Introduction
LAPIS LAZULI PIGMENTS CO., LTD (Chinese: 天蓝颜料（山东）有限公司) is a Chinese manufacturer of ultramarine pigments, with a business focus on the development, production, and distribution of high-end synthetic ultramarine products. The company is headquartered in Longkou, Yantai, Shandong Province, and its materials indicate that it operates a substantial production base, serves plastics and other industrial end uses, and has positioned itself as a specialist supplier in the inorganic colorant market.
In the plastics industry context, ultramarine pigments are used primarily as colorants and whitening-tone modifiers, especially where a blue tone is needed to offset yellowing in plastics, coatings, rubber, and related materials. China’s national standard for ultramarine describes its use in coatings, plastics, rubber, stationery, and construction materials for coloring and for eliminating the yellow cast in white materials, which places the company’s product category directly within the plastics supply chain. Chinaplas lists the company as a plastics and rubber supplier and identifies it as a “Shining Niche” company, a designation associated with specialization and strong operational performance indicators in China.
The company traces its roots to 1999, when it was established under the former name Longkou Huadong Chemical Co., Ltd. Available company descriptions state that it occupies about 55,000 square meters, has installed imported milling and calcination equipment, and operates a production capacity of up to 10,000 tons per year. Public company listings also describe it as a domestic leader in the ultramarine sector, with an extensive sales network in China and export ambitions in Europe, the Americas, and other Asian markets.
History and development
- 1999: establishment. Company materials state that the business was founded in 1999 as Longkou Huadong Chemical Co., Ltd., later operating under the name Lapis Lazuli Pigments Co., Ltd. / 天蓝颜料（山东）有限公司.
- Industrial expansion in Longkou. The company’s factory and headquarters are located in the Longkou area of Yantai, Shandong, where it is described as occupying roughly 55,000 square meters and benefiting from transport access linked to the region’s industrial geography.
- Capacity and process modernization. Company descriptions say it imported advanced milling and calcination systems and built a production base with annual capacity up to 10,000 tons, which was presented as a high-end ultramarine blue manufacturing platform.
- Standards and compliance. One company profile states that it participated in drafting the Chinese national standard for ultramarine blue, GB/T 35962-2018, and that the site passed stricter Chinese environmental impact assessment requirements.
Business operations and corporate profile
The company is organized as a manufacturer/factory in the chemicals sector, with a business model centered on pigment production rather than downstream plastic conversion. Its public-facing materials consistently describe three core activities: development, manufacture, and distribution of ultramarine pigments.
Key operational characteristics include:
- Headquarters and factory location: North Side of North Huanhai Road, Longkou City / Yantai, Shandong.
- Business category: Chemicals, manufacturer/factory.
- Primary product family: Ultramarine blue and related ultramarine pigment variants.
- Scale: Annual capacity stated at 10,000 tons in company listings.
- Market reach: A domestic sales network in China and stated export interest in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
In supply-chain terms, the company appears to occupy a specialized upstream position, providing an inorganic pigment input that can be incorporated into plastics masterbatches, compounds, coatings, rubber goods, and other color-sensitive materials. Trademo data show export activity associated with HS 320417, a code commonly tied to synthetic organic pigments in trade datasets, although the publicly visible sample is limited and should be treated cautiously as a partial trade snapshot rather than a complete export profile.
Products and technologies
Lapis Lazuli Pigments’ principal product line is ultramarine blue, a synthetic inorganic pigment used for color adjustment and whitening-tone correction. Company materials indicate that it concentrates on high-end ultramarine pigments rather than a broad mixed-pigment portfolio.
Core product and process features
- Ultramarine blue pigments: The company’s main product, described on multiple platforms as suitable for industrial coloration and tone control.
- Red-shade and blue-shade variants: Company information notes that ultramarine can be divided into reddish and bluish types, with differences in brightness, purity, and processing demand.
- Calcination-based manufacture: National standard descriptions for ultramarine refer to production from raw materials such as kaolin, soda ash, and sulfur through sealed-kiln high-temperature calcination.
- Milling and processing systems: Company descriptions specifically mention milling and calcination equipment among its imported production technologies.
- Environmental systems: Public materials refer to FGD units and sewage treatment systems, indicating attention to emissions control and wastewater management.
Technical relevance for plastics
In plastics, ultramarine pigments are valued for:
- blue coloration in polymers, compounds, and masterbatches;
- correction of yellowish undertones in light-colored plastics;
- stable performance in applications requiring inorganic pigment durability;
- compatibility with a range of non-food consumer and industrial plastic products, subject to formulation and regulatory requirements.
Applications and end markets
The company’s documented end-use profile extends beyond plastics, but plastics is a clearly relevant market because of the standard application profile of ultramarine pigments.
Major end markets include:
- Plastics: Color adjustment, whitening-tone correction, and blue pigmentation.
- Rubber: Coloration and aesthetic tone control.
- Coatings and paints: General industrial and decorative coloring use.
- Stationery and construction materials: As listed in the Chinese standard for ultramarine applications.
- Detergents and cleaning products: Referenced in industry descriptions of ultramarine pigment applications.
The company also states that its products can partially replace imported ultramarine pigments, suggesting a domestic substitution role in Chinese industrial supply chains.
Global presence and market position
Company listings describe Lapis Lazuli Pigments as maintaining an approximately 40% share of the Chinese ultramarine market, a figure that appears repeatedly across several marketplace profiles and should be read as a company-provided or platform-sourced estimate rather than an independently audited market statistic. Within that niche, the firm presents itself as an established domestic supplier with a significant Chinese sales network and plans to expand internationally.
Its market position appears to rest on several factors:
- specialization in ultramarine pigments rather than a broad commodity chemicals portfolio;
- production scale centered on a 10,000-ton annual capacity base;
- process modernization through imported milling and calcination systems;
- regulatory and environmental compliance claims, including environmental assessment and pollution-treatment infrastructure.
Chinaplas’ classification of the company as a “Shining Niche” enterprise reinforces the impression of a specialized industrial supplier with recognized manufacturing capability and a focused operating model.
Sustainability and environmental initiatives
Public company materials emphasize environmental management, which is significant because pigment production can involve energy-intensive thermal processing and effluent control. The company states that it has installed FGD units and a sewage treatment system, both of which are intended to reduce environmental impact and improve compliance.
Additional sustainability-related points include:
- Stricter environmental impact assessment approval, as claimed in one company profile.
- Cleaner production line language used in a company listing, indicating process upgrades aimed at quality and environmental performance.
- Waste and emissions control infrastructure, relevant to calcination-based inorganic pigment production.
Independent environmental listings identify the company as a key pollutant discharge unit and as subject to mandatory cleaner production review in Yantai’s 2023 environmental disclosure records, indicating that it operates under heightened environmental oversight.
Financial performance and economic impact
No audited financial statements are available in the provided sources, so revenue and profitability cannot be verified from the cited material. One company profile states an annual production value of more than USD 100 million, but this should be treated cautiously because it comes from a directory-style listing rather than a formal filing.
Its economic impact is more clearly visible in operational terms:
- it contributes to the regional chemical manufacturing base in Shandong;
- it supports domestic supply of a specialty pigment used in plastics and other industries;
- it appears to participate in export trade, including shipments associated with Southeast Asian markets in available supply-chain datasets.
Leadership and corporate governance
The available sources provide limited governance detail. The company is identified in regulatory and market-data records under its full Chinese legal name 天蓝颜料（山东）有限公司 and the English equivalent LAPIS LAZULI PIGMENTS CO., LTD. Bloomberg LEI records confirm the entity identity and registered address, but do not disclose management biographies in the excerpt provided.
Public distributor and marketplace pages list sales contacts, suggesting an export-oriented commercial structure, but not formal board or executive governance information.
Innovations and future outlook
The company’s innovation profile is centered on process modernization, product consistency, and environmental performance rather than on broad multi-chemistry R&D. Its publicly stated participation in the drafting of GB/T 35962-2018 suggests involvement in standardization, which is a meaningful form of technical influence in a specialty pigment segment.
Likely strategic priorities, based on available evidence, include:
- expanding sales beyond China into Europe, the Americas, and Asia;
- sustaining domestic share in the ultramarine niche through product quality and process reliability;
- aligning production with environmental compliance requirements;
- maintaining relevance in plastics and related industries where stable inorganic blue pigments remain technically useful.
Summary
Lapis Lazuli Pigments Co., Ltd. is a specialist ultramarine pigment manufacturer based in Longkou, Shandong, with a long operating history dating to 1999, a stated annual capacity of 10,000 tons, and a strong position in China’s ultramarine niche market. Its relevance to the plastics industry lies in the use of ultramarine blue as an inorganic colorant for plastics and related materials, combined with a manufacturing model that emphasizes specialization, process equipment, and environmental controls.
References
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CPS+ eMarketplace. (n.d.). LAPIS LAZULI PIGMENTS CO., LTDLAPIS LAZULI PIGMENTS CO., LTD. CPS+ eMarketplace. https://www.chinaplasonline.com/eMarketplace/ExhibitorInfo?CompId=1011792Link