What Qlayers does

Qlayers B.V., founded in August 2017 by Josefien Groot and Ruben Geutjens in Delft, Netherlands, develops robotic coating systems for large industrial assets including storage tanks, ships and vessels, and wind turbine blades. The company's central technology is a patented spray shielding hood that captures airborne paint particles to deliver controlled coating with virtually zero overspray, achieving up to 90% transfer efficiency and operating in wind conditions up to 4 Bft. The product stack consists of a magnetic crawler robot that adheres directly to steel surfaces, a trailer unit that supplies power, air, paint, and a Qlayers Paint System (QPS) with 2K pumping and condition monitoring, plus remote-control operation that reduces 80% of working hours at dangerous heights. Product lines include the 10Q and next-generation 10QX for storage tanks and ships, the 7CS for maritime vessels, and the BL8 for wind turbine blades with sharkskin microstructure capability for drag reduction.

Qlayers monetizes through a combination of direct hardware sales (purchase pricing starting at €0.77/m²), weekly rental through its 10Q Rental B.V. subsidiary (starting at €2.50/m²), rent-to-own/lease options, and operator training and certification services. Go-to-market blends direct enterprise sales to large asset owners (Shell, Aramco, Maasvlakte Olie Terminal, Exolum) with an exclusive regional distributor model covering North America (BlastOne, Confined Space Robotics), UK (SIE Industrial, Denholm), Asia Pacific (Advance Technic), Middle East (Kanoo Energy), India (Indus Capabilities), Nigeria (UnoTelos), and Brazil (C3 Engenharia). Manufacturing of the new crawler and trailer fleet was transferred to Hittech Comac in Deurne in 2022, while hood design and final integration remain at the Delft headquarters.

The company employs approximately 40 people, has deployed 30+ robots, completed 91+ coating projects totaling 73,556+ m² of coated surface across 16+ countries, and earned Deloitte Technology Fast 50 recognition for 622% three-year revenue growth. Qlayers holds CE, ATEX, VCA*, and ISO 9001 certifications, plus Aramco supplier qualification, and is led by CEO Amel Vriesman (who succeeded co-founder Josefien Groot in December 2024) with CTO Ruben Geutjens as co-founder. The company has been recognized by the European Commission (EU Prize for Women Innovators 2020), EY (Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2022), and Robotics Business Review (RBR50), and was selected for the Dutch NXTGEN HIGHTECH national growth program.

Name

Qlayers

Legal name

Qlayers B.V.

Website

https://qlayers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Qlayers B.V., founded in 2017 in Delft, Netherlands, develops robotic coating systems with a patented spray shielding technology for storage tanks, ships, and wind turbine blades. It sells and rents 10Q, 10QX, 7CS, and BL8 robots globally through enterprise sales and regional distributors, serving oil & gas, maritime, and wind energy customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coating Robotics

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Robotics & Cobots (IMAIAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Robot Hardware, Actuators & Components (sensors, grippers, motors) (HDAAAIAL), Construction & Mining Robotics (HDAAAIAE)

Keywords

• Industrial coating robots
• Automated surface coating
• Robotic spray shielding
• Storage tank coating
• Wind turbine coating

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 10Q Robot Sales: Sale of 10Q robotic coating systems to asset owners and coating contractors. Pricing starts at €0.77/m² for purchase model.
2. Robot Rental Program: Weekly rental of 10Q robots starting at €2.50/m². Includes comprehensive training for customer workforce, experienced operators, supervisors, and system experts available to support deployments.
3. Rent-to-Own/Lease Options: Flexible financing options allowing customers to transition from rental to ownership.
4. Operator Training Services: Comprehensive training courses for 10Q robot operators covering theoretical and practical aspects, including certification (Level 1 & 2).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels12 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Qlayers manufactures robotic coating systems for large industrial assets such as storage tanks, ships, and wind turbine blades. Its core offering is the 10Q robot, a magnetic crawler with a patented spray-shielding hood that applies protective coatings with virtually zero overspray, up to 90% transfer efficiency and 200 m²/h application speed. The product line is complemented by the 7CS robot for maritime coating, the BL8 robot for wind turbine blades (with drag-reducing sharkskin microstructures), and the latest 10QX system, sold or rented via the 10Q Rental B.V. subsidiary.

Product overview

Qlayers offers a portfolio of robotic coating solutions for large industrial assets. The core products include the 10Q and 10QX coating robots for storage tanks and ships, the BL8 robot for wind turbine blades, and the 7CS robot for maritime vessels. All products share the patented spray shielding system technology that enables virtually zero overspray. The system consists of a magnetic crawler robot, trailer (powerhouse), and proprietary paint system. Qlayers also offers functional coatings including sharkskin microstructures for drag reduction. The company provides both direct purchase and rental options through 10Q Rental B.V.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 10Q: Automated coating robot for storage tanks with patented spray shielding system
• 7CS
• BL8
• 10Q Rental

