What Xefco does

Xefco is an Australian deep-tech company founded in 2018 that develops atmospheric plasma (PECVD) technologies for the textile industry, headquartered in Sydney with R&D at Deakin University's ManuFutures in Geelong and operational entities in Taiwan, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Its core technology applies plasma at atmospheric pressure to embed pigments and deposit ultra-thin functional coatings onto fibres in a single continuous pass, eliminating the water, chemicals, and energy consumption of conventional wet processing. The product portfolio comprises three platforms: Ausora® (waterless plasma dyeing and finishing, claimed 100% wastewater reduction, 97% chemical reduction, 90% energy reduction, and 94% GHG reduction), XReflex® (radiant barrier technology enabling up to 50% greater warmth with reduced insulation bulk, now under full Xefco ownership since March 2025), and MetalliX™ (copper-based antiviral textile treatment demonstrating 97.79% SARS-CoV-2 inactivation within five minutes in Peter Doherty Institute testing).

The business operates through an embedded manufacturing services model that deploys Ausora systems to textile mill partners at cost parity with conventional processes, eliminating upfront capital outlay and replacing legacy 12+ machine setups with modular, scalable units. Each Ausora segment processes up to 2.2 million metres of fabric per year, with 12 units commercially committed globally and a stated target of 200 systems within five years. XReflex is licensed to and adopted by 50+ mills and integrated into products from enterprise apparel brands including Zara, The North Face, Salomon, Burton, Mammut, Outdoor Research, and Dickies. Xefco has raised a cumulative AUD$22.9M across equity (Main Sequence-led AUD$10.5M Series A in April 2024) and non-dilutive government grants (AUD$4.99M IGP, AUD$4M Trailblazer, AUD$3.4M IMCRC), and derives revenue from hardware deployment, technology licensing, and specialty ink and chemistry sales with multi-year mill contracts.

Name

Xefco

Legal name

Xefco Pty Ltd

Website

https://xefco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xefco develops atmospheric plasma technology for waterless textile dyeing and finishing. The Australia-based company serves textile mills and apparel brands with proprietary systems that eliminate water use and sharply reduce chemicals, energy, and emissions in fabric production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Manufacturing Equipment

NAICS

Fabric Coating Mills (313320), Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Coating & Finishing Chemicals Application (Resins/Softening/Water-Repellent/FR/Antimicrobial) (IMAOACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Printing Operations (Rotary/Flat/Digital/Sublimation) (IMAOACAC)

Keywords

• Waterless plasma dyeing
• Textile finishing technology
• Radiant barrier fabrics
• PFAS-free coatings
• Atmospheric plasma systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ausora System Sales and Deployment: Embedded manufacturing services model where Xefco deploys its Ausora systems to mills without requiring significant upfront capital investment from customers. Operates at cost parity with conventional processes. Revenue generated through system deployment and ongoing technical support services.
2. XReflex Technology Licensing: XReflex radiant barrier technology is sold/licensed to brands and mills. Since March 2025, Xefco has full control of XReflex following acquisition of HeiQ's shareholding in the joint venture HX Innovation Company Limited.
3. Digital Ink and Chemistry Sales: Sale of specialized digital printing inks and chemistries for use with Ausora systems. The Digital Ink Production Chemist role oversees production of inks and chemistries for customers using Xefco's Ausora Systems in the Indonesian region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Xefco develops and commercialises atmospheric plasma-based textile technologies, principally the Ausora® waterless dyeing and finishing system and the XReflex® radiant barrier technology. Ausora uses Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) at atmospheric pressure to embed pigments and deposit functional coatings onto fabrics in a single continuous pass, eliminating water from dyeing. Xefco sells and licenses these technologies primarily to textile mills and apparel brands through an embedded manufacturing services model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ausora: Waterless plasma dyeing and finishing technology that eliminates water use and reduces carbon emissions by up to 94%
• XReflex
• MetalliX

