What Berlac Group does

Berlac Group is a privately held Swiss industrial coatings and surface finishing group headquartered in Sissach, Switzerland. Founded in 1928 as a family business, it now operates as an umbrella organization whose portfolio spans seven specialized manufacturing subsidiaries — Berlac AG, Basler Lacke AG, Weckerle-Lacke GmbH, Bomix GmbH, ISL-Chemie GmbH & Co. KG (sold to Sioen Industries in January 2026), Nanolacke Eilenburg GmbH, and HELIO BEIT Pigmentpasten GmbH (acquired June 2023). Manufacturing is concentrated in Switzerland, Germany, and Mexico, with documented sales reach extending to the USA, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the UAE.

The group's offerings cover industrial paints, UV coatings, PU finishes, color and pigment pastes, In-Mould Coating systems, road-marking systems, screen and pad printing inks, and high-heat-resistant coatings rated from 200°C to 600°C. Proprietary platforms include UV nanolacquer systems (Berlac AG), BascoPrime and BascoClear composite coatings for carbon-fiber-reinforced materials, the Silver Shadow chrome-substitute technology, solvent-free 2K cold-plastic marking compounds, and thick-film corrosion and stone-chip systems qualified to 8mm film thickness for rail vehicles. All automotive paint systems carry IATF 16949 certification.

Revenue is generated through direct B2B sales of customized coating formulations, with pricing quote-based on application, process, and customer specifications. The group uses a solution-oriented sales model in which products are co-developed with the customer's engineering and manufacturing teams, supporting enterprises across automotive OEMs and Tier 1/2 suppliers, rail operators (Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB, SBB, and Czech Railways), luxury watch and eyewear brands, ski and snowboard manufacturers, medical device makers, furniture, shoe, construction, and road-marking contractors. Group-wide credentials include ISO 9001 (Basler Lacke since 1997), ISO 14001 (since 2006), IATF 16949, and an EcoVadis Silver Medal (68/100) for ISL-Chemie in 2023; the group operates on 100% renewable energy and has reduced primary energy consumption by 20% since 2016.

Name

Berlac Group

Legal name

Berlac AG

Website

https://berlacgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berlac Group is a privately held Swiss industrial coatings group that develops and manufactures customized surface finishing, surface protection, and plastics coloring solutions through seven specialized subsidiaries for automotive, rail, luxury, and industrial customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)

Keywords

• Industrial coatings
• Surface finishing solutions
• Specialty pigment preparations
• Polyurethane finishing systems
• Automotive paint systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Sissach

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Coatings and Paints: Sale of specialized coatings, paints, and surface finishing products to industrial customers across multiple sectors. Products include automotive paints, industrial coatings, UV coatings, rubber varnishes, printing inks, and marking solutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Berlac Group is an association of seven specialized coating and paint manufacturers headquartered in Sissach, Switzerland, that develops and produces customized industrial coatings, surface finishing solutions, surface protection products, and plastics coloring systems (including industrial paints, UV coatings, PU finishes, pigment preparations, printing inks, rubber lacquers, and marking systems) for B2B customers across automotive, rail, watches, eyewear, sports, medical, construction, and other industrial sectors.

Product overview

Berlac Group is a coatings, paints, and surface finishing company that operates as a holding company comprising seven specialized subsidiaries. The Group offers a unified portfolio of products across surface finishing, surface protection, and plastics coloring. The core product lines include: Printing Inks (screen and pad printing), Rubber Lacquers (for rubber materials), Industrial Coatings (for automotive and rail), Lacquers & Paints (special and effect coatings), Marking Solutions (road and hall markings), Pigment Preparation (PU pastes), and PU Finishing (comprehensive polyurethane processing solutions). The seven subsidiaries - Berlac AG, Basler Lacke AG, Weckerle-Lacke GmbH, Bomix GmbH, Nanolacke Eilenburg GmbH, and HELIO BEIT (acquired 2023) - each specialize in specific coating technologies and industry sectors, enabling the Group to serve diverse markets from watches and jewelry to automotive, rail, construction, and footwear industries. Individual subsidiaries serve distinct markets: Berlac AG handles luxury goods coatings, Basler Lacke AG focuses on road markings, Weckerle-Lacke serves construction/rail, ISL-Chemie (sold 2026) provided pigment preparations, Bomix handles In-Mould Coating and PU auxiliaries, Nanolacke Eilenburg provides nano-coatings, and HELIO BEIT supplies pigment pastