Houston Plating & Coatings

What Houston Plating & Coatings does

Houston Plating & Coatings (HP&C) is a privately held, B2B industrial services company founded in 1988 and headquartered in South Houston, Texas, with a secondary facility in Humble, TX. The company provides metal surface treatment and coating services to petroleum equipment manufacturers, aerospace, oil and gas, and general industrial manufacturers, offering a broad portfolio that includes electroless nickel plating, salt bath nitriding (SBN/QPQ), phosphate conversion coatings, spray coatings (Xylan, Epoxy, SermaGard), passivation, and tool refurbishing. Its technical differentiators include some of the largest electroless nickel tanks in the industry, a proprietary Ni-Side process for plating internal surfaces of high-pressure gas cylinders achieving 99.99% coverage (patent applications pending), and approvals from Whitford (Xylan Recommended Coater, 28+ years) and SermaGard (Approved Applicator) along with ISO 9001 certification and NACE Level III inspection staff.

HP&C generates revenue through quote-based, project-specific plating and coating services, with customers engaging via direct phone and email requests (800-946-0172 / [email protected]). The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting regulated industrial buyers, with no e-commerce or self-service ordering. Its customer base spans multiple verticals including oil and gas wellhead/pressure control (Kinetic Pressure Control), industrial gases (Gas Innovations), industrial threaded products (Dan-Loc Group), temperature/pressure instrumentation (Reotemp), and general manufacturing (Kannon Manufacturing), with the petroleum equipment manufacturer segment identified as the core market since founding. The company is also pursuing adjacent opportunities in hydrogen services and aerospace surface treatment, supported by CEO William Howard's thought leadership positioning HP&C as a 'frictionless' one-stop-shop supply chain partner. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company has received a single disclosed investment from Main Street Capital in 2003 and remains founder/management-owned.

Name

Houston Plating & Coatings

Legal name

Houston Plating & Coatings

Website

http://www.houstonplating.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Houston Plating & Coatings is a privately held Texas-based industrial services company, founded in 1988, that provides metal plating and coating services — including electroless nickel, QPQ, phosphate, and spray coatings — to petroleum, aerospace, oil and gas, and general industrial manufacturers, with proprietary cylinder plating technology and NACE-certified quality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

South Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plating and Coating Services: Job-order based metal surface treatment services including electroless nickel plating, QPQ/SBN salt bath nitriding, phosphate coatings, spray coatings (Xylan, Epoxy, SermaGard), passivation, and special applications. Revenue is project-based with pricing quote-driven.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Houston Plating & Coatings provides industrial metal plating and coating services, including electroless nickel plating (including the proprietary Ni-Side process for high-pressure gas cylinders), SBN/QPQ salt bath nitriding, phosphate conversion coatings, spray coatings (Xylan, Epoxy, SermaGard), passivation, and tool refurbishing. Services are delivered as a one-stop-shop for petroleum, oil & gas, aerospace, and general industrial manufacturers.

Product overview

Houston Plating & Coatings (HP&C) is a 'one-stop-shop' providing corrosion and wear protection services for petroleum equipment and industrial manufacturers since 1988. The company operates two facilities in the Houston area (South Houston and Humble, TX) and offers a broad portfolio of plating and coating services including: Electroless Nickel plating (including proprietary Ni-Side process for gas cylinders), SermaGard ceramic-metallic and fluoropolymer coatings (1105 and 1280 products), SBN/QPQ salt bath nitriding, spray coatings (Xylan, Epoxy), phosphate conversion coatings, passivation, and tool refurbishing. HP&C serves aerospace, petroleum, oil and gas, and general industrial markets, with Quality Control Services supporting all operations through NACE-certified inspection staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ni-Side: Proprietary brand for electroless nickel plating process for internal surfaces of high-pressure gas cylinders, achieving 99.99% coverage with uniformly thin plated nickel layer.

Products and services

• Ni-Side Electroless Nickel Cylinder Plating Proprietary electroless nickel plating process for internal surfaces of high-pressure gas cylinders, achieving 99.99% coverage with uniformly thin nickel layer to prevent gas contamination. Can plate multiple cylinders simultaneously for high-volume production.
• SermaGard 1105 Ceramic-Metallic Coating Ceramic-metallic composite coating providing protection against harsh environmental and chemical conditions, withstanding temperatures up to 1200°F and providing thousands of hours of salt spray protection for offshore drilling, chemical, and petrochemical applications.
• SermaGard 1280 Fluorocarbon Topcoat Silver metallic resin-bonded fluorocarbon topcoat for application over SermaGard basecoat or zinc electroplating pretreatment, providing extended corrosion protection in moist and high-salt environments with peak operating temperature up to 450°F.
• Electroless Nickel Plating Services General electroless nickel plating services providing wear and corrosion protection for various industrial components across petroleum, aerospace, and general manufacturing sectors.
• SBN/QPQ Salt Bath Nitriding Salt bath nitriding treatment for enhanced surface hardness and corrosion resistance on metal components.
• Spray Coatings (Xylan, Epoxy) Wide variety of spray coatings including Xylan (fluoropolymer) and Epoxy for wear and corrosion protection. HP&C is a Whitford Recommended Coater for Xylan coatings.
• Passivation Services Passivation services for corrosion resistance on stainless steel and other alloys.
• Low Weight Phosphate Coating Micro-crystalline zinc phosphate coating at 150-500 mg/ft2 weight, applied by immersion for corrosion resistance, lubrication, or as a foundation for subsequent coatings.
• Hydrogen Services Specialized coating and plating services tailored for hydrogen-related applications and components.
• Refurbishing Tools Service Tool refurbishing services to restore and extend the life of industrial tools and components.
• Quality Control Services Comprehensive quality control services including ISO-certified processes and a Level III NACE Certified Coating Inspector on staff, with NACE certified inspectors at both South Houston and Humble facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.99% coverage achieved with Ni-Side electroless nickel cylinder plating process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SermaGardcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 April 2026HP&C became an Approved Applicator of SermaGard products, adding the SermaGard line of sacrificial metallic/ceramic and non-sacrificial barrier coatings to its service offerings. SermaGard coatings are designed for high temperature and corrosion critical applications including offshore drilling, chemical and petrochemical facilities.
• WhitfordcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2016Whitford, makers of the world's largest line of fluoropolymer coatings, has reconfirmed HP&C as member of the 'Whitford Recommended Coater' (WRC) program. HP&C has demonstrated expertise in applying Whitford's Xylan series of products for over 28 years. Must complete Whitford training at worldwide headquarters and pass rigorous audits every two years.
• Gas InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGas Innovations, one of the largest distributors of industrial gases in the country, is a launch partner for the Ni-Side cylinder plating process. President Ashley Madray endorsed the technology as a 'game changer' for the industrial gas market, enabling carbon steel cylinders to be used for gas storage and transport.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houstonplating

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Houston Plating & Coatings