Products and services

• Ausora® Waterless Plasma Dyeing System Atmospheric plasma dyeing and finishing system using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) to apply color and functional coatings to fabrics in a single pass. Achieves 100% wastewater reduction, 97% chemical use reduction, 90% energy use reduction, and 94% GHG emission reduction. Works across cotton, nylon, polyester and blends. Modular units process up to 2.2 million metres of fabric per year per segment. Sold to textile mills through an embedded manufacturing services model at cost parity with conventional wet processes.
• Ausora® Finish - PFAS-Free Functional Finishing High-performance functional coating system deposited via PECVD at atmospheric pressure, enabling durable water repellency without PFAS along with moisture management, anti-odor, flame resistance and self-cleaning finishes. Designed for textile mills and apparel brands seeking PFAS-free alternatives to conventional fluorocarbon finishes.
• XReflex® Radiant Barrier Technology Ultra-thin radiant barrier technology applied via advanced vapor deposition that reflects body heat back to the wearer. Delivers up to 50% greater warmth with reduced insulation bulk. Saves 181L of water, 3.7 tonnes of CO2 and 40% MJ energy per 10,000 insulated jackets. Licensed to over 50 mills globally and adopted by apparel brands including Zara, The North Face, Salomon, Burton, Mammut and Dickies.
• MetalliX™ Antiviral Technology Copper-based thin-film antiviral and antibacterial textile treatment demonstrating 97.79% inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 within 5 minutes and 99.95% within 15 minutes in testing by the Peter Doherty Institute. Designed for textile and apparel applications requiring antiviral protection.
• Digital Inks and Chemistries for Ausora Systems Specialised digital printing inks and chemistries formulated for use with Ausora atmospheric plasma systems. Consumable inputs sold to mill customers operating Ausora deployment units in regional production sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% reduction in wastewater output
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Clo InsulationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2025First certified partner in XReflex Certified Insulation Partner Program. Recognition of insulation solutions tested and validated for compatibility with XReflex thermal performance systems.
• HeiQ Materials AGminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Former joint venture partner for XReflex technology through HX Innovation Company Limited. After five years of collaboration, Xefco acquired HeiQ's shareholding in March 2025 to take full control of XReflex.
• Proficiency ContractingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2019Engineering equipment specialists partnering with Deakin IFM and Xefco on $3.4 million IMCRC-funded R&D project to scale atmospheric plasma coating technology.
• Deakin University - Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018Long-standing research partnership for development of Ausora atmospheric plasma technology. Xefco joined Deakin's ARC Future Fibres hub and is founding industry partner of REACH Hub. R&D/Pilot Facility established at Deakin ManuFutures in Geelong.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HeiQ Materials AG: Swiss textile technology company specializing in functional finishes, antimicrobial treatments, and material innovation. Former Xefco joint venture partner for XReflex through HX Innovation, making it the most directly comparable peer in textile functional coatings.
• Dyecoo: Dutch pioneer of waterless textile dyeing using supercritical CO2 technology. Directly comparable as another commercial-scale attempt at replacing wet textile dyeing processes with sustainable alternatives, addressing the same mill customer base.
• Jeanologia: Spanish sustainable textile finishing technology company specializing in waterless garment finishing, laser, ozone, and digital solutions for denim and apparel. Comparable as an established sustainable textile technology provider serving global brands.

Emerging players

• Colorifix: UK-based biological dyeing company using engineered microbes to produce and fix pigments onto textiles. Comparable as an emerging sustainable dyeing technology targeting the same apparel and mill customers with water/chemical reduction claims.
• Coloreel: Swedish technology company offering digital on-demand textile coloring using a proprietary single-needle thread coloration system. Comparable as an emerging technology player focused on reducing water and chemical use in textile coloration.
• Sparxell: UK-based sustainable materials company developing plant-based pigments and colorants for textiles and other applications. Comparable as an emerging sustainable colorant technology provider targeting textile industry water/chemical reduction.

Broad incumbents

• Archroma: Swiss specialty chemicals company providing dyes, coatings, and finishes for textiles. Broad incumbent in textile finishing chemistry with overlapping customer base in mills and apparel brands, and significantly larger scale than Xefco.
• Huntsman Textile Effects: Division of Huntsman Corporation producing dyes, chemicals, and digital inks for the textile industry. Major incumbent with established global mill relationships and significant R&D resources that could eventually compete in waterless dyeing.
• Pulcra Chemicals: German specialty chemicals company supplying textile and leather processing auxiliaries, including functional finishes. Broad incumbent serving the same mill customers as Xefco's Ausora and XReflex technologies.
• DyStar Group: Global supplier of dyes, auxiliaries, and colorants for the textile industry. Comparable as a major incumbent in textile coloration with the scale and mill relationships to potentially pursue waterless dyeing chemistries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xefco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xefco