What Valence Surface Technologies does

Valence Surface Technologies is a U.S.-based independent provider of mission-critical surface finishing and treatment services to the aerospace and defense industries. Operating 12 facilities across North America with 700,000+ square feet of processing space and over 1,000 employees, the company delivers plating, anodizing, chemical processing, nondestructive testing (NDT), painting and spray coating, shot peening, and allied services such as grinding, honing, lab testing, and laser etching. It is structured as an LLC registered in California, governed by Nadcap and AS9100 quality standards at all sites and holding over 5,000 unique industry approvals as well as ITAR certification.

The company serves a primarily B2B customer base across five verticals: commercial aviation (Boeing 737MAX/777X, Airbus A350 XWB/A320neo), business aviation (Gulfstream, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Bell Helicopter), defense (F-35, KC-46A Tanker, B-21, F-16, F-18, Apache), space and communications (SpaceX, NASA, Blue Origin, ULA, Virgin Galactic), and medical/life sciences. Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-priced service contracts with multi-year enterprise customer relationships, governed by rigorous per-customer qualification cycles that bind customers to its approved-supplier lists.

Valence has been majority-owned since June 2019 by ATL Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), under whose ownership it has executed eleven add-on acquisitions including H&W Global Industries (2021), B&M Painting (2022), and in 2025, C.I.L. Metal Finishing and Foresight Finishing. The company's go-to-market is direct enterprise sales anchored in certification density and a single-supplier full-service platform that consolidates NDT, chemical processing, plating, painting, and shot peening. Leadership includes CEO Tracy Glende, CFO Adam Cohn, and Chairman David Camilleri; acquired-company founders such as Jim Coskren (C.I.L.) typically continue in operational roles post-close.

Name

Valence Surface Technologies

Legal name

Valence Surface Technologies, LLC

Website

https://valencesurfacetech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Valence Surface Technologies is the world's largest independent aerospace surface finishing company, operating 12 North American facilities that deliver plating, anodizing, NDT, painting, and shot peening services to commercial aviation, business aviation, defense, space, and medical OEMs under Nadcap, AS9100, and ITAR certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Metal Finishing Services

NAICS

Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers (332812), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (33281)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

NDT/Inspection & Testing Services (Aviation) (IMABALAJ)

Keywords

• Aerospace metal finishing
• Surface treatment services
• Nondestructive testing
• Aerospace plating
• Anodizing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gardena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aerospace Metal Finishing Services: Valence generates revenue through providing comprehensive metal finishing and surface treatment services to the aerospace, defense, and space industries. Services include plating, anodizing, chemical processing, nondestructive testing, shot peening, painting, and spray coatings. The revenue model is project/services-based, driven by the volume and complexity of parts processed for customers across commercial aviation, business aviation, defense, space, and medical markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Valence Surface Technologies provides outsourced aerospace metal finishing and surface treatment services to OEMs, defense primes, and Tier-1 suppliers across commercial aviation, business aviation, defense, space, and medical markets. Its integrated platform spans six service categories — Nondestructive Testing (NDT), Chemical Processing (including anodizing, passivation, and chem-film), Plating (cadmium, chrome, gold, silver, electroless nickel, Ti-Cad), Painting & Spray Coatings, Shot Peening & Blasting, and Custom Services (grinding, honing, laser etching, part marking, sub-assembly, vendor managed inventory) — delivered across 12 Nadcap/AS9100/ITAR-certified facilities in North America.

