Milliken optimistic about growth in China's consumer market

Milliken & Co, a United States-based specialty chemical and performance materials company, is set to continue its double-digit growth in China in 2025. According to a senior executive, this is driven by the country's rising demand for high-end textile materials and chemicals.

China's consumer market is expected to see steady growth in the coming years. As a materials science company at its core, Milliken's products and technologies are well-positioned to find applications in the Chinese market, said Ed Zhao, the group's senior vice-president and managing director for Asia.

"An increasing number of our new applications and technologies are emerging from our local research and development teams," Zhao said at the Milliken booth during the seventh China International Import Expo in Shanghai last week.

With years of accumulated advanced technology and experience at its innovation center in the US, Milliken aims to merge these strengths with new applications in China, creating a unique range of products specifically tailored for the Chinese market.

The expansion of Milliken's Shanghai Technology and research and development center was completed in late 2023, making it the group's largest innovation facility in the Asia-Pacific region.

Milliken currently runs two plants in Shanghai and Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province. In addition to supplying textile materials and chemicals to domestic customers, the Spartanburg, South Carolina-headquartered company also exports to markets in South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and India from China.

"China is the world's second-largest consumer market, where new consumer formats and models are constantly emerging, continuously unlocking market potential. Many products are closely tied to China's consumer market. Milliken values it and is optimistic about the long-term development of the Chinese market," said Zhao.

China's complete industrial system, massive market scale and abundant human resources creates a strong appeal for foreign enterprises, he added.

For example, the company has achieved nearly full localization across the entire industrial chain in its floor-covering business in China. Its local factories, supply chain and procurement of raw materials are 98 percent locally sourced.