Sicer

What Sicer does

Sicer S.p.A. is an Italian-headquartered B2B specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1993, producing raw materials and semi-finished products — glazes, grits, digital inks, engobes, frits, and digital adhesives — for the global ceramic tile industry. The company's product portfolio spans two categories: industrial products for wall and floor tiles (including the SCD-series digital inks, SSM glazes, GHR/GRA grits, SSE engobes, SF frits, GLR anti-slip glazes, and patented .LE Low Emission and water-based adhesive systems), and decorative products (pigments, precious metals, lustres, Raku glazes, vetrosa grits, DEK/PRECIOUS digital decoration inks, and T-INK tableware decoration). Core technology rests on ceramic surface chemistry and digital inkjet decoration, with proprietary patented innovations such as the .LE series (up to 50% VOC reduction, 60% lower formaldehyde) and NEXT Surfaces microgrit technology (certified R9-R12 anti-slip, GU 1.0-2.0 anti-reflective), supported by three integrated labs (Technology, R&D, Digital R&D).

Sicer operates a direct enterprise field-sales model with embedded technical consulting, serving ceramic tile manufacturers globally through production sites and Sicer Gallery showrooms located in the world's main ceramic districts: Fiorano Modenese (Italy HQ), Nules/Castellón (Spain, acquired 2021 from Ex-CERFRIT), Lebanon Tennessee (USA, inaugurated mid-2023), with announced facilities in northern Mexico, India, and Indonesia. Revenue is generated through quote-based, contract-driven B2B sales of specialty coatings tailored to customer specifications, with FY2024 group revenue exceeding €130 million. The company is privately held following a 2024 management buyout in which founders Gianfranco Padovani (Executive Chairman), Giuliano Ferrari (CEO), and Marco Eumenidi (Commercial Director) took the majority stake alongside a minority investment from Ardian, succeeding Azimut Group's prior 2020 investment.

Customer relationships are characterized by technical co-development from concept to industrialization, with formulations qualified into customer firing curves and production lines, creating embedded switching costs. The company is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, holds consecutive EcoVadis Bronze Medals (2022, 2023), and joined the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care program in 2025, positioning low-emission chemistry as a central commercial proposition in a tile industry under tightening environmental regulation.

Name

Sicer

Legal name

Sicer S.p.A.

Website

https://sicerceramicsurfaces.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sicer S.p.A. is an Italian B2B specialty chemicals manufacturer, founded in 1993, producing glazes, grits, digital inks, engobes, frits, and low-emission digital adhesives for ceramic tile manufacturers worldwide from production sites in Italy, Spain, USA, Mexico, India, and Indonesia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ceramic Surface Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive) (IMAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Ceramic surface coatings
• Digital ceramic inks
• Ceramic glazes and grits
• Low emission adhesives
• Ceramic decoration materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Fiorano Modenese

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Coatings for Ceramic Industry: Sicer generates revenue through the sale of specialty raw materials and semi-finished products for ceramic surface decoration, including digital inks, glazes, grits, engobes, frits, and digital adhesives. The business operates on a B2B model supplying ceramic tile manufacturers globally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sicer manufactures and sells raw materials and semi-finished products for the ceramic industry, including digital inks, glazes, microgrits, engobes, ceramic frits, pigments, precious metals, lustres, and digital adhesives. Its products are used by ceramic tile manufacturers for industrial surface decoration of wall and floor tiles, as well as for premium ceramic decoration (tableware, glass-ceramic, third firing). The company also offers patented low-emission Water-Based and .LE series digital inks and adhesives to reduce VOC, formaldehyde, and odor emissions in ceramic production.

Product overview

Sicer is a leading manufacturer of raw materials and innovative technologies for the ceramic industry, offering two main product categories: Industrial products for wall and floor tiles (including coloring oxides SK, digital inks SCD, glazes SSM, microgrits GHR-GRA-GRS-GRC, engobes SSE, frits SF, anti-slip glazes GLR, digital adhesives Water-Based and .LE Low Emission series) and Products for Ceramic Decoration (including pigments, printing bases, precious metals, metallic colours, Raku glazes, vetrosa grits, Monoporosa Grits GMP, digital decoration inks DEK/PRECIOUS, T-INK tableware decoration). The company provides both standard and low-emission formulations (Water-Based and .LE series) to reduce environmental impact, alongside specialized decoration solutions for premium ceramic applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engobes (SSE series)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% reduction in VOC emissions compared to traditional inks
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Italian-owned Ceramic Groups (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSicer serves Italian-owned ceramic groups operating in the US market, which represent the majority of American ceramic producers. This proximity strategy allows Sicer to offer customized solutions that comply with American regulations while providing rapid response times and continuous local customer support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Colorobbia: Italian manufacturer of ceramic colors, glazes, frits, and precious metal decorations for the ceramic industry. Direct peer serving the same tile and tableware manufacturers with overlapping product lines including digital inks and glazes.
• Smalticeram: Italian specialist in ceramic inks and digital decoration products. Direct peer specifically competing in Sicer's digital ink and water-based ink segments, headquartered in the same Italian ceramic district.
• Esmalglass-Itaca: Spanish ceramic glaze, frit, and ink producer serving ceramic tile manufacturers globally. Direct peer in the Iberian ceramic cluster with comparable product offerings in engobes, glazes, frits, and digital inks.
• Fritta: Spanish manufacturer of ceramic frits and related raw materials. Direct peer in Sicer's frit and glaze business, located in the Castellón ceramic district and serving the same Iberian and European ceramic tile manufacturers.
• Torrecid: Spanish global leader in ceramic colors, glazes, frits, and digital inks for the ceramic tile industry. Direct peer across Sicer's entire product range with comparable global manufacturing footprint and customer base of tile manufacturers.
• Zschimmer & Schwarz: German specialty chemicals manufacturer producing ceramic auxiliaries, glazes, and surface treatment products. Direct peer in specialty chemicals for the ceramic industry with broader chemical portfolio but overlapping ceramic customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Ferro Corporation: US-based global coatings and performance materials manufacturer with a ceramic colors and glass coatings business. Larger incumbent with broader industrial coatings portfolio, competing with Sicer in pigment and glaze chemistries for industrial and architectural applications.
• Johnson Matthey (Pigments & Dispersions): UK-based specialty chemicals and pigments manufacturer. Broader incumbent serving ceramics, coatings, and inks; competes with Sicer's pigments, colorants, and specialty chemical offerings as part of a wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sicergroup
• Xx.com/sicerspa
• Facebookfacebook.com/sicerspa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sicer-spa

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Sicer