Collini

What Collini does

Collini is a family-owned European industrial surface coating company founded in 1898 in Hohenems, Austria, operating 15 production sites across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Mexico, and China with approximately 1,500-1,650 employees. The company provides nine core coating processes — anodising (Eloxal), precious metal coatings (gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, platinum), hot-dip galvanising, galvanic zinc plating (including zinc-nickel alloys), organic coating (powder and cataphoresis), chrome plating, nickel plating (galvanic and chemical), copper plating, and tin plating — supported by more than 75 fully automated coating systems and 17+ proprietary branded technologies (SkinTech, Triflon, Glatox, Collossal, Niphoplate, Ductalloy, Collinox, Galvatronic, Duor, Tribor, Optargen, Zincomet Plus).

The business model is B2B contract manufacturing sold through dedicated sales managers assigned to seven vertical business units — Automotive, Fittings, Electrical Industry, Building Construction, Consumer Goods, Machine & Plant Construction, and Medical. Revenue is generated via per-unit processing fees for high-volume coating runs and custom development projects managed from prototype through mass production, with quote-based pricing and no public rate cards. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales complemented by an online Surface Technology Configurator that maps customer base material and required properties (corrosion protection, tribology, electrical conductivity, decorative appearance) to recommended processes. Switching costs are reinforced by customer-specific coating recipes and the multi-year qualification cycles required for IATF 16949 (automotive), ISO 13485 (medical), and QUALANOD certifications, which Collini holds at multiple sites.

Collini's strategic positioning rests on three reinforcing pillars: (1) proprietary process IP developed over 127 years and protected as registered trademarks; (2) regulatory and quality certifications that gate customer access in automotive, medical, and construction markets; and (3) multinational scale that allows the company to serve global OEMs across Europe, North America, and Asia. Recent strategic activity — the November 2025 acquisition of G.F. Pulvercolor (powder coating), the August 2025 Schillerallee facility opening, and ongoing apprenticeship intake — indicates continued capability and capacity expansion under the existing family-owned holding structure (Collini Holding AG), with no external investors or parent company involvement.

Name

Collini

Legal name

Collini Holding AG

Website

https://collini.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Collini is a 127-year-old family-owned European surface coating company operating 15 production sites across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Mexico, and China, serving automotive, electrical, medical, construction, and industrial customers with proprietary electrochemistry and certified processes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Surface Coating Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Industrial surface coating
• Metal finishing services
• Corrosion protection
• Anodising services
• Electroplating services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hohenems

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Coating Services: Industrial surface coating services including galvanising, anodising, hot-dip galvanising, and organic coating (powder coating and cataphoresis). Services provided to automotive, electrical, construction, consumer goods, machine/plant construction, and medical industries. Revenue generated from per-unit processing fees and custom project work.
2. Customized Surface Solutions: Development and production of customized coating systems for specific customer requirements. Supporting services including logistics, electronic data exchange, packaging, labeling and transport logistics.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Collini is a family-owned industrial service provider that applies engineered surface coatings to metal and plastic components for industrial customers. Operating 15 production sites across seven countries, the company delivers nine core coating processes — anodising, hot-dip galvanising, galvanic zinc plating, chrome and nickel plating, copper and tin plating, organic coating, and precious metal coatings — to manufacturers in the automotive, electrical, fittings, construction, medical and consumer goods industries.

