Core dynamics: Core raw material prices have entered a fluctuating cycle, and the e-commerceization of industrial goods is profoundly changing the procurement ecosystem.
The traditional peak season of “Golden September and Silver October” did not bring sealing material manufacturers the expected profit growth; instead, it plunged them into widespread anxiety of “revenue growth without profit growth.” The source of all this points to price anomalies in upstream raw materials. Fluorite, the main raw material for PTFE, has seen increasingly tight supply-demand relationships due to its expanded applications in strategic emerging fields such as new energy and semiconductors, causing prices to continue rising in October. In addition, rising energy costs and logistics expenses have further intensified the cost pressure on manufacturing.
This structural change in cost is accelerating the industry’s process of “good money driving out bad money.” Some small and medium-sized manufacturers relying on low-price competition and low technical content have been forced to reduce production or exit the market because they cannot absorb rising costs. For leading enterprises, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. They are responding through two paths: “lean production to reduce costs” and “product structure upgrading.” On the one hand, they optimize processes and improve yield rates; on the other hand, they shift resources toward high-value-added, high-margin product lines, using technical premiums to offset cost pressure.
On the sales side, a quiet channel revolution has taken shape. According to October data released by major industrial goods e-commerce platforms, online procurement value for standard products such as sealants and thread seal tape has increased by more than 40% year-on-year for several consecutive months. Behind this is the younger age of procurement entities and the digitalization of procurement behavior. Young engineering contractors and maintenance service providers are accustomed to completing the entire process of “search—compare prices—check reviews—place order” online, just like consumer shopping. They not only focus on price but also value user reviews, the level of technical parameter detail, and logistics response speed.
This change forces traditional sealing material enterprises to reconstruct their sales and service systems. Establishing professional e-commerce operations teams, producing product content that conforms to online communication patterns (such as short video tutorials and live-stream testing), and deploying off-site warehouses to ensure “next-day delivery” or even “same-day delivery” have become indispensable core competitiveness. Channel digitalization is no longer a supplement to offline business but a key battlefield determining future market share.