What Kohler Coating does

Kohler Coating, Inc. is a privately held, family-controlled industrial machinery manufacturer headquartered in Uniontown, Ohio, with engineering and pilot-line capabilities in Canton, Ohio. The company designs and builds thin film metering equipment — principally the Kohler WaterDeck moisture control system, the ISO-Bar Glue Machine, and the ISO-Bar 3 Rod Coater (with Hybrid Coater / Hyco configurations) — for the paper, corrugating, converting, medical packaging, floor covering, and plastic film industries. Its core technology is patented rod metering and pressure gap control that delivers thin, uniform films (water down to 0.5 micron; glue down to 0.025 mm) at high line speeds (up to 450 MPM standard, with custom configurations up to 1500 MPM), reducing warp, starch consumption, energy use, and water use in corrugating operations while enabling faster grade changes and higher throughput on difficult grades. The portfolio also covers broader categories of corrugator equipment, coating lines, web handling, litho-laminating, and paper mill coaters.

The company makes money through three streams: (1) hardware sales of capital equipment and spare parts to industrial end users, (2) professional services including installation, support, and the proprietary Hydros training program, and (3) licensing of patented WaterDeck and Pressure Gap Control technology to corrugator OEMs such as Fosber for integration into their machinery lines. Go-to-market is enterprise-led through three named area managers (Herb Kohler, Mike Kohler, Emilio Carpio) covering roughly nine global regions and a long roster of independent regional agents and distributors across 35+ countries in North America, EMEA, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. No public financials, no third-party investors, and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Name

Kohler Coating

Legal name

Kohler Coating, Inc.

Website

https://kohlercoating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kohler Coating is a privately held Ohio-based manufacturer of patented thin film metering equipment — WaterDeck moisture control systems, ISO-Bar glue machines, and ISO-Bar 3 rod coaters — sold globally to paper, corrugating, converting, and medical packaging producers across 35+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coating and Moisture Control Machinery

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Industrial coating machinery
• Corrugating equipment
• Thin film metering
• Paper mill coaters
• Moisture control systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Uniontown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Machinery Sales: Sale of advanced coating and moisture control machinery including WaterDeck systems, ISO-Bar Rod Coaters, and ISO-Bar Glue Machines to paper, corrugating, and converting industries.
2. Spare Parts: Spare parts sales and service support for existing machinery.
3. Service and Support: Service and technical support including installation, maintenance, and the Hydros training program.
4. Technology Licensing: Licensing of patented technologies (WaterDeck, Pressure Gap Control) to machinery manufacturers like Fosber for integration into their corrugating equipment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kohler Coating designs, manufactures, and sells industrial thin film metering coating and moisture-control machinery — most notably the Kohler WaterDeck moisture control system, ISO-Bar 3 Rod Coater, and ISO-Bar Glue Machine — for the paper, corrugating, and converting industries. Revenue is generated through capital-equipment sales, spare parts, professional service and training (including the Hydros program), and patented-technology licensing to OEMs.

Product overview

Kohler Coating is a manufacturer of thin film metering technology and coating equipment for the paper, corrugating, and converting industries. The product portfolio centers on three core product lines: the WaterDeck moisture control system, the ISO-Bar 3 Rod Coater, and the ISO-Bar Glue Machine. These core products are complemented by specialized equipment categories including Corrugator Equipment, Coating Line Equipment, Web Handling Equipment, Litho-Laminator Equipment, and Paper Mill Coaters. The company specializes in water-based coating technologies including air knife, blade, rod, and metering size press coaters. Products are deployed across more than 35 countries serving paper, paperboard, medical packaging, corrugating, floor covering, and plastic film industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kohler WaterDeck Thin film moisture control system for corrugators that applies water film thicknesses as low as 0.5 micron (0.00002") uniformly, controlled by an A.C. vector motor. Allows operators to change warp profile in seconds while maintaining constant corrugator settings.
• ISO-Bar 3 Rod Coater Versatile rod coater that applies coat weights from 1 GSM to 20 GSM at speeds up to 450 MPM (1500 FPM), with Hybrid Coater (Hyco) options for standard rod, pre-metering, and standalone thin film (WaterDeck) modes. Standard widths 1800mm to 3300mm with custom widths and speeds up to 1500 MPM (4900 FPM).
• ISO-Bar Glue Machine Patented glue application system with rod metering technology that meters glue film thickness down to 0.025 mm (0.001"), runs any solids and viscosity, and incorporates the Kohler Pressure Gap Control System for automatic adjustment to flute and web-width changes. Covered by U.S. Patents 6,068,701 / 6,602,546 / 7,595,086 / 7,717,148 / 7,267,153.
• Corrugator Equipment Complete line of equipment for corrugator lines including glue machines, hybrid coater WaterDecks, air floatation web turns, paper-specific moisture control systems, rod coaters, and split web guides.
• Coating Line Equipment Equipment for coating production lines including coaters, unwinds, and rewinds for paper, converting, and related industries.
• Web Handling Equipment Web handling equipment including dancer systems, suction rolls, 90 degree turnbar systems, 180 degree turnbar systems, and web guide turnbar systems for coating and converting lines.
• Litho-Laminator Equipment Equipment for litho-laminating operations including ISO-BAR GEN 1, GEN 1P, and GEN 2P Glue Applicators (with belt sections), turnbar systems, and WaterDeck moisture applicators.
• Paper Mill Coaters Coating equipment for paper mills including air knife coaters, blade coaters (bent, bevel, combination), coater circulation systems, ISO-SIZER Applicators, and metering size press coaters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water film thicknesses as low as 0.5 micron (0.00002") uniformly applied
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FosbercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFosber is one of several manufacturers licensed to integrate Kohler WaterDecks into their corrugating machinery. This licensing agreement allows Fosber to offer WaterDeck technology as part of their corrugator equipment offerings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bobst: Swiss-based global leader in packaging and converting machinery for folding cartons, corrugated, flexible packaging, and labels. Competes with Kohler's converting-equipment offering as part of a much larger machinery portfolio spanning multiple substrate types.
• Andritz: Austrian-headquartered supplier of systems, equipment, and services for pulp, paper, and converting industries. Overlaps with Kohler in paper mill coating and converting equipment but competes from a much broader, multi-segment capital equipment platform.
• Barry-Wehmiller (BW Papersystems / Marquip): Diversified industrial conglomerate whose BW Papersystems unit designs and builds corrugating and sheeting machinery. Competes with Kohler in corrugator equipment but operates at much broader scale across multiple converting categories.
• Valmet: Finland-headquartered process technology and equipment supplier for paper, board, and tissue makers, including coating and surface treatment lines. Comparable to Kohler where Paper Mill Coaters overlap, but at vastly larger scale across the pulp and paper value chain.
• Voith: German-headquartered global technology group serving paper, energy, automotive, and digital industrial markets. Voith Paper supplies paper-making and finishing equipment that overlaps with Kohler's Paper Mill Coaters, while operating at enterprise scale.

Direct peers

• Comexi: Spanish-headquartered manufacturer of machinery for the flexible packaging and converting industry, including coating and laminating lines. Comparable to Kohler's Coating Line Equipment and Litho-Laminator Equipment in the converting segment.
• Fosber: Italian-headquartered global manufacturer of complete corrugating lines (Fosber S/Line, Pro/Line, Advantage). Most directly comparable because it is already a Kohler OEM/licensing partner integrating WaterDeck into its corrugators, sharing the same end customers and channel.
• BHS Corrugated: Leading global supplier of corrugating machinery, including glue units, dry ends, and complete lines. Directly competes with Kohler for corrugator OEM slots and offers its own glue application technology that overlaps with the ISO-Bar glue machine.
• Pasaban: Spanish-based manufacturer of paper converting and finishing machinery, including sheeters and coaters. Directly overlaps with Kohler's paper mill and converting coater product lines, serving similar paper and board customers.

Emerging players

• TRESU Group: Danish-headquartered specialist in flexographic printing presses, coating and ink supply systems for packaging. Smaller and more focused than Kohler, but adjacent in web-handling and coating equipment for folding cartons and corrugated.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kohler-coating

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Kohler Coating