What Surface Technology does

Surface Technology is a UK-headquartered specialist provider of advanced surface treatments and metal finishing services for industrial components, tracing its origins to Norman Hay plc (founded 1946 as a decorative electroplating business). Since October 2019 the company has operated as a private subsidiary of Quaker Houghton (NYSE: KWR), a publicly traded global specialty chemicals company, following Quaker Houghton's £80 million acquisition of Norman Hay's operating divisions. The company is headquartered in Coventry, England, and operates from additional UK facilities in Aberdeen, East Kilbride, and Leeds, plus Perth, Western Australia, serving industrial manufacturers and OEMs. Norman Hay plc employed approximately 400 people across its facilities at the time of acquisition.

The company's technical capabilities are organised around four core service pillars: surface coatings (Armourcote® fluoropolymer PTFE, sol-gel ceramic, anti-corrosion paints, dry film lubricants, powder coating), thermal spray coatings (HVOF, plasma, flame, wire arc, and thermal spray aluminium), plating services (silver, copper, electroless nickel, electroless nickel PTFE, and the proprietary SIFCO Process® on-site selective plating), and casting impregnation (Ultraseal/Rexeal resins for sealing porosity in metal castings). Supporting offerings include shot blasting, conversion coating, zinc and manganese phosphating, pressure testing, repair and refurbishment, plus a managed services layer (project management, operational management, audit, improvement services). Proprietary brands such as SIFCO Process® and Armourcote® are registered trademarks, and the company holds AS9100, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007, and Global Automotive Supplier Standard certifications.

Revenue is generated on a project-based, quote-driven professional services model, with pricing dependent on component type, complexity, and volume, and contracts structured around multi-year supply arrangements. Primary customer verticals are oil & gas (subsea risers, offshore corrosion protection), aerospace (AS9100-certified coatings), and automotive (engine components, F1, Brompton bicycles), with secondary exposure to defence, medical, food & beverage, power generation, petrochemical, precision engineering, pump manufacturing, remanufacturing, and renewable energy/fuel cell segments. Named enterprise customers include TechnipFMC, OneSubsea, and Brompton.

Name

Surface Technology

Legal name

Surface Technology (Leeds) Limited

Website

https://surfacetechnology.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Surface Technology provides surface coatings, plating, thermal spray, and casting impregnation services for industrial manufacturers. Owned by Quaker Houghton since 2019, it serves oil & gas, aerospace, automotive, and other industrial verticals from UK and Australia facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal Finishing and Surface Treatment Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Equipment & Coating Services (Contract Coating, Surface Prep) (IMAEAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aircraft Painting & Surface Treatment (IMABALAI), Industrial & Commercial Painting/Coatings/Surface Treatment (IMAIAAAK)

Keywords

• Industrial surface coatings
• Thermal spray services
• Metal plating services
• Casting impregnation
• Anti-corrosion treatments

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Treatment Services: Providing specialized coating, plating, thermal spray, and metal finishing services to industrial customers. Services are applied to customer components with pricing based on service type, complexity, and volume. The company processes components from ball bearings to subsea risers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Surface Technology is a specialist industrial service provider that applies high-performance surface coatings, plating, and thermal spray treatments to customer-supplied components. The company processes parts ranging from small ball bearings to large subsea risers across UK and Australian facilities, delivering wear resistance, corrosion protection, non-stick, and component refurbishment solutions to manufacturers and OEMs in oil & gas, aerospace, automotive, defence, and other industrial sectors.

