivid reflection of the progress achieved in Shenghong Petrochemical’s strategic transformation. Over the past year, the industrial group has yielded a rich harvest in scientific and technological innovation: it inaugurated the Shenghong Advanced Materials Research Institute, accelerated the development of a pilot-scale testing base, commissioned an EVOH pilot plant, and pioneered new polyolefin polymerization and purification technologies—effectively overcoming technical barriers previously held by overseas entities. The group also established stable, dedicated sales channels for PETG, enabling targeted R&D. Focusing on "extending and strengthening the industrial chain," it developed a series of new fine chemical products that have gained strong market recognition and customer favor.
Simultaneously, the industrial group has significantly accelerated its transition from a traditional refinery to a digitally intelligent plant. The "intelligent transformation and digital upgrade" strategy has been further implemented through the development of sophisticated large-scale models for refining and chemical production optimization. These models enable real-time tracking and assessment of key unit performance, facilitating optimized production scheduling. A jointly developed "operational navigation" system has substantially increased raw material recovery rates for the PDH (propane dehydrogenation) unit—a pioneering achievement in the refining and chemical sector that is set to drive profound changes in industrial production management. Additionally, the group became the first in the industry to deploy a "lights-out" (fully automated) laboratory, which has reduced manual labor requirements by 50% while doubling the efficiency of product testing.
Building on the momentum of this comprehensive HTE certification success, the industrial group is set to accelerate its efforts in scientific research management and technological innovation as it looks toward 2026. According to a company representative, this recognition as a "High-Tech Enterprise" will serve as a new starting point. The company intends to further solidify its R&D foundation, refine its R&D systems, intensify efforts to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, and accelerate the practical application and commercialization of more innovative outcomes. R&D initiatives for new products will focus on areas such as polyether polyols, acrylic derivatives, high-end polyolefins, polyester materials, and engineering plastics. Simultaneously, the company will invest in forward-looking research and engineering-oriented studies, striving to drive the industrial group’s transformation and high-quality development.
