Silcos

What Silcos does

Silcos GmbH is a privately held, owner-managed German surface-finishing specialist founded in 2001 and headquartered in Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg. The company applies advanced coatings — primarily Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) via Magnetron Sputtering, painting, printing, lacquering, and laser marking — to plastics, silicones, elastomers, and (more recently) metallic substrates for decorative and functional applications. Its core technology stack includes the siloptics® PVD brand (chromium(VI)-free since 2006), a patented pre-treatment process for silicone coating (described in company materials as the only one of its kind in Europe), the silmade® functional coating family (Low Friction, Hard Coat, NCVM), siloptics® Flexilight fiber-optic illumination, splinter-free PVD qualified for airbag deployment, and a proprietary solvent-recycling/CHP system that eliminates VOC emissions while generating on-site energy.

The company's revenue model is built on enterprise B2B project-based contracts spanning feasibility studies, prototyping, toolmaking, and series production of coated components and silicone moulded parts (LSR injection moulding, HTV compression moulding, transfer moulding). Pricing is quote-driven and not publicly disclosed. Silcos serves five vertical segments — Automotive (primary, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Range Rover), Consumer Goods, Life Sciences, White Goods, and Aerospace — through direct sales with technical consultation as a development partner and full-service provider. Manufacturing is conducted at the Reutlingen facility (~120 employees) and a wholly-owned plant in Dongguan, China (~38 employees, established 2018), with sales and distribution partnerships extending across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. The company holds IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001 certifications, reinforcing its position as a Tier-1-qualified automotive supplier.

Name

Silcos

Legal name

Silcos GmbH

Website

https://silcos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Silcos GmbH is a German surface-finishing specialist that applies proprietary PVD coatings, painting, printing, and silicone moulding to plastics and elastomers, serving automotive (Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Range Rover), consumer goods, life sciences, white goods, and aerospace OEMs via direct enterprise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Reutlingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Finishing Services: Comprehensive surface finishing of silicone, plastic, and metal components including PVD coating, painting, printing, and lacquering. Services span from feasibility studies and prototyping through to series production with quality assurance.
2. Silicone Moulded Parts Manufacturing: Development and manufacture of individual silicone moulded parts using LSR injection moulding, HTV compression moulding, and transfer moulding processes. From prototype to series production.
3. Consulting and Development Services: Technical consulting including feasibility studies, product development, simulation and analysis (mould flow analyses, light calculations, light simulation, statistical test planning), and design and toolmaking services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Silcos manufactures and supplies surface-finished plastic, silicone, and metal components using proprietary Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating technology (siloptics®), in-house silicone moulded parts production, and functional coating systems (silmade®). The company acts as a complete solution provider covering the entire value chain from feasibility studies and prototyping through toolmaking, injection moulding, and series production of coated decorative and functional components for automotive, consumer goods, life sciences, white goods, and aerospace customers.

