Suzhou R&D Centre · National High-Tech Enterprise
R&D that starts in the lab and survives production
LiHai Industrial is a certified National High-Tech Enterprise. Our Suzhou R&D centre is where our proprietary WISUP® ink-adhesive systems and InKey® functional materials are developed — and where we take on custom formulation work for textile, printing and packaging partners under NDA.
In-house research, not bought-in formulas. Every product line we sell is backed by the same lab that is open to your project.
What we research
Core Technology Platforms
Our research focuses on high-precision textile printing and dyeing chemistry — the intersection of dyes, auxiliaries, binders and functional pigments where small formulation changes decide whether a finish survives forty washes or fails at five.
Dyeing & Finishing Auxiliaries
Formulation work across the wet-processing chain — auxiliaries that improve levelness, hand feel, fastness and process stability on real production lines, not just lab beakers.
Functional Finishing
Finishes that add measurable function to fabric: handle modification, protective and responsive finishes developed against your fabric spec and target test protocol.
Textile Printing Ink Systems
Water-based and UV-LED ink systems engineered for transfer and direct printing on textiles — including the heat transfer process window behind our label line (145–160 °C, 8–12 s, medium pressure).
WISUP® Ink-Adhesive Integration
Our proprietary platform, developed at the Suzhou R&D centre: ink and adhesive layers designed as one system, so colour, adhesion and wash durability are engineered together instead of traded off against each other. WISUP® is the chemistry behind our heat transfer and smart label products.
Functional Colour-Change Materials
Thermochromic, photochromic, wet-sensitive and pH-responsive systems with set-point accuracy of ±2 °C on thermal transitions. Custom activation thresholds are a routine part of our development work — under NDA where required.
Contract development
R&D Services — Your Project, Our Lab
The same team and equipment behind our own product lines is available for contract development. We treat service projects with the same discipline as in-house research — and most run under NDA from the first conversation.
Custom formulation development
From a performance target or a physical reference sample to a documented, reproducible formula.
Formulation adjustment & optimisation
Improve fastness, hand feel, curing behaviour, cost or process window on an existing formula.
Technical consulting
Process troubleshooting and materials selection for dyeing, printing and finishing operations.
Incoming sample analysis
Send us the sample; we characterise it and propose a matching or improved formulation route.
Lab-scale trials & pilot runs (小试/中试)
Bench development followed by pilot-scale validation before you commit to production.
NDA-based project engagement
Confidentiality agreements are standard practice for custom development; your formula and your market stay yours.
Service scope and pricing are evaluated per project — tell us the target, the substrate and the constraints, and an engineer replies within one business day.
How a project runs
Our R&D Process
A defined stage-gate process, so you always know what has been proven and what is still an assumption.
Requirements review
We document your substrate, process conditions, performance targets and compliance constraints before any lab work begins.
Lab-scale development
Bench formulation and screening; candidate formulas tested against the agreed criteria.
Pilot validation
Promising candidates move to pilot-scale trials to confirm the formula survives real process conditions.
Production transfer
Process parameters and QC criteria are documented and handed over for mass production.
Batch traceability
Every production batch is traceable back to its formula version and process record — the same traceability standard we apply to our own certified product lines.
Facilities
Facilities & Environment
The Suzhou R&D centre combines laboratory space with sampling and pilot capability — built to move a formula from bench to production without losing it in translation.
- Laboratory — dedicated formulation and testing lab for auxiliaries, inks and functional materials.
- Sampling / pilot line — pilot-scale capability to validate formulations under production-like conditions before scale-up.
- Direct link to production — the R&D centre works against our own manufacturing lines (film, printing, label converting), so pilot results translate into production parameters without a hand-off gap.
Case note
A Recent Engagement (Anonymised)
A European textile brand came to us with a functional finish that performed in their supplier's lab but drifted out of spec in bulk production. Through incoming sample analysis and iterative formulation adjustment — lab trials, then pilot validation — we delivered a reformulated finish that held its target performance through production transfer. The programme ran under NDA from day one; the formula version history remains traceable batch by batch.
Client name and project details are confidential, as with all NDA engagements. We are happy to walk through our development methodology — not our clients' data.
R&D questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Mutual or one-way NDA before any technical exchange — your choice. Formulas, samples and project data developed for you remain your confidential information; we never reuse client project work for other customers.
At requirements review we map your project to the five-stage process above and give you a stage-by-stage estimate. Simple formulation adjustments are measured in weeks; new-platform development takes longer. You approve scope and timeline before lab work starts.
Yes. Lab-scale and pilot work has no volume commitment, and our product lines accept trial orders from 500 pcs. Development is scoped so you can validate before you scale.
On a per-project basis. After an initial discussion we scope the work and quote accordingly — you know the cost structure before committing.
Bring us the problem your current supplier calls “impossible”.
Send your target spec, a physical sample, or just the performance gap you need closed. An R&D engineer — not a sales rep — reviews every enquiry and replies within one business day.