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Building a global footprint in silica-based solutions - Qingdao Bangkai
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November 26 , 2025
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For 17 years, Qingdao Bangkai has quietly grown into one of China’s most specialised manufacturers of silica-based inorganic materials—serving every major stage of the biopharma value chain. With more than 100 silica-based products, a strong presence across 20 countries, and India emerging as its most important overseas market, the company is now positioning itself as a global contender.
A 17-Year Journey Focused on Silica
Qingdao Bangkai has built its identity on one foundation—silica. Over nearly two decades, the company has dedicated itself to the research, manufacturing, and application of silica-based inorganic materials. This deep specialisation, Erica Qiao, international business manager, Qingdao Bangkai Hi-Tech Materials Co. Ltd, states, allows them to “go really deep into this material,” resulting in the development of over 100 silica-based products.
What makes the company unique is its ability to support every critical step of the biopharma industry. Their silica-based portfolio covers:
• R&D stage – chromatography consumables
• API manufacturing – preparative chromatography silica gels for purification and separation
• Formulation – silica-based excipients
• Quality control – testing consumables
“Our products play an important role across these stages,” Qiao emphasises, highlighting a vertically integrated model that ensures continuity and quality for pharmaceutical customers.
Manufacturing Rooted in China
Despite increasing global demand, Qingdao Bangkai maintains all manufacturing within China. “Our production base is in Shandong province. We are a manufacturer, and we produce everything here,” the spokesperson says.
There is no production unit outside China, including in Malaysia, though the company maintains strategic cooperation partnerships with Malaysian firms. This approach ensures that the technological core, quality control, and material innovation remain fully in-house.
India: The Most Important Overseas Market
Among all its international markets, India stands out as Qingdao Bangkai’s strongest. The company considers India its most important overseas market, driven by India’s large API manufacturing ecosystem and its strong global presence in generic pharmaceuticals.
“India has a very large biopharma market. They supply pharmaceutical products to the whole world. Naturally, India is very important for us,” Qiao notes.
Qingdao Bangkai already has a sole agent in India for its pharmaceutical excipients and chromatography materials.
Presence in 20+ Countries
While India is the largest market, Qingdao Bangkai has a growing footprint across more than 20 countries. These include: the United States, Italy, Spain, France and Russia and several emerging markets in Asia and Europe.
This growing global presence reflects the company’s increasing acceptance in the silica and chromatography segment.
A Complete Silica-Based Portfolio
The company’s strength lies in the diversity and depth of its silica-based offerings. It produces: Chromatography packings; Chromatography consumables; Silica-based pharmaceutical excipients; Preparative silica gels for purification; and QC testing consumables.
This full-spectrum offering allows them to serve laboratories, API units, formulation manufacturers, and quality control teams alike.
In the R&D phase, scientists rely on their chromatography consumables.During API manufacturing, production teams use their preparative silica gels for purification and separation.
In formulations, their silica-based excipients enhance stability, flow, and performance.
Finally, in the QC stage, their testing consumables help regulators and manufacturers maintain standards.
Financial Performance: A Growing Business
The company reports a turnover of over 50 million RMB last financial year—an indicator of steady growth driven by exports and domestic pharma demand.
Quality From the Source: What Sets Them Apart
One of the company’s biggest differentiators is its complete backward integration. While many companies buy raw silica or semi-processed materials, Bangkai manufactures its silica from the source, using the sol-gel method.
“Our biggest difference is that we produce everything from the source. We produce our own raw materials so we can control quality right from the beginning,” Qiao explains.
Their process uses sodium silicate and sulfuric acid, which undergo chemical reactions to form high-purity silicon dioxide. The company is among the few in China capable of producing silica gel at large scale that meets both food and drug standards.
This allows them to offer highly customised solutions tailored to specific pharmaceutical processes—a feature appreciated by global clients.
Competitive With International Leaders
Qingdao Bangkai claims that many of its products are competitive with leading international brands such as Grace, Fuji and Evonik.
“We are leading in China, and we supply many big pharmaceutical companies. Some of our products can compete with those from international leading companies,” Qiao says.
This competitiveness is backed by strict adherence to international standards in silica production and quality management.
Regulatory Compliance and Global Challenges
As global regulatory expectations rise, Bangkai sees compliance as both a challenge and an opportunity.
“Environmental and regulatory standards are getting stricter everywhere. Companies that show real sustainability and strong regulatory compliance will have an edge,” Qiao notes.
To meet these expectations, sustainability is integrated into the company’s “DNA.” Bangkai has built a circular production line where three types of waste are converted into three valuable resources, reducing environmental impact and improving efficiency.
This circular approach enhances sustainability while creating new value streams.
Expanding Despite Barriers
Although the company sees significant opportunity in India, one obstacle has been visa restrictions, which have limited physical visits in recent years. Despite this, the company continues strengthening its Indian partnerships and aims to expand further.
With a strong silica-based platform, global aspirations, and growing demand from pharma manufacturers, Qingdao Bangkai is poised to strengthen its international presence. As the biopharma sector expands and quality standards rise, the company believes its sustainability-driven, fully integrated manufacturing model will set it apart in the increasingly competitive global landslides.
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