ICA

What ICA does

ICA SpA (operating as ICA Group) is an Italian industrial coatings manufacturer founded in 1971, headquartered in the Marche region with a registered office in the Milan area and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Sherwin-Williams Company, subject to its direction and coordination. The company designs, formulates, and sells coatings for wood and glass substrates, serving B2B industrial customers across five primary segments: furniture and furnishings manufacturers (the principal segment), architectural and construction, marine interiors, musical instruments, and flat/container glass processors. Its product portfolio spans water-based coatings for interior and exterior use, BIO water-based coatings, UV-curable coatings and specialized UV LED lamp coatings, polyurethane/acrylic systems, polyester coatings, stains, fire-retardant systems under the Iridea and Prometea sub-brands, the Arborea, Parkea, S-MATT, Special Effects, and Urban Matter ranges, and the Vidrea glass paint line.

The technical backbone is a 66-technician R&D team at the ICA Lab, complemented by a Performance Lab that conducts over 3,000 sample tests and 5,000 individual tests annually across interior furnishing, window fixtures, flooring, and glass sectors, plus a tintometric color-matching system that supports customized formulations. Customer experience and training are delivered through the ICA Innovation Camp (combining ICA Lab, LifeLab, Performance Lab, and ICA Academy, which is accredited by the Marche Region), and design inspiration is pushed via Moodboards and named color collections such as Balance Colours Collection Rainforest, Lucente, and Granitico.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B direct sales of industrial coatings to manufacturers, with quote-based pricing tied to volume, formulation, and application requirements and multi-year contract cadences. Distribution is operated through a direct sales network with local sales operations in Italy, China, Germany, Poland, France, Spain, and India, complemented by a consumer-facing ecommerce storefront (icaforyou.com) for DIY products and iOS/Android mobile applications. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, with active presence at Fuorisalone/Milano Design Week, HOLZ-HANDWERK (Nuremberg), and Paris Packaging Week. The company employs between 501 and 1,000 people and discloses no public financials; the source data contains no funding rounds, acquisitions, leadership changes, or M&A activity for ICA.

Name

ICA

Legal name

ICA SpA with a sole shareholder

Website

https://icanorthamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ICA SpA is an Italian industrial coatings manufacturer founded in 1971 and a wholly-owned Sherwin-Williams subsidiary, formulating water-based, BIO, UV, UV LED, polyurethane, fire-retardant wood coatings and glass paints for furniture, construction, marine, musical instrument, and glass-processing manufacturers across Europe and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architectural & Decorative Coatings (IMAEAGAA), Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)

Keywords

• Industrial wood coatings
• Water-based coatings
• Glass paint formulations
• Fire-retardant coatings
• UV curing coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Civitanova

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wood coatings and finishes: Sale of industrial coatings for wood substrates including water-based coatings, UV coatings, polyurethane coatings, acrylic coatings, polyester coatings, stains, and fire-retardant coatings for furniture, window frames, doors, flooring, and marine interiors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

ICA Group manufactures and sells industrial coatings for wood and glass substrates, including water-based, UV/UV LED, polyurethane, acrylic, polyester, BIO, fire-retardant, and stain formulations, plus glass paints. Products are sold to furniture manufacturers, architectural/construction firms, marine interior builders, musical instrument makers, and glass processors across Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company complements its products with R&D services (ICA Lab), chemical-physical testing (Performance Lab), a creative/technology hub (Life Lab), and accredited training (ICA Academy).

Product overview

ICA is a manufacturer of industrial coatings for wood and glass, operating as a brand under The Sherwin-Williams Company. The product portfolio centers on two main categories: wood coatings (including water-based, UV, polyurethane, acrylic, polyester, BIO, and fire-retardant coatings) and glass paints (for flat and container glass). These are organized under sub-brands including Arborea, BIO Coatings, Iridea, Parkea, Prometea, S-MATT, Special Effects, Urban Matter, and Vidrea Glass Paint. The company complements its product range with R&D and testing services (ICA Lab, Performance Lab), creative design services (Life Lab), training (ICA Academy), and design inspiration tools (Moodboard, Color Selection). The coatings are applied across diverse end-use segments including exterior frames/shutters, houses/facings, decking/garden furniture, kitchens, doors, contract furniture, marine interiors, musical instruments, and wooden flooring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iCO: Brand of wood coating products alongside ICA brand products for furniture, window and door frames, and wooden flooring.
• Arborea
• BIO Coatings
• Iridea
• Parkea
• Prometea
• S-MATT
• Special Effects
• Urban Matter
• Vidrea Glass Paint