Product overview

Collini is a European market leader in industrial surface coating technology operating 15 production sites across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Mexico, and China. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of nine core surface coating processes: Anodising (Eloxal) for aluminium and titanium, Precious Metal Coatings (gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, platinum), Hot-dip Galvanising, Galvanic Zinc Plating (including zinc-iron and zinc-nickel alloys), Organic Coating (powder coating and cathodic dip painting), Chrome Plating, Nickel Plating (galvanic and chemical variants), Copper Plating, and Tin Plating. These processes are complemented by proprietary technologies including SkinTech®, Triflon®, Collinox®, Ductalloy®, Galvatronic®, Duor®, Tribor®, Optargen®, Glatox®, and Collossal® for specialized applications. The company also provides an online Surface Technology Configurator to help customers select appropriate processes based on material and requirements. Services extend across Design, Corrosion Protection, Tribology, Electronics, Medical applications, Sustainability, Consulting, Research, and Logistics. Collini serves seven primary industry sectors: Automotive, Fittings/Hardware, Electrical Industry, Building Construction, Consumer Goods, Mechanical & Plant Construction, and Medical Technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anodising (Eloxal) Electrolytic oxidation process that forms a protective and decorative oxide layer on aluminium components, used by automotive, electronics and fittings manufacturers for wear and corrosion resistance.
• Hot-dip Galvanising Dip-coating process that immerses steel and iron components in molten zinc to provide long-term corrosion protection, used principally in construction and infrastructure applications.
• Galvanic Zinc Plating Electrolytic deposition of zinc and zinc-alloy layers (including zinc-nickel and zinc-iron) onto ferrous components, used by automotive, fastener and industrial equipment manufacturers.
• Chrome Plating Decorative and hard-chrome electrolytic coating applied to metal parts for wear resistance, hardness and aesthetic finish, used in automotive, hydraulic and mechanical engineering.
• Nickel Plating Electrolytic deposition of bright, satin or matt nickel layers, as well as electroless nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) coatings, providing corrosion and wear resistance for industrial components.
• Copper Plating Electrolytic deposition of copper layers used as an undercoat for subsequent plating or to provide electrical conductivity and thermal management properties for electrical components.
• Tin Plating Electrolytic tin and tin-alloy coatings applied to connectors, terminals and electronic components for solderability and corrosion protection.
• Precious Metal Coatings Electrolytic deposition of gold, silver and palladium-based coatings used on connectors, contacts and electronic components requiring high conductivity, low contact resistance and corrosion resistance.
• Organic Coating (Powder & CDP) Application of organic powder coatings and cathodic dip painting (CDP) onto metal components, providing decorative finishes and additional corrosion protection for automotive and industrial parts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50 years long-term corrosion protection under normal load with hot-dip galvanising
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature17 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Scientific Development PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollini maintains extensive network of scientific development partners for multidisciplinary research. Collaboration transforms new product ideas into successfully implemented market innovations. Decade-long experience in electrical engineering and electronics combined with scientific partnerships drives innovation.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MKS Instruments (Atotech): MKS Instruments' Atotech division is a global leader in surface-finishing chemistry, plating equipment, and process technology for electronics, automotive, and general metal finishing. Comparable in serving the same functional coating use cases (especially electronics contacts and connectors); however Atotech is primarily a chemistry and equipment supplier rather than a coating service provider.
• Voestalpine (Metal Forming division): Voestalpine's steel processing divisions include surface-treated steel products (galvanised, organically coated strip) for automotive and industrial customers. Comparable in surface coating know-how and automotive customer overlap, though vertically integrated into steelmaking rather than purely a job-shop coater like Collini.
• Aalberts Surface Technologies: Aalberts Surface Technologies is a large European industrial group offering heat treatment and surface finishing (galvanising, anodising, plasma coatings) to automotive, aerospace, and general industrial customers. Directly comparable as a multi-process, multi-site European surface coating service provider; broader in scope and significantly larger than Collini.
• Bodycote: Bodycote is the world's largest thermal processing services group, providing heat treatment and surface technology including hot isostatic pressing and specialist coatings. Comparable as a global, multi-site industrial surface services company serving automotive, aerospace, and energy customers; broader and more heat-treatment focused than Collini.

Regional players

• Dörken MKS (Dörken Coatings): Dörken Coatings is a German manufacturer of anti-corrosion coating systems (zinc flake, powder coatings) primarily for the automotive fastener and small-parts industry. Comparable in zinc-based coating technology serving automotive Tier-1 suppliers; positioned as a coating product manufacturer rather than contract coater, and with a German/European rather than global service footprint.

Emerging players

• C. Uyemura & Co. Uyemura is a Japanese specialist in precious and functional metal coatings (gold, silver, nickel, tin, palladium) for electronics, semiconductors, and automotive connectors. Comparable in precious-metal coating capability and electronics customer base (Collini's Electrical business unit and Optargen®/Galvatronic®/Duor® technologies), though serving primarily Asian markets.

Direct peers

• Walter Surface Technologies: Walter Surface Technologies provides industrial surface treatment solutions (abrasives, finishing, coatings, and related chemistries) with manufacturing and distribution across North America and Europe. Comparable in serving metal-finishing end-users and offering proprietary branded surface treatment products, though more product-led than Collini's service-led model.
• HEF Group: HEF is a French-headquartered specialist in surface engineering, offering tribological, anti-corrosion, and functional coatings with plants across Europe, North America, and Asia. Closely comparable to Collini in technology portfolio (nitriding, PVD/CVD, electrolytic coatings), customer base (automotive, aerospace, industrial), and geographic footprint.
• Surtec International (Freudenberg surface technologies): Surtec, part of the Freudenberg Group, develops and supplies speciality chemicals and processes for electroless and electrolytic surface finishing (zinc, nickel, chrome, conversion coatings). Comparable in technology portfolio and customer base (industrial coaters and OEMs), but positioned as a chemistry/IP supplier rather than a coating service provider like Collini.
• IHK Antriebstechnik / Heiche Surface Group: Heiche Group is a German family-owned surface treatment specialist operating multiple plants in Europe, offering galvanising, powder coating, and anodising for automotive and industrial customers. Highly comparable to Collini in family-ownership profile, multi-site German/European footprint, technology breadth, and automotive-industry exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries11 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 Collini