Germination and breakthroughs: technical foundation and the beginning of industrialization
The starting point of the silicone industry can be traced back to the mid-19th century. In 1863, French chemists Friedel and Crafts first synthesized the silicone compound SiEt4 containing Si-C bonds, laying the theoretical foundation for silicone chemistry. During World War II, silicone materials were used in the military field due to their excellent temperature resistance and insulation, pushing the industry into a period of technological explosion. In 1940, the preparation of dimethyl silicone oil marked the entry of silicone into the practical stage, and its waterproof and soft properties were quickly applied in the field of textile printing and dyeing. In 1943, Dow Chemical and Corning established Dow Corning, becoming the world's first company dedicated to the research and development and production of silicone, marking the official beginning of industrialization.

Global expansion and pattern reshaping: the rise of giants and regional competition
In the mid-to-late 20th century, the silicone industry entered a stage of global expansion. In 1947, General Electric established its silicone division, which was later acquired by Apollo and reorganized into Momentive Advanced Materials Group; Wacker of Germany built the first silane furnace in 1949 based on the technological breakthrough of Dr. Siegfried Nitzsche's team, and gradually became the core of the European silicone industry. In the Asian market, Japan's Shin-Etsu Chemical started silicone production in 1953, and China's Bluestar quickly ranked among the world's top companies through overseas mergers and acquisitions after 2006 (such as France's Adisseo and Rhodia's silicone business). In 2016, Dow Chemical acquired Corning's shares in Dow Corning, and industry integration accelerated. The global market formed a pattern dominated by the four giants of Dow, Wacker, Momentive, and Shin-Etsu.

China's rise and industrial upgrading: from catching up to leading
China's silicone industry started in the 1950s and was driven by military demand in the early days. The Spark Chemical Plant was established in 1968, and a 600-ton silicone unit was built in 1979, starting the localization process. After the reform and opening up, the industry entered a period of rapid development. In 2017, China became the world's largest producer and seller, with a production capacity accounting for 52% of the world. In recent years, Chinese companies have made significant progress in technological breakthroughs and industrial chain integration: Hesheng Silicon Industry has compressed the cost of industrial silicon to an extremely low level in the industry through an integrated layout of "coal-electricity-silicon"; Xin'an Shares has established a joint venture with an electronic-grade silane company to expand into the field of semiconductor materials. In 2024, China's organic silicon DMC production capacity will reach 3.3034 million tons/year, accounting for 68.5% of the world, and its export volume will increase by 33.94% year-on-year. Driven by the demand in emerging fields such as photovoltaics and new energy vehicles, it is shifting from scale expansion to high-end and green development.