Product overview

Surface Technology is a specialist provider of advanced surface treatments and metal finishing services, offering a comprehensive portfolio of coating and plating solutions. The company operates as a services provider rather than a software product company. The core offerings are organized into Surface Coatings (including Fluoropolymer PTFE, Sol-Gel ceramic, Anti-Corrosion Paint, Armourcote®, Dry Film Lubricant, Conformal Coating, and Powder Coating), Thermal Spray services (HVOF, Plasma, Flame Spraying, Wire Arc, and Thermal Spray Aluminium), Plating services (Silver, Copper, Electroless Nickel, Electroless Nickel PTFE, and the proprietary SIFCO Process®), and Casting Impregnation (Rexeal 100, Ultraseal PC504/66). Supporting services include Shot Blasting, Conversion Coating, Zinc/Manganese Phosphating, Pressure Testing, and Repair & Refurbishment. Additional managed services cover Project Management, Operational Management, Improvement Services, and Audit Services. The company also distributes Resimac coating products for metal repair and chemical resistant applications. Services are delivered from UK facilities in Coventry (head office), Aberdeen, East Kilbride, and Leeds, with operations in Perth, Western Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surface Coating Services (Fluoropolymer PTFE, Sol-Gel Ceramic, Anti-Corrosion Paint, Armourcote, Dry Film Lubricant, Conformal Coating, Powder Coating) Application of specialized surface coatings including fluoropolymer PTFE, sol-gel ceramic, anti-corrosion paint, Armourcote® reinforced PTFE, dry film lubricant, thermally conductive conformal, and powder coatings for industrial manufacturers requiring non-stick, corrosion protection, low friction, and release properties.
• Thermal Spray Coating Services (HVOF, Plasma, Flame, Wire Arc, Thermal Spray Aluminium) Comprehensive range of thermal spray coating services including High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF), plasma spray, flame spray, wire arc, and thermal spray aluminium (TSA) coatings to protect industrial components against wear and corrosion, increase component life, and reduce cost of ownership.
• Plating Services (Silver, Copper, Electroless Nickel, Electroless Nickel PTFE, SIFCO Process Selective Plating) Electroplating and electroless plating services including silver plating (conductivity, corrosion resistance), copper plating (conductivity, undercoating), electroless nickel plating (uniform wear and corrosion resistance in medium and high phosphorous variants), electroless nickel PTFE composite coating, and the proprietary SIFCO Process® for on-site selective plating without tank immersion.
• Casting Impregnation Services (Rexeal 100, Ultraseal PC504/66) Resin impregnation services that seal porosity in metal castings using Rexeal 100 and Ultraseal PC504/66 chemistries, eliminating leak paths and improving pressure-tightness of cast components for manufacturers across automotive, pumps, and industrial sectors.
• Ancillary Services (Shot Blasting, Conversion Coating, Zinc Phosphating, Manganese Phosphate, Pressure Testing, Repair and Refurbishment) Supporting services for coating and plating operations including shot blasting for surface preparation, chemical conversion coatings, zinc and manganese phosphating for corrosion resistance and lubrication, hydrostatic/pneumatic pressure testing, and oil & gas equipment repair and refurbishment.
• Resimac Coating and Metal Repair Services Approved distribution and application of Resimac solvent-free epoxy, polyurethane, and silicon coatings and repair materials, including 100 Series (metal repair), 200 Series (wear protection), 400 Series (rubber repair), and 500 Series (chemical resistant coatings) for industrial maintenance and repair applications.
• Managed Services (Project Management, Operational Management, Improvement Services, Audit Services, Partnerships) Managed service offerings providing project management, on-site operational management of surface treatment processes, process improvement and optimization, quality and compliance audit services, and strategic partnership arrangements for long-term collaborative engagements with industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Medium phosphorous electroless nickel plating materials can be post heat treated to maximum 1,100Hv hardness

Named customers4 records

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Norman Hay plccoreOthersNorman Hay plc was established in 1946 as a decorative electroplating business and evolved into a global specialty chemicals, sealant, surface coatings and engineering group. Headquartered in Coventry, England with approximately 400 employees and facilities across Europe and the United States. Operating divisions acquired by Quaker Houghton in October 2019.
• SIFCO ASCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIFCO ASC is a sister company within the Norman Hay plc group, providing selective plating solutions. Part of the broader surface engineering offering alongside Surface Technology.
• Ultraseal InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUltraseal International is a sister company within Norman Hay plc, specializing in impregnation solutions for porosity in metal castings. Part of the integrated surface treatment group.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• RotoMetrics / Praxair ST Aerospace: Specialized providers of MRO and surface treatment for aerospace components. Comparable as focused aerospace surface treatment peers, though scale and geographic breadth differ from Surface Technology's UK-centric footprint.

Direct peers

• Bodycote plc: The largest pure-play thermal processing and surface treatment services provider globally, offering heat treatment, hot isostatic pressing, and surface coatings including HVOF and plasma spray. Directly comparable as a UK-headquartered, multi-site contract metal finishing specialist serving aerospace, automotive, and Oil & Gas OEMs.
• Keronite International: UK-based developer and licensor of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) ceramic surface coatings for light alloys. Comparable as a UK-headquartered specialist in advanced surface treatment technologies serving aerospace and automotive.
• Wallwork Group: UK-based provider of heat treatment, vacuum brazing, and surface coating services (including PVD, nitriding, and thermal spray) to aerospace, motorsport, and Oil & Gas customers. Directly comparable as a UK-headquartered contract applicator with similar customer verticals.
• Nasmyth Group: UK-based precision engineering and surface treatment group offering Nadcap-approved coatings, plating, and anodizing primarily to aerospace customers. Directly comparable as a UK specialist with overlapping aerospace approvals and surface treatment service portfolio.
• Poeton Industries: Gloucester-based specialist applicator of advanced surface coatings including PTFE, electroless nickel, hard chromium, and thermal spray for aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers. Directly comparable as a UK contract coating specialist with overlapping process technologies.

Broad incumbents

• Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies: Division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation offering thermal spray, shot peening, and engineered coatings globally with strong aerospace and defense penetration. Comparable as a larger incumbent in the same surface treatment service category.
• Aalberts Surface Technologies: European division of Aalberts N.V. providing thermal processing, surface treatment, and coating services across automotive, aerospace, and general industrial markets. Comparable as a larger multi-region contract coating incumbent with overlapping process capabilities.
• Praxair Surface Technologies (Linde): Part of Linde plc's surface technologies business, providing thermal spray coatings, cold spray, and wear-resistant coatings to aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and Oil & Gas customers globally. Comparable as a large incumbent in the same thermal spray service category.
• Oerlikon Balzers: Swiss-based global provider of PVD, PACVD, and diamond-like carbon coatings serving automotive, aerospace, tooling, and precision components markets. Comparable as a broad coating service incumbent with overlapping process technologies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/surfacetechnlgy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCP9oj1nJg2bW2wIF96_v7g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surface-technology

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Surface Technology