Products and services

• 10Q Coating Robot Automated robotic coating system for steel storage tanks and ships, featuring a patented spray shielding hood that delivers coating with virtually no overspray, up to 90% transfer efficiency, and speeds up to 200 m²/h while reducing hours at dangerous heights by 80%.
• 10QX Robotic Coating System Latest generation robotic coating system designed to advance sustainable industrial maintenance with improved capabilities over the 10Q platform.
• BL8 Coating Robot Coating robot designed for wind turbine blades that applies functional coatings including drag-reducing sharkskin microstructures, achieving 3-5% drag reduction and up to 264,000 kWh/year additional energy output for 2 MW blades.
• 7CS Robot Robotic solution for automated coating of ships and vessels, equipped with Qlayers' patented spray shielding system to prevent toxic paint particles from being released into the environment.
• 10Q Rental Program Rental service providing flexible project-based access to 10Q robots, including comprehensive operator training, supervisors, and system experts. Weekly rates start at €2.50/m² with rent-to-own options available.
• Functional Coating Service Service offering functional coatings such as sharkskin microstructures applied at high speed on wind turbine blades and other surfaces for drag reduction and other functional properties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in working hours at dangerous heights
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• AramcomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025MoU signed to advance smart coating innovation aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. 10Q robot already earned Aramco qualification at Wasit Gas Terminal.
• ShellmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Shell deployed first industry-accepted and commercially available coating robot for storage tanks at Oil Import Terminal Europoort in April 2021. Ongoing collaboration.
• UnoTeloscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2025Partnership to bring full-service robotic maintenance solutions across Nigeria.
• Indus Capabilities LLPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2025India-based strategic partnership to introduce robotic coating solutions for storage tank and marine vessel maintenance in India.
• PVMRminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025MoU signed to bring robotic coating solutions to Vietnam. Vietnamese engineering and asset management firm.
• Denholm Industrial ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2024Exclusive rights to deploy Qlayers' technologies in UK marine sector. Already deployed across the UK.
• Kanoo EnergycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2024First 10QX Robotic Coating System shipped. Partnership for robotic coating solutions in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region.
• SIE IndustrialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Exclusive partnership for robotic coating solutions in the United Kingdom. Certified to operate 10Q Robotic Coating System in the UK.
• BlastOne InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2023Exclusive USA distribution partnership introducing first-ever mobile coating robots to U.S. oil & gas industry. Partnership signed at BlastOne's Houston office grand opening.
• Advance Technic Pte Ltd (ATPL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2023Asia Pacific regional partner. Purchased two 10Q units for deployment within Asia Pacific region including Singapore.
• Confined Space Robotics (CSR)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2023North American distributor for 10Q robot deployment in tank refurbishment projects. Partnership for robotic blasting and coating solutions eliminating confined space hazards.
• Hittech ComacminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 April 2022Takes over production and assembly of new 10Q fleet of crawlers and trailers at their facility in Deurne. Qlayers continues hood design and production in Delft.
• Van der Ende Steel Protectors GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst 10Q customer and exclusive partner in Netherlands. Long-term strategic partnership for deploying coating robots. Expanded to fleet of multiple robots.
• Nihon ShipyardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United explored Qlayers' robotic coating solutions for enhanced efficiency.
• C3 Engenharia & SoluçõesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrazilian industrial solutions company purchased 10Q coating robot for industrial maintenance operations. Integrated robot into operations.
• TU DelftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with university. Co-founders met at TU Delft. Project DIRECTION collaboration with faculty of Aerospace Engineering, TNO, DNW, NLR, and Toray.
• TNO, DNW, NLR, TorayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partners in Project DIRECTION for developing smart coating application technology and morphing wing design to reduce aircraft drag and weight.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• FANUC Corporation: FANUC is one of the largest industrial robot manufacturers globally with extensive painting and coating robot lines for automotive and manufacturing applications. Broad incumbent comparable on robotic coating technology but not specialized for large industrial assets like tanks, ships, and wind turbines.
• ABB Robotics: ABB offers industrial painting robots and automation systems for manufacturing, automotive, and general industrial coating applications. A broad incumbent in robotic coating whose IRB painting series competes in adjacent coating segments though not in large vertical steel asset coating.
• KUKA AG: KUKA is a global leader in industrial robots and automation, including robotic painting and coating cells used in automotive and general industry. As a broad incumbent, KUKA provides competing automated coating solutions but lacks Qlayers' specialized large-asset, magnetic-crawler architecture and spray shielding IP.
• Yaskawa (Motoman): Yaskawa manufactures industrial robots including dedicated painting robot lines widely used in automotive and industrial coating. A broad incumbent whose coating robots serve similar automation needs as Qlayers but in different application contexts and customer segments.

Direct peers

• International Submarine Engineering (ISE): ISE manufactures remotely operated vehicles and robotic systems for subsea and hazardous industrial environments including coating and inspection. Comparable to Qlayers in deploying robotics to industrial coating and maintenance applications in challenging environments.
• Apellix: Apellix develops drone-based robotic systems for industrial coating, inspection, and surface preparation on tall assets like storage tanks, ships, and bridges. It is the closest direct competitor to Qlayers in automated industrial coating, using a different mobility platform (aerial drone vs. magnetic crawler) to address the same end-market pain points.
• ECA Group: ECA Group designs robotic systems for industrial inspection, maintenance, and surface treatment including painting robots for marine and naval applications. Direct competitor to Qlayers' 7CS maritime coating robot in the shipbuilding and offshore markets.
• Cybernetix (Groupe TechnipFMC): Cybernetix specializes in robotic systems for hazardous environments including painting, coating, and inspection in oil & gas, marine, and nuclear industries. It directly competes with Qlayers in robotic coating of large industrial assets and shares the same customer base of oil majors and shipyards.

Emerging players

• Husqvarna Construction: Husqvarna Construction develops robotic and automated surface preparation and demolition equipment for the construction industry. Comparable to Qlayers in industrial surface treatment automation with focus on construction segment rather than oil & gas tank storage.

Others

• Graco Inc. Graco is a leading manufacturer of fluid handling equipment including industrial paint sprayers and plural-component sprayers used in protective coatings. Already a technology partner of Qlayers (XM sprayer integrated into 10Q v4), Graco is an ecosystem enabler and potential competitor as it expands into robotic and automated coating solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qlayersbv

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors5 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 Qlayers