Product overview

Valence Surface Technologies is the world's largest independent aerospace product finishing company, offering a comprehensive, integrated platform of surface treatment services. The portfolio consists of six core service categories: Nondestructive Testing (NDT), Chemical Processing (including anodizing, passivation, and chemical film), Plating (with selective plating and precision masking for critical components), Painting & Spray Coatings, Shot Peening & Blasting, and Custom/Other Services (grinding, honing, lab testing, laser etching). The company operates 12 facilities across North America, including acquired brands such as C.I.L. Metal Finishing, B&M Painting, H&W Global Industries, Chrome Plus International, and others. With over 4,500 unique industry approvals and 700,000+ sq. ft. of processing space, Valence serves as a single-supplier solution for aerospace outside processing, delivering over 25 million parts annually to commercial aviation, business aviation, defense, space, and medical/life sciences markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Comprehensive nondestructive inspection services for aerospace components including borescope inspection, conductivity inspection, copper sulfate testing, eddy current testing, fluorescent/liquid penetrant inspection, hardness testing, and magnetic particle inspection, delivered to aerospace OEMs, defense primes, and Tier-1 suppliers.
• Chemical Processing Chemical processing services for aluminum, steel, titanium, and nickel-based alloys, including aluminum etch, multiple anodizing types (boric, tartaric, chromic, sulfuric, hard, phosphoric), nital etch, passivation of stainless steel, phosphate fluoride, titanium etch and clean, zinc phosphate, and chemical film, for aerospace and defense customers.
• Plating Precision plating services for aerospace and defense customers including cadmium, copper, chrome, gold, immersion gold, manganese phosphate, nickel (electroless and sulfamate), silver, Ti-Cad, tin, tin-lead, and military plating, with unique selective plating and precision masking capabilities for satellite and UAV components.
• Painting & Spray Coatings Nadcap and AS9100 approved painting and spray coating services for aerospace and defense customers, including anti-chafe, bond primer, digital masking, dry film lube, fuel tank coating, primer, sol gel, topcoat, zinc spray, and iron phosphate coating.
• Shot Peening & Blasting Shot peening and abrasive blast services for aerospace components, including manual peening, saturation peening, peen forming, abrasive blast/clean, and abrasive machining.
• Custom and Other Services Ancillary services for aerospace and defense customers including grinding (CNC cylindrical, centerless), honing (vertical and horizontal), lab testing, laser etching, part marking, sub-assembly, and vendor managed inventory.
• VST Line Card Comprehensive product line card and capability catalog showcasing all surface finishing services available across Valence's network of 12 facilities, used by customers and prospects to understand the full scope of offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 million parts processed annually across 12 facilities
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TC Specialties Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 January 2023Valence Surface Technologies announced a paint supply distribution agreement with TC Specialties Inc. in January 2023. TC Specialties Inc. serves as Valence's primary distributor of paints and primers, starting with west coast operations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Element Solutions Inc: Specialty chemicals company providing plating chemistries, electronic materials, and industrial solutions. Comparable as a supplier-side participant in the metal finishing chemistry value chain, serving overlapping aerospace and industrial customers with related technologies.

Broad incumbents

• AAR Corp: Major independent aerospace aftermarket services provider offering component MRO, parts supply, and integrated solutions. Comparable as a broad aviation services platform serving similar OEM and defense customers, though at significantly larger scale.
• Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings: Major aerospace coatings manufacturer serving OEM and MRO customers. Comparable to the painting and coating line of Valence's business, with overlapping customer base across commercial and military aviation.
• HEICO Corporation: Leading aerospace aftermarket parts and MRO provider with FAA-approved repair stations. Comparable as an aerospace component services and parts platform serving similar commercial aviation and defense customers with mission-critical components.
• Curtiss-Wright Corporation: Provider of highly engineered products, systems, and services for defense, commercial, and industrial markets with aerospace surface treatment capabilities. Comparable as a diversified aerospace/defense services and products company with overlapping customer relationships.
• AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings: Global aerospace coatings supplier offering paint, primer, and specialty coating systems. Comparable to Valence's painting and spray coatings line of business, though as a coatings manufacturer rather than a finishing services provider.
• Triumph Group: Aerospace systems and component manufacturer with MRO capabilities serving commercial, business, and defense aviation markets. Comparable as a broader aerospace component and services platform with surface treatment capabilities integrated into its offering.
• PPG Aerospace: Major global supplier of aerospace coatings, sealants, and specialty materials. Comparable as an aerospace coatings and surface treatment provider, though PPG is a much larger, broad-line coatings manufacturer rather than a finishing services provider.
• Howmet Aerospace: Leading aerospace engine and structural castings manufacturer with surface treatment capabilities. Comparable as a major aerospace parts manufacturer that incorporates surface finishing into its product offerings for OEM customers.

Direct peers

• Precision Aviation Group: Provider of aviation component MRO and parts distribution services to commercial, business, and defense aviation markets. Comparable to Valence as a third-party aerospace component services platform with similar customer base and regulatory requirements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/valencesurface
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valence-surface-technology

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A12 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Valence Surface Technologies