In the early 1990s, China’s liquid crystal materials industry was still largely dependent on foreign markets. It was against this backdrop that six chemists, motivated by a profound sense of national mission and the ambition to develop China’s own TN liquid crystals, arrived in Yantai. There, they planted the seeds of what would later flourish as Valiant. Driven by patriotic fervor, they were determined to secure a place for China’s liquid crystal materials on the global stage. And so, the story of the “Valiant” brand began.
The entrepreneurial journey was fraught with challenges. When Yantai Development Zone Fine Chemicals Company—Valiant’s predecessor—was established at the end of 1992, conditions were exceptionally harsh. The six founders, Chen Ju among them, were met with little more than a bare factory building, equipped only with a handful of obsolete machines repurposed from copper-wire processing. Yet, they refused to back down. With no prior industrial production experience and few facilities to depend on, they began by constructing R&D and analytical laboratories. They carried out bench-scale experiments, developed pilot production lines, and scaled up operations step by step—all while actively seeking markets and funding. The factory’s windows lacked glass, and in winter, snow would blow inside. Shivering in the cold, the team persevered with pilot runs and production. When they couldn’t afford a centrifuge, they improvised with the spin drum of a washing machine. Protective masks were costly, so they used activated carbon as filter replacements—often ending up covered in dust and soot.
1993: Design, installation, and commissioning of Valiant’s first production line and laboratory at No. 18 Huanghe Road
In 1993, under the brand name “Valiant,” the company established China’s first large-scale liquid crystal production line and confidently ventured into the international market—marking a significant milestone in the brand’s history. Following its integration into CECEP in 1995, Valiant set forth a clear vision to become a “world-leading enterprise in functional materials,” thereby charting a strategic course for its future growth.
Over the years, the Valiant brand continued to grow and transform. Between 2016 and 2018, guided by the objectives of becoming a “high-end display materials supplier” and building “A Century-Old Valiant,” the company underwent a comprehensive brand transformation. Evolving from “Valiant Fine Chemicals” to “Valiant Co., Ltd.” and introducing a new corporate logo, Valiant demonstrated its commitment to transitioning from fine chemicals to innovation in functional materials and pursuing a global outlook.
Old logo
New logo
In shaping its brand strategy, Valiant understood the constraints of a single-brand model and adopted a master-brand architecture with strategic sub-brands. While reinforcing the core strength of the master brand “Valiant”, the company actively developed sub-brands including GEM, SUNERA, and MP—each targeting specialized segments. These sub-brands work in concert with the master brand, creating synergies that significantly enhance the company’s overall competitiveness. Through strategic international partnerships, Valiant expanded its global footprint and gained extensive recognition among overseas clients. Today, Valiant holds a leading position in liquid crystal and high-end zeolite materials, with each sub-brand also achieving substantial market success.
The growth of the Valiant brand has always been inseparable from its uncompromising pursuit of quality. The company regards quality as its lifeline, establishing a comprehensive quality management system and obtaining authoritative certifications to ensure its products meet industry-leading standards. On the technology front, Valiant emphasizes original innovation and continues to push breakthroughs across multiple fields. The rise of the Valiant brand has been built upon an unwavering commitment to quality. The company treats quality as its foundation, implementing a thorough quality management system and obtaining authoritative certifications to ensure its products consistently meet top industry standards. Technologically, Valiant places strong emphasis on original innovation and has driven breakthroughs across multiple fields. A case in point is the development of zeolite materials: In January 2013, Valiant commenced trial production in its zeolite workshop. During production, the team encountered persistent thixotropy in raw materials. From night into early morning, the R&D team tested countless solutions—each initially failing. Unyielding, company leaders worked alongside technicians on the front lines. By early May, they had pioneered an entirely new methodology and successfully produced compliant materials. Today, Valiant is a global leader in zeolite materials and operates the world’s largest production base for high-end zeolite products.
2013: Zeolite Phase I V-1 Project
Equally critical to Valiant’s success has been its commitment to brand protection and communication. Valiant actively carries out brand protection efforts by conducting trademark risk assessments, adjusting registration strategies, expanding the scope of registrations, mitigating related risks, and proactively safeguarding its rights through the exclusive use of trademarks. With 76 trademark registration certificates secured and international registrations expanded across multiple countries and regions, Valiant has established a robust foundation for its global brand presence.
After more than three decades of dedicated development, Valiant has evolved into a multinational enterprise with operations spanning four major industrial sectors: environmental protection materials, electronic information materials, new energy materials, and life sciences & pharmaceuticals. The company masters production technologies for approximately 10,000 compounds, with over 4,000 products successfully commercialized, maintaining absolute advantages in several critical technology domains.
The Valiant brand continues to gain momentum, expanding its influence from industry leadership to national prominence and increasingly onto the global stage. It has ranked among China’s Top 10 Fine Chemical Enterprises for seven consecutive years and has earned prestigious honors including placement in Shandong Province’s Key Industry Brand Value Rankings and recognition as one of China’s Top 10 Green and Low-Carbon Enterprises in the Fine Chemicals Industry. In 2024, both Valiant and its subsidiary GEM achieved a significant milestone by being selected for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s eighth batch of national-level “Manufacturing Individual Champion” enterprises.
Valiant headquarters
From its humble origins in a simple workshop to its emergence as a global enterprise; from the aspiration to break foreign technological monopolies to attaining leadership across multiple sectors—the ascent of the Valiant brand is a narrative defined by perseverance and dedication. It stands as a powerful testament to the spirit of self-reliance, resilience, and excellence that drives China’s national enterprises. Looking to the future, Valiant remains committed to its vision of building “A Century-Old Valiant,” advancing steadfastly along the path of technological innovation, and composing ever more brilliant chapters in its brand story.