Products and services

• Water-based coatings for exteriors Water-based coating formulations designed to protect and decorate exterior wood surfaces such as frames and shutters for industrial manufacturers and construction firms.
• Water-based coatings for interiors Water-based coating formulations for interior wood applications including furniture, doors, and wooden flooring, sold to industrial manufacturers and furniture producers.
• BIO water-based coatings Eco-friendly water-based coatings with high technological content and low environmental impact, targeted at manufacturers seeking sustainable finishing solutions.
• UV coatings Ultra-violet cured coatings providing high durability and fast curing times for wood applications, sold to industrial manufacturers.
• Coatings for UV LED lamps Specialized coatings formulated for curing under UV LED lamp systems, used by industrial wood finishers.
• Polyurethane and acrylic coatings High-performance coating systems combining polyurethane and acrylic technologies for durability and aesthetic finish on wood substrates.
• Polyester coatings Polyester-based coating formulations for wood finishing applications, sold to industrial manufacturers.
• Stains Wood staining products for color development and enhancement of wood grain appearance, used by industrial wood finishers.
• Fire-retardant coatings (Iridea/Prometea) Fire-retardant coating systems for wood protection under the Iridea and Prometea brands, used by manufacturers requiring fire safety certification.
• Tintometric system Color matching and tinting system for precise customization of wood and glass coating colors for industrial customers.
• Vidrea Glass Paint Revolutionary water-based paint formulations for flat and container glass painting applications, offering unlimited color and effect palette with wide customization options for glass manufacturers and processors.
• Arborea Product range brand under the ICA coatings portfolio for wood coatings, sold to industrial manufacturers.
• Parkea Product range brand in the ICA portfolio for wood coatings, sold to industrial manufacturers.
• S-MATT Specialized matte finish product range under the ICA portfolio, sold to industrial wood and furniture finishers.
• Special Effects Decorative coating effects and specialty finishes for differentiated aesthetics in industrial wood finishing applications.
• Urban Matter Contemporary coating solutions for urban architectural applications under the ICA portfolio.
• ICA Lab Research and Development laboratory staffed by 66 technicians specialized in coatings, pigments, stains, impregnating agents and quality control, offering R&D services to industrial customers and partners.
• Performance Lab Chemical-physical testing laboratory performing over 3,000 sample tests and 5,000 tests annually across interior furnishing, window fixtures, flooring and glass sectors, providing qualified testing services to customers.
• Life Lab Creative and technological hub created for customers, collaborators and design professionals, featuring Discovery and Tech areas for inspiration, materials, colors, effects evaluation, and modern coating systems demonstration.
• ICA Academy Company academy accredited by the Marche Region, also functioning as an e-learning platform for training customers, partners, and internal staff on coating technologies and applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 samples received and 5,000 tests performed every year in Performance Lab
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Sherwin-Williams CompanycoreOthersICA SpA is a brand operating under the management and coordination of The Sherwin-Williams Company, a major global coatings conglomerate, providing ICA with corporate backing and global resources

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AkzoNobel: Global coatings major with a dedicated wood-finishes business (Sikkens, Dulux) serving furniture, flooring, and joinery OEMs across Europe and globally — directly competing with ICA's water-based and specialty wood coatings portfolio.
• Teknos: Nordic industrial coatings specialist with strong positions in wood, joinery, and exterior architectural finishes, directly overlapping ICA's exterior frames, doors, and wooden flooring categories.
• IVM Chemicals: Italian wood coatings group whose Hi-Tech Wood Coatings division serves furniture and flooring OEMs with water-based, UV, and polyurethane systems — a direct home-market competitor to ICA in Italy and Europe.
• ADLER-Werk Lackfabrik: Austrian family-owned manufacturer of wood coatings for furniture, windows, doors, and flooring — directly comparable in customer base, technology stack (water-based and UV), and European geographic focus.
• Hempel: Global coatings supplier with industrial, protective, and marine segments; competes with ICA's marine-interior and industrial wood coatings applications and shares the B2B direct-sales model.
• Renner Wood Coatings: Specialist wood coatings manufacturer serving furniture, flooring, and joinery OEMs globally with water-based, solvent-based, and UV-cured systems — closest pure-play comparable to ICA's wood-coatings business.
• PPG Industries: Major industrial coatings supplier including wood and architectural finishes (e.g., Sayerlack heritage product lines in Europe), competing with ICA across OEM wood and specialty coatings customers.
• KANSAI HELIOS: European industrial coatings group (owned by Kansai Paint) with industrial, decorative, and wood-related product lines — overlaps with ICA in industrial OEM coatings and shares European mid-market customer profiles.
• Sayerlack (PPG): Italian wood-coatings brand now part of PPG, historically a direct rival to ICA in furniture and joinery OEM supply with parallel water-based and UV-cured product lines.

Broad incumbents

• BASF Coatings: Coatings division of BASF covering automotive, industrial, and decorative finishes, including wood — a broad incumbent whose scale and raw-material integration set the competitive floor for specialist wood-coatings players like ICA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ICACoatings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ica-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/icacoatings
• Pinterestit.pinterest.com/icacoatings

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 ICA