DAW

What DAW does

DAW SE is a German family-owned manufacturer of building paints, coatings, construction chemicals, and thermal insulation systems, founded in 1895 and now in its fifth generation of ownership. Headquartered in Ober-Ramstadt, the company ranks as the third-largest manufacturer of building paints in Europe and claims market leadership positions in Germany and Austria that have persisted for decades. Operating across more than 30 countries with approximately 6,000 employees, DAW serves four primary customer segments through a multi-brand portfolio: professional painters and architects (Caparol, ALLIGATOR), DIY homeowners (Alpina), industrial and infrastructure construction (DISBON), building materials trade (KRAUTOL), industrial color applications (Caparol Industrial Solutions), and prefabricated construction (Prefab Solutions).

DAW's core technology encompasses architectural paints, facade systems, industrial coatings, floor coatings, construction chemicals, and thermal insulation materials. Notable proprietary products include AmphiSilan ReCycle, a facade paint formulated with 40% recycled raw materials, and Chem-X, a digital product passport initiative to be demonstrated at Hannover Messe 2026. The company operates eight production sites across Germany (Ober-Ramstadt, Enger, Köthen, Nerchau, Meldorf, Wildeck, Gerstungen, Fürstenwalde logistics center), an R&D and insulation technology center in Hirschberg, and wholly-owned subsidiaries or partner distributors in over 20 additional countries spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Africa.

The company's business model is anchored on one-time product sales distributed through a hybrid channel architecture that combines direct trade-channel distribution via CMS Gruppe's 180 German dealer locations serving painters and floor layers, building materials retailers, wholesale partners, and international distributors. Revenue streams are organized around architectural paints and coatings, industrial coatings and solutions, and construction chemicals and floor coatings. The company maintains ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 50001 certifications across German locations and has accumulated multiple innovation awards including the Dieselmedaille, TOP 100 Innovator, and brand eins Most Innovative Companies recognition.

Name

DAW

Legal name

DAW SE

Website

https://daw.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

DAW SE is a German family-owned manufacturer (founded 1895) of building paints, coatings, construction chemicals, and thermal insulation systems, ranking as Europe's third-largest building paints producer and serving professional painters, DIY consumers, and industrial customers across more than 30 countries through brands including Caparol, Alpina, and DISBON.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Paints and Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural & Decorative Painting (Interior/Exterior) (IMAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Architectural paints
• Building coatings
• Facade insulation systems
• Construction chemicals
• Industrial color concentrates

Headquarters

HQ city

Ober-ramstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Paints and Coatings: Production and sale of decorative paints, facade coatings, and architectural finishes for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings through multiple brands targeting different customer segments
2. Industrial Coatings and Solutions: Industrial color concentrates and coatings for manufacturing and industrial applications through Caparol Industrial Solutions
3. Construction Chemicals and Floor Coatings: Products for concrete renovation, industrial floor coating, parking structures, engineering structures, and sealing through DISBON brand

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DAW SE manufactures and sells architectural paints, facade coatings, industrial color concentrates, floor coatings, construction chemicals and thermal insulation systems for buildings. Products are sold under multiple brands (Caparol, Alpina, ALLIGATOR, DISBON, KRAUTOL, Caparol Industrial Solutions, alsecco) targeting professional painters, architects, DIY consumers, medium-sized craft businesses and industrial/infrastructure construction customers. The company also operates the CMS Gruppe dealer network of 180 locations in Germany.

Product overview

DAW SE is a family-owned company established in 1895, ranking as Europe's third-largest building paint manufacturer and the market leader in Germany and Austria. The company develops, produces, and distributes innovative coating systems through a multi-brand portfolio. Core brands include Caparol (professional architectural coatings), Alpina (DIY consumer paints), ALLIGATOR (professional craft businesses), DISBON (construction chemistry and industrial coatings), KRAUTOL (building material trade), Caparol Industrial Solutions (industrial colorants), and CMS Gruppe (180-location dealer network for painters and floor layers). The portfolio also includes specialized sub-brands such as CAPAROL ICONS and Prefab Solutions. DAW employs approximately 6,000 people and operates research, development, and innovation facilities at its Ober-Ramstadt headquarters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Caparol: The perfect partner for all designers of better living spaces. For over 120 years, Caparol has been reinventing surfaces to make buildings more beautiful, healthier, more efficient, and more sustainable.
• Alpina
• ALLIGATOR
• DISBON
• KRAUTOL
• Caparol Industrial Solutions
• CMS Gruppe

Products and services

• Caparol Caparol is DAW's core professional brand, positioned as the partner for all designers of better living spaces. Offering decorative paints, facade coatings and architectural finishes for professional painters, architects and designers across residential, commercial and industrial projects.
• Alpina Alpina is DAW's DIY-focused consumer paint brand, offering do-it-yourselfers a wide range of coatings to easily achieve perfect interior and exterior painting results without professional expertise.
• ALLIGATOR ALLIGATOR is DAW's professional brand for medium-sized craft businesses, offering close customer proximity and product-service combinations tailored to the needs of trade painters.
• DISBON DISBON provides long-lasting construction chemistry solutions specialized in concrete renovation, industrial floor coating, parking structures, engineering structures, and sealing/waterproofing for industrial and infrastructure construction.
• KRAUTOL KRAUTOL is DAW's practice-oriented product range for building material trade, distinguished by highest product quality and a strong assortment for professional applicators.
• Caparol Industrial Solutions Caparol Industrial Solutions (CIS) supplies high-quality color concentrates in various consistencies for a broad industrial application spectrum used by manufacturers.
• CMS Gruppe CMS Gruppe is DAW's dealer network serving the main target group of painters and floor layers, operating 180 locations across Germany.
• CAPAROL ICONS CAPAROL ICONS is a color collection offering 50 bright color nuances for architectural applications under the Caparol professional brand.
• Prefab Solutions Prefab Solutions is DAW's offering of prefabricated solutions for construction applications.
• AmphiSilan ReCycle AmphiSilan ReCycle is a sustainable facade paint for buildings made from 40% recycled raw materials, part of Caparol's sustainable innovation pipeline.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Narmapinnoitus Oy (Finland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company representing DAW in Finland, distributing Caparol and related brands in the Finnish market
• Noventa S.A. (Greece)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company distributing DAW products in Greece through Kifissias Avenue location in Athens
• Hokushu Co. Ltd. (Japan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company representing alsecco PRO products in Japan through Tokyo office
• ALCMATE Co. Ltd. (South Korea)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company distributing alsecco products in South Korea through Seoul office
• Synthesa Chemie GmbH (Austria)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian subsidiary and partner company of DAW Group, operating from Perg with multiple affiliated companies including Capatect Baustoffindustrie, Avenarius-Agro, Naporo, and Glemadur

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jotun: Norway-headquartered global coatings group present in decorative, protective and marine segments, broadly comparable to DAW in architectural/decorative and industrial coatings across Europe and MEA.
• Baumit: Austrian and Central European manufacturer of facade systems, insulation, plasters and coatings competing with DAW's alsecco and Caparol offerings across Austria, Germany and Central/Eastern Europe.
• PPG Industries: U.S.-based global coatings leader with Sigma Coatings and the recently acquired Tikkurila, competing directly with DAW in architectural/decorative paints and industrial coatings across Europe.
• Sto SE: German building-coatings specialist with integrated facade insulation-plus-finish systems that directly compete with DAW's alsecco facade-insulation business across the DACH region and selected international markets.
• AkzoNobel: Global paints and coatings major whose Dulux, Sikkens, and Herbol brands compete head-to-head with DAW's Caparol and Alpina across professional, DIY, and contractor segments in Europe and adjacent markets.
• Hempel: Denmark-headquartered coatings manufacturer serving protective, marine, decorative and infrastructure segments, overlapping with DAW's DISBON industrial flooring and Caparol facade systems lines.
• Brillux: German family-owned paint and coatings manufacturer serving professional painters, crafts and industry — a directly comparable Mittelstand competitor to DAW in the German professional trade channel.

Broad incumbents

• Sherwin-Williams: World's largest paints and coatings company; overlaps with DAW in architectural and industrial coatings globally, but operates as a broader portfolio incumbent rather than DAW's specialized building-paint focus.
• Sika AG: Swiss specialty chemicals company with construction-focused coatings, sealants and flooring systems overlapping with DAW's DISBON construction chemistry and protective coatings portfolio.
• Nippon Paint Holdings: Asia-Pacific headquartered global paints major growing in Europe through Dulux-licensed and acquired assets; overlaps with DAW in architectural paints and selected industrial segments as a broader-portfolio incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DAW_Gruppe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CaparolTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/caparol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/daw-se
• Instagraminstagram.com/caparol.de

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 DAW