Product overview

Silcos is a surface finishing specialist offering a comprehensive portfolio of technologies for plastics, silicone, and metal surfaces. The core offerings include the siloptics® brand of PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) technologies for metallic coatings (chrome, black chrome, satin chrome variants), the siloptics® Flexilight flexible fiber optic lighting technology, and silmade® coating products (Hard Coat, Low Friction, NCVM). These are complemented by custom silicone moulded parts manufactured via LSR injection moulding, HTV compression moulding, and transfer moulding. Supporting processes include digital printing, laser marking, UV coating, and selective/partial coating technologies. The company provides complete solutions from prototype development through series production, serving automotive, consumer goods, life sciences, white goods, and aerospace industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• siloptics® PVD coatings Physical Vapour Deposition technology using Magnetron Sputtering that applies wafer-thin metal layers to plastics, elastomers, and flexible materials, providing metallic finishes (chrome, black chrome, satin chrome) with functional properties including chemical resistance, UV resistance, variable electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic transparency. Chrom(VI)-free since 2006.
• siloptics® Flexilight Flexible, wide-area fiber optics technology with homogeneous illumination using highly transparent integrated silicone. Break-resistant, easy-to-clean, lightfast, and impermeable to water, developed for vehicle interiors and applications requiring flexible light guides with minimal installation depth.
• Silicone moulded parts Custom silicone moulded parts manufactured using LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber) injection moulding, HTV (High Temperature Vulcanisation) compression moulding, and transfer moulding processes, serving automotive and consumer goods industries with over 20 years of manufacturing experience.
• silmade® Low Friction coating Polyurethane-based coating that reduces the coefficient of friction of silicone by up to 70% while remaining highly flexible, certified to EN ISO 10993-5 and DIN ISO 10993-10 for biocompatibility, temperature-stable up to 110°C, abrasion-resistant, and chemically resistant.
• silmade® Hard Coat Highly abrasion and scratch-resistant UV protective coating system for transparent components, providing temperature resistance from -40°C to +90°C, chemical resistance, and UV resistance.
• silmade® NCVM Non-Conductive Vacuum Metallisation PVD coating technology providing electromagnetic transparency and radar transparency for electronic components requiring unobstructed signal transmission.
• Splinter-free PVD coatings Chromium(VI)-free real metal PVD nanocoating for airbag components that does not splinter or create sharp edges when airbags deploy. Qualified for safety-relevant automotive components with temperature range from -40°C to +105°C, tested to TL226/DBL7384/GS97xxx standards.
• Glass optics with 3D depth effect Technology combining injection moulding, different printing and laser processes, and metallisation with siloptics® PVD on the back of transparent components to achieve realistic 3D depth effect in polycarbonate, silicone, or Plexiglas with high abrasion and scratch resistance.
• Surface finishing services Comprehensive surface finishing of silicone, plastic, and metal components including PVD coating, painting, printing, and lacquering. Services span from feasibility studies and prototyping through to series production with quality assurance for B2B industrial customers.
• Consulting and development services Technical consulting including feasibility studies, product development, simulation and analysis (mould flow analyses, light calculations, light simulation, statistical test planning), and design and toolmaking services supporting customers from concept through series production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 70% reduction in coefficient of friction with silmade® Low Friction coating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ta Yang Silicone RubbercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Foundation of SiTY joint venture with Ta Yang Silicone Rubber in 2001, combining Silcos expertise in painting and coating with Ta Yang's silicone rubber manufacturing capabilities. This partnership enabled Silcos to establish initial production of silicone keypads for automotive and consumer goods industries.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shin-Etsu Chemical: Shin-Etsu Chemical is one of the world's largest silicone material producers, supplying LSR, HTV, and specialty silicone compounds globally. As a broad incumbent, it overlaps with Silcos in silicone raw materials and competes indirectly in moulded silicone parts through downstream processors.
• Trelleborg Sealing Solutions: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is a large diversified manufacturer of precision silicone and polymer components for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. It is a broad incumbent in silicone moulded parts and overlaps with Silcos in aerospace seals and high-performance silicone components.
• Atotech (MKS Instruments): Atotech, now part of MKS Instruments, is a global supplier of specialty chemicals and equipment for surface finishing, including decorative and functional plating. As a much larger broad incumbent, it overlaps with Silcos in surface treatment chemistries and decorative coatings for automotive and industrial applications.
• Momentive Performance Materials: Momentive Performance Materials is a major global supplier of silicones and specialty materials for automotive, healthcare, and consumer applications. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Silcos in the silicone materials value chain, particularly for medical and life-sciences silicone applications.

Direct peers

• Leonhard Kurz: Leonhard Kurz is a leading German specialist in decorative surface finishing, hot stamping, and coating technologies for automotive interiors, consumer electronics, and packaging. Kurz competes with Silcos in automotive interior decorative trim and emblems, and offers overlapping capabilities in metallisation and functional surface coatings.
• Simtec Silicone Parts: Simtec Silicone Parts is a US-based custom manufacturer of LSR injection moulded silicone components serving medical, automotive, and consumer markets. It is a direct peer in custom silicone moulded parts manufacturing, the same core moulding capability that Silcos operates through its SiTY joint venture.
• Polytec PT (Polytec Group): Polytec PT is a German specialist in surface coatings and finishing for automotive and industrial applications, with strong overlap in decorative and functional coatings on plastics. The company is comparable to Silcos as a Mittelstand competitor serving European automotive OEMs with surface treatment services.
• Oerlikon Balzers: Oerlikon Balzers is a global leader in PVD and other thin-film coatings serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial markets. It competes most directly with siloptics® PVD technology on decorative and functional coatings for plastics and metals, and similarly serves Tier-1 automotive suppliers and OEMs.
• Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. Mankiewicz is a Hamburg-based coatings manufacturer serving aviation, automotive, and industrial customers with high-performance paint and coating systems. The company overlaps with Silcos in automotive and aerospace interior coatings, particularly for cockpit components and decorative trim.

Others

• Dürr AG: Dürr AG is a global supplier of surface finishing equipment, including painting and coating lines for automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers. While not a direct competitor, Dürr is comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player providing the application equipment that complements Silcos' coating chemistries and PVD processes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silcos-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Silcos