What SurTec Group does

SurTec Group is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer that develops, formulates, and supplies chemical specialities for industrial surface finishing. Incorporated as SurTec International GmbH in Bensheim, the company is wholly owned through Freudenberg Chemical Specialities SE & Co. KG, a subsidiary of the family-owned Freudenberg SE group. Its portfolio is organized around five application areas: Industrial Parts Cleaning, Metal Pre-treatment, Functional Coatings, and Functional and Decorative Electroplating. Core chemistries include the SurTec 650 family of tri-chrome aluminium passivations, the SurTec 883 XT trivalent decorative chrome process (marketed as the world's first 100% chromium(VI) replacement with identical color values), the SurTec 717 Zn/Ni functional plating process, the precote® microencapsulated screw-locking range, and PFAS-free Anti-Friction Coatings such as SurTec Coat 2191.

The company operates an integrated manufacturing and distribution model: it runs 22 wholly-owned subsidiaries plus production facilities in Germany, Brazil, the United States, China, Vietnam, and South Africa, supplemented by distribution partners in 20+ additional countries. Sales are conducted directly to industrial OEMs and through channel partners, with quote-based pricing tied to bath chemistry and application requirements. End markets span Automotive, Transportation, Construction, Electronics & Electrical, and Healthcare & Lifestyle. SurTec qualifies certain chemistries to MIL-DTL-81706B (via its March 2026 CHEMEON alliance), holds ISO 9001/14001/45001 certifications, and uses a multi-language digital footprint (EN/DE/FR/IT/PT/ES/ZH/JA plus LinkedIn and WeChat) to support technical customer engagement, augmented by trade-show attendance, a Knowledge Archive, and a registration-gated technical document portal. Management is led by CEO Dr. Karsten Grünke with Karina Sánchez Baca on the Management Board.

SurTec monetizes through the recurring sale of formulated chemical products, with revenue anchored in specified-in position on customer electroplating and pre-treatment lines — a model that creates incumbency via re-qualification cycles and bath economics. Headcount is reported between 400 and 550 employees depending on regional landing page, all within a Freudenberg Group that itself employs approximately 51,000 people globally. No revenue figure is publicly disclosed.

Name

SurTec Group

Legal name

SurTec International GmbH

Website

https://surtec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

SurTec Group is a German specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures, and supplies chemical specialities for industrial surface finishing — covering parts cleaning, metal pre-treatment, functional coatings, and functional and decorative electroplating — serving automotive, transportation, construction, electronics, and healthcare OEMs across 22 subsidiary countries and 20+ distributor markets as part of the Freudenberg Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals for Surface Treatment

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Surface Active Agent Manufacturing (325613)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM), Industrial Protective Coatings (IMAEAHAB)

Keywords

• Surface treatment chemicals
• Industrial parts cleaning
• Metal pre-treatment
• Functional electroplating
• Decorative electroplating

Headquarters

HQ city

Bensheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Specialities Sales: SurTec develops, manufactures and supplies chemical specialities for surface finishing. Revenue is generated through the sale of formulated chemical products for industrial parts cleaning, metal pre-treatment, electroplating, and functional coatings applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SurTec Group develops, manufactures and supplies chemical specialities for industrial surface finishing. The company offers in-house formulated chemicals organized around five core application areas: Industrial Parts Cleaning, Metal Pre-treatment, Functional Coatings, Functional Electroplating, and Decorative Electroplating. Its portfolio includes trivalent chromium chemistries (notably SurTec 883 XT, the world's first 100% hexavalent chrome replacement), precote® microencapsulated screw locking coatings, anti-friction coatings, Zn/Ni functional electroplating processes, and aqueous cleaning solutions used across automotive, transportation, construction, electronics, and healthcare/lifestyle industries.

Product overview

SurTec Group develops, manufactures and supplies chemical specialities for surface finishing. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized around five core application areas: Industrial Parts Cleaning, Metal Pre-treatment, Functional Coatings, and both Functional and Decorative Electroplating. Key products include the SurTec 650 series of tri-chrome passivations for aluminum, SurTec 883 XT as the world's first 100% Cr(VI) replacement for decorative chromium with identical color values, the precote® brand of microencapsulated screw locking coatings, SurTec 717 Zn/Ni functional electroplating process, and various cleaning solutions (SurTec 042, 132, 199 P) for industrial parts cleaning applications. The portfolio also includes Anti-Friction Coatings such as SurTec Coat 2191, and a full range of decorative chromium processes (SurTec 881, 882, 885, 886, 887) for different color requirements. SurTec serves Automotive, Transportation, Construction, Electronics & Electrical, and Healthcare & Lifestyle industries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• precote: Microencapsulated screw locking and sealing coatings for fasteners
• SurTec Coat
• RainTec

Products and services

• SurTec 883 XT Trivalent Decorative Chromium Process Trivalent decorative chromium process for industrial surface finishing, providing corrosion- and appearance-critical decorative chrome layers that achieve identical color values to hexavalent chrome; used by automotive and industrial finishing operations seeking regulatory compliance.
• SurTec 650 Tri-chrome Passivation for Aluminum Market-leading trivalent chromium(III) passivation for aluminum and aluminum alloys, providing chromium(III)-based corrosion protection for clear finishes or as a base before painting; used in aluminum component manufacturing.
• precote® Microencapsulated Screw Locking Coatings World's leading high-strength microencapsulated screw locking and sealing coating products for threaded fasteners, enabling controlled locking, sealing, clamping, assembly and disassembly; used in series production across automotive and industrial assembly.
• SurTec Coat 2191 PFAS-free Anti-Friction Coating PFAS-free water-based single-component silicone hybrid Anti-Friction Coating for elastomer surfaces, providing a transparent and colorable finish with UV-indicator for quality inspection; reduces friction, wear and corrosion on elastomer components.
• SurTec 717 Zn/Ni Functional Electroplating Process Extremely stable zinc-nickel electroplating process with exceptionally high deposition rate, operable conventionally or with MCA membrane anodes; used for functional corrosion-resistant coatings on industrial components.
• SurTec 199 P High-Performance Phosphate Removal High-performance phosphate removal solution for industrial parts cleaning with significantly increased bath lifetime versus standard caustic dephosphating and easy wastewater treatment due to absence of hard complexing agents.
• SurTec 042 High-Performance Ferrous Cleaner High-performance salt-free cleaner for ferrous material suitable for all spray and immersion cleaning applications with temporary corrosion protection, approved for thermo diffusion processes.
• SurTec 132 Mild Alkaline Builder for Aluminum Mild alkaline borate-free builder for machining, hydroforming and deep drawing of aluminum, activating aluminum surfaces during processing.
• SurTec 537 Multi-metal Temporary Corrosion Protection Multi-metal temporary corrosion protection solution for industrial applications to protect metal parts during storage and transport between manufacturing steps.
• SurTec 688 Low Temperature Chromiting Process Low-temperature chromiting process for industrial surface treatment, enabling energy-efficient chromate conversion coating.
• SurTec 881 Chromium(VI)-free Decorative Bright Chromium Chromium(VI)-free decorative bright chromium finish providing highest corrosion protection and light white colors (L=80.0–84.0) for decorative applications.
• SurTec 882 Chromium(VI)-free Decorative Bright Chromium (Dark Colors) Chromium(VI)-free decorative bright chromium for dark colors (L=65.0–70.0, a=0.0–0.4, b=2.5–3.0).
• SurTec 885 Trivalent Chromium Dark Finish Trivalent chromium finish providing a very uniform and attractive dark color with high plating efficiency of 0.3–0.7 µm in 4 minutes.
• SurTec 886 Chromium(VI)-free Decorative Bright Chromium (Bluish-Black)

Quantifiable outcome

• Identical colour values as chromium(VI) surfaces with SurTec 883 XT (L=83-85, a=-0.5 to -0.8, b=-0.5 to -1.5)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CHEMEON Surface TechnologyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Strategic alliance to expand market access for high-performance and sustainable surface treatment solutions worldwide. Key elements include integration of SurTec's U.S. operations with CHEMEON's Center of Technical Excellence in Nevada (satellite hub for sales and advanced training), cross-training of sales and technical teams, and joint R&D, analytical testing, and coordinated marketing initiatives. Partnership expands availability of MIL-DTL 81706B qualified (QPL) chemistries and trivalent chemistries as global regulations phase out hexavalent chrome.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Uyemura International: Uyemura is a Japan-headquartered supplier of precious and base-metal plating chemistries serving PCB, semiconductor, and decorative finishing markets, comparable to SurTec's electroplating and electronics cleaning offerings but with Asia-centric distribution.
• Okuno Chemical Industries: Okuno Chemical is a Japan-based specialty chemical manufacturer offering plating and surface-treatment chemistries for automotive, electronics, and decorative applications, comparable to SurTec's portfolio but with primary geographic focus on Japan and Asia-Pacific customers.

Direct peers

• Atotech (MKS Instruments): Atotech is a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and equipment for surface finishing, including electroless and electrolytic plating chemistries, directly competing with SurTec's Zn/Ni functional electroplating and decorative chromium portfolios across automotive and electronics customers.
• MacDermid Enthone Electronics Solutions (Element Solutions): MacDermid Enthone provides specialty plating and surface-finishing chemistries for electronics, automotive, and industrial applications, overlapping directly with SurTec's decorative electroplating, functional coatings, and metal pre-treatment product lines.
• Chemetall (BASF Coatings): Chemetall, a BASF business unit, develops surface treatment chemicals for metal pre-treatment, cleaning, and corrosion protection, making it a direct competitor to SurTec's industrial parts cleaning, metal pre-treatment, and functional coating offerings globally.
• Coventya: Coventya is a global specialty chemical supplier focused exclusively on metal finishing — including decorative and functional electroplating, pre-treatment, and anti-friction coatings — with a customer base and product portfolio that closely mirror SurTec's five application areas.

Broad incumbents

• Henkel (Bonderite Surface Treatment): Henkel operates the Bonderite brand of surface treatment and coating chemicals for metal pre-treatment, cleaning, and lubrication, serving overlapping automotive and industrial customers as part of a much broader adhesives and consumer goods portfolio.
• PPG Industries: PPG is a global coatings and specialty materials incumbent whose industrial coatings, pretreatment, and surface-finishing products overlap with SurTec's decorative and functional coating lines, though PPG operates across architectural, aerospace, and protective coatings as well.
• DuPont Electronics & Industrial: DuPont supplies specialty materials and surface-treatment chemistries for electronics, automotive, and industrial customers, competing with SurTec in functional coatings and high-purity cleaning segments while operating a much larger diversified portfolio.

Emerging players

• Aalberts Surface Technologies: Aalberts Surface Technologies applies heat treatment, coatings, and surface-finishing services to metal components, overlapping with SurTec's customer base in automotive and industrial end-markets, though focused on service-application rather than chemistry supply.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2nioGOLm0gqS5N1QysFzJA?
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surtec-group

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries22 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 SurTec Group