Tonghui Gas Continuously Overcomes Technical Challenges—Product Portfolio Moves Toward High-End and Internationalization

Inside Chongqing Tonghui Gas Co., Ltd., located in the Tongnan High-tech Zone of Chongqing, a bustling scene prevails. Gases such as nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide, after being filled, are being loaded onto trucks one after another for export to overseas markets.

 

　　A bustling scene prevails at Chongqing Tonghui Gas Co., Ltd., located in the Tongnan High-tech Zone of Chongqing. After being filled, gases such as nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide are being loaded onto trucks one after another for export to overseas markets. “This year, in the first quarter, our company’s foreign trade orders increased by about 20% year-on-year, and our export value reached over 30 million yuan,” said Cai Yannan, the company’s director and chairman of the trade union.

　　Founded in 2007, Tonghui Gases is a national high-tech enterprise integrating gas R&D, production, sales, and storage & transportation. In recent years, through technological innovation and market expansion, the company has overcome a series of technical challenges in the gas production process, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of its products in the market. Last year, Tonghui Gases produced over 600,000 tons of various gas products—including electronic-grade nitrous oxide, germane, ultra-pure ammonia, and carbon dioxide—and exported them to more than 10 countries and regions, including Europe, the U.S., and Southeast Asia, with export revenues exceeding 100 million yuan.

　　In Tonghui Gas’s product showroom, beautifully crafted specialty gas cylinders for the electronics industry are displayed prominently. “Tonghui started out by producing industrial-grade carbon dioxide,” said Xu Li, Deputy Director of Tonghui Gas’s R&D Center. “However, industrial-grade products have low purity and offer limited added value. To develop higher-purity food-grade and electronics-grade gas products, we established a specialized research team dedicated to continuously tackling technical challenges in the production of high-purity specialty gases—and we’ve achieved remarkable results.” After more than three years of intensive technological research, the company has independently developed an ultra-pure nitrous oxide purification unit and has iteratively upgraded its technologies for raw gas washing, purification, refining, and adsorption. As a result, Tonghui Gas has become the first in the industry to produce nitrous oxide with a purity exceeding 99.99%.

　　Technological innovation is the key to helping enterprises build core competitiveness. In recent years, Tonghui Gases has successively established a research and development center and a product quality inspection center, investing over 30 million yuan annually in R&D. The company has been continuously tackling challenges in the development of various specialty electronic mixed gases and gas purification technologies, making every effort to seize market share. Driven by technological innovation, the company has achieved technological upgrades and process optimizations, significantly enhancing the stability of its product quality. As a result, its market share has grown steadily year after year, and its product portfolio is moving toward diversification and high-end positioning.

　　“The company has obtained eight invention patents and over 100 utility model patents,” said Cai Yannan. “Our product range has expanded from industrial-grade carbon dioxide to include food-grade and electronic-grade carbon dioxide, food-grade nitrous oxide, electronic-grade nitrous oxide, electronic-grade germane, electronic-grade ultrapure ammonia, electronic-grade boron trichloride, and electronic-grade germanium tetrafluoride—among dozens of other products.” Currently, the company has established eight production bases nationwide. Its carbon dioxide production capacity ranks among the top in China’s western region, and its nitrous oxide production capacity is among the world’s leading.

　　In the production workshop of Tonghui Gas, adipic acid byproduct gas from upstream enterprises is continuously converted into high-purity, electronics-grade nitrous oxide through a series of processes—including pressurization, liquefaction, distillation, and purification. “Our company has built one of the largest nitrous oxide purification facilities in China,” said Liu Chuan, Deputy General Manager of Tonghui Gas. The company’s R&D team has re-engineered the core processes of distillation, purification, and separation, significantly enhancing the purity of the nitrous oxide produced. Currently, the company’s annual output of electronics-grade nitrous oxide exceeds 60,000 tons and is widely used in fields such as liquid crystal displays, solar energy, and optoelectronics.

　　To further reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance the company’s competitiveness, Tonghui Gas invested more than 30 million yuan last year in equipment upgrades, introducing an automated packaging line system as well as a batch of gas analysis instruments. “The introduction of the new equipment has significantly boosted the company’s level of intelligent manufacturing,” said Liu Chuan. “Production efficiency has increased by 20%, costs have been reduced by 25%, and product quality control has been greatly improved.”

　　Today, Tonghui Gas has not only established a complete industrial chain covering gas R&D, production, sales, transportation, and cylinder inspection, but has also set up overseas warehouses in multiple countries. Each year, the company participates in numerous large-scale international trade shows, stepping beyond China’s borders to actively enhance its global reputation. An increasing number of overseas customers are extending offers of cooperation, propelling the company to accelerate its journey toward internationalization.

　　“In the future, the company will continue to place innovation at the forefront, closely monitor market demands, and drive technological innovation and new product development. We’ll focus on enhancing the added value of our products, further expanding our share in the high-end market, and leveraging innovation to promote high-quality enterprise development, thereby making an even greater contribution to the revitalization of China’s national industry,” said Cai Yannan.