Chinese Paper Company Relies on IP to Gain 7.9 Billion RMB Loan

March 6, 2014: I recently learned of important news from the Province of Shandong in northern China. A Chinese paper company, Quanlin Paper (also known as "Tralin Paper") has used its portfolio of patents and trademarks to secure a loan of 7.9 billion RMB (about $1.3 billion). The story was reported on March 3, 2014 on the website for the Chinese magazine, China Paper. This deal may be a record for China in terms of how much value IP brought in seeking financing. To emphasize the significance of this development, the normally dry China Paper publication begins with a somewhat flowery statement based on an interview with the Chairman, who expresses surprise and delight at how much money they were able to obtain with their IP. Here's my loose translation, followed by the actual Chinese:

"I never thought that intellectual property could have such a big effect in obtaining this loan. IP was a big part of it," according to Quanlin Paper Company's Chairman of the Board, President Li Hongfa, speaking today to a reporter about the 7.9 billion yuan from bank lenders that began this week. He said that this money will help them rapidly expand and seize market opportunities. Money has been tight for business, and this new addition is welcomed just as the mist-covered earth rejoices in the spring rains from the night before. 

核心提示：“没想到知识产权能在这次贷款中起这么大作用,占这么大比重!”泉林纸业有限责任公司董事长、总经理李洪法今天对记者说,79亿元的银团贷款本周已开始放款,这笔资金对正在快速扩张、抢抓市场机遇但一直资金紧绷的企业来说,就像雾霾重重的大地喜迎昨夜的春雨。

That may be overly flowery for some tastes, but again, this is big news for China and things get flowery when big news is good. This development shows that IP in China can be valuable (though the portfolio includes some international patents, it is mostly Chinese IP). It also shows that Chinese companies, even in seemingly dull industries like the paper industry, can be innovative and create valuable IP. I haven't reviewed their IP to assess its value, but I understand they have over 100 Chinese patents in areas such as technology for using straw and other renewable or recycled materials for making paper, with alleged benefits of enhanced environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness. Shandong Province's IP Office has also created some publicity about Quanlin's IP estate (see the Chinese article here), though this was before the news of the massive loan secured with the help of IP. Expect more publicity from them shortly.

Further background comes from Baidu's wiki-like entry on Quanlin Paper.

When nations develop strong IP systems, companies can use their IP to protect their innovations. This also motivates them to take the risk and spend the money need to drive further innovation, and gives investors courage to fund growth and innovation. In this case, it helped give a lending partner (a Chinese financial organization) the courage to loan a giant sum of money to help Tralin grow. Tralin has been pursuing IP not just for tax breaks it seems but also for strategic purposes, and information coming out about this story shows that they have been developing expertise in their staff to develop their IP estate. Sure looks like that has paid off for them.

This is one of many signs that China is becoming serious about IP and innovation, and not just low quality IP, but IP that can provide significant value. For IP to apparently be a crucial part of such a large loan in this challenging economic times is a remarkably positive sign for China, in my opinion.
On the other hand, the loan may be due to politics and guanxi with officials, and the IP is just window dressing. That's possible. But to even choose IP as the window dressing for publicity and hype is a remarkable thing in it's own right, and still a sign of China's rapid transformation in valuing and pursuing intellectual property.

Here is my loose translation of the China Paper article:

泉林纸业知识产权质押融资创国内最高
Quanlin Paper Crafts the Nation's Largest IP-Backed Financing 

泉林公司以110件专利、34件注册商标等质押获得的这笔贷款,2月21日在国家知识产权局完成备案。经省知识产权局核实,这是迄今为止国内融资金额最大的一笔知识产权质押贷款。 

On Feb. 21, 2014, Quanlin Paper secured a loan using a pledge of intellectual property. The pledge, recorded with the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), includes 110 patents and 34 registered trademarks. The Shandong Province Intellectual Property Office has verified that this is the largest amount ever financed in China using intellectual property. 

“这笔资金到位,我们的大项目就能加快推进,市场机遇不等人啊!”李洪法说的大项目,是一个年处理150万吨秸秆的制浆造纸综合利用项目。泉林公司总部位于聊城市高唐县,是一家以浆纸业为核心的大型企业,利用秸秆制造“本色”纸品,变废为宝、环保健康,改写了人们对造纸业的既有印象,也在改变着人们的消费习惯。企业提出这个大项目后,很快得到环保部、国家发改委认可、立项,是全国资源综合利用和循环经济示范工程,也是2013年省重点建设项目。目前,项目基本建设已经全面展开,计划年底前建成,投产后,预计年可实现销售收入81.65亿元,销售税金4.89亿元,利润12.4亿元。 

"With this funding obtained, we will be able to accelerate our large projects. Market opportunities wait for nobody!” said Chairman Li Hongfa. The primary project Li refers to is a straw-based pulp manufacturing complex for papermaking that will process 1.5 million tons per year of straw. Quanlin company is headquartered in Liaocheng City, Gaotang County (Shandong Province). Quanlin’s core business among their large-scale enterprises is pulp and paper manufacturing using straw to create “natural color” paper. Quanlin turns waste into treasure and promotes a healthy environment, transforming both the impression that people have (of the industry) and their habits of consumption. 

After the enterprise brought this large project forward, it rapidly gained approval from the Environmental Bureau and the National Development and Reform Commission. The project is an important program for the nationwide comprehensive utilization of resources and a model project for China’s recycling economy. It was also considered a provincial key construction project in 2013. Currently, capital construction is fully underway and should be complete by year-end. Once production begins, the expected annual sales revenue will be 8.165 billion RMB, with anticipated sales taxes of 489 million RMB and annual profit of 1.24 billion RMB. 

知识产权获资金市场高度认可,对科技型企业无疑是巨大的利好。尽管泉林公司本身的发展就是受益于在知识产权、核心技术上的不断投入——即使在企业资金最困难的时候,这上面也从来没有“短”过,李洪法这次还是被深深地触动了:在这次贷款中,企业拥有的专利评估价值达到了60亿元,对贷款顺利达成起到了关键作用。这意味着,专利等知识产权不仅能垄断市场、为企业创造长期利润;质押融来真金白银,更是能够解决科技型企业成长中最头疼的资金饥渴,释放发展潜力,及时把握市场机遇,让企业“长大”。 

For intellectual property to receive this high level of approval from the market is without doubt a giant benefit for technological enterprises in general. Although Quanlin company's own development has now benefited from their intellectual property, they continue to invest steadily in their core technology—continuing even during the times when investment is most difficult. This is an area where the company has never gone “short.” The result has made a deep impression on Li Hongfa: in the process of obtaining these loans, the appraised value of Quanlin’s patents reached 6 billion RMB and played a key role in successfully obtaining the financing. This means that patents and other IP rights are not just about obtaining a monopoly in the market, but can be used to creating long-term profit for the enterprise. They can be used as collateral for significant financing to resolve one the biggest headaches for high-tech businesses, the hunger for funds to grow, to capture hidden potential, grasp favorable market opportunities, and to let the company “grow up.” 

这一融资方式也让银行对科技型企业增添了兴趣。不仅国家开发银行牵头银团,为泉林公司发放了这笔79亿元的贷款,交通银行甚至还与省科技厅签署专门的战略合作文件,并推出了专门的知识产权融资产品。交行山东省分行零售信贷部总经理姜鲁荣说,知识产权看似无形,却体现了企业价值创造和持续经营的能力,银行业务风险没有增加,却有可能抢占一批优质客户,改善银行客户结构,“就像泉林公司这样”。 

This financing will stir the interest of banks other technology enterprises. Not only did the China Development Bank and their affiliates issue Quanlin a loan of 7.9 billion RMB, but the Bank of Communications also signed a strategic cooperation document with the Provincial Science and Technology Department, and launched a specialized intellectual property financing product. Jiang Lurong, General Manager of the Retail Credit Department of Shandong Branch Bank, said that while intellectual property seems invisible, it reflects value creation and the ability to continue operations without increasing banking risk, and can help obtain more high-quality customers, improve the system for customers of the bank such as companies like Quanlin.

Kudos, by the way, to Dr. Ian Feng of Goldeast Paper in Zhenjiang, China for alerting me to the story in China Paper.

Note: IAM Magazine issued a blog post on the use of IP in lending in China: "Chinese companies have secured over $10 billion in patent-backed loans since 2008" by Jeff Wild, March 4, 2014. The news I share below (cross-posted at InnovationFatigue.com) definitely supports their article. Great timing! Further, responding to the news that I first broke to English speakers on the Innovation Fatigue Blog, IAM Magazine has written a blog post about this story (kindly citing my announcement), wherein they observe just how big of a deal this is. I agree, though I also think it's fair to wonder how much of the transaction actually depended on IP and how much was due to guanxi and other factors. I have not yet evaluated the IP and if I do look at it in more detail, do not plan on sharing my analysis publicly, but may still offer further updates on this story here. IAM's post includes a translation of the Chinese article behind this story. My independent translation above was prepared before I saw the IAM translation. If there are significant differences in meaning, I'll defer to them since my Chinese is still rough.

Cross-posted on the Shake Well Blog.