LB Group will promote its new TiO2 pigments for coatings and inks at ECS 2023

LB Group (formerly known as Lomon Billions Group) will promote its new TiO₂ pigments for coatings and inks at the European Coatings Show (ECS) 2023 in Nürnberg, Germany from 28-30 March. "We’re delighted to be back at the ECS,” says Julie Reid, Marketing Director. "We’re looking forward to meeting our customers, colleagues and friends in Nürnberg.”

One of the world’s top three TiO₂ pigment manufacturers

LB Group is a large Chinese chemical company listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange. It manufactures a range of chemicals including titanium, zirconium and lithium products that it sells to more than one thousand customers worldwide. The company has invested millions of dollars to grow its TiO₂ pigment manufacturing business significantly. With ~1,215kt TiO₂ pigment manufacturing capacity, including 560kt/yr chloride-process capacity at its manufacturing sites in Jiaozuo in Henan Province and Chuxiong in Yunnan Province, LB Group is currently one of the world’s top three TiO₂ pigment manufacturers.

Investment for growth

Since the last ECS, in 2019, LB Group has commissioned over 230kt chloride capacity at Jiaozuo and Chuxiong."We are continuing to grow,” says Julie. "We’re building an additional 100kt chloride-process TiO₂ pigment manufacturing capacity at Chuxiong which we expect will be online in Q1 this year.”

"Last year we began producing intermediate TiO₂ (calciner discharge) at our new 100kt facility at our Jinchang site in Gansu province – a further 100kt capacity will be available there in 2023. And a new 200kt TiO₂ pigment finishing plant is currently under construction at our Xiangyang site in Hubei province. We’re continuing to invest to increase both our chloride-process and sulphate-process manufacturing capacity still further."

New company name, and simplified product branding

There have been other changes too. In July 2021, the company changed its name from Lomon Billions Group to LB Group. "In September 2021 we also simplified our TiO₂ pigment product branding. All our titanium dioxide pigments are now branded XUELIAN^® in China, and BILLIONS™ outside China. For example, LOMON^® R-996 is now branded BILLIONS™ R-996.”

Delivering high performance TiO₂ pigments for coatings and inks

LB Group manufactures a wide range of high-performance TiO₂ pigments for coatings and inks including best-sellers like BILLIONS™ R-996 pigment, a durable sulphate-process TiO₂ pigment designed for external and internal architectural coatings and also suitable for industrial and powder coatings; BILLIONS™ BLR-895 pigment, a chloride-process TiO₂ pigment that delivers brilliant whiteness with a blue undertone in external and internal architectural coatings; and world-class BILLIONS™ TR52 pigment, a specialist sulphate-process TiO₂ pigment designed specifically for printing inks.

Continuous product development produces new and improved TiO₂ pigments

"Our continuous product development and successful customer trials have recently produced new and improved TiO₂ pigments for coatings and inks,” says Julie. "At ECS 2023, we’ll be show-casing our new BILLIONS™ TR53 pigment, a sulphate-process TiO₂ pigment designed for reverse laminate printing inks. It has been optimised to deliver excellent dispersion and high opacity in relevant resin systems.

"Last year we developed new BILLIONS™ BLR-891 pigment, a high-opacity titanium dioxide pigment for coatings, manufactured using the chloride process. BLR-891 has outstanding dispersion and excellent opacity and tint strength. We’re recommending BLR-891 for a range of interior coatings applications. It can also be used in e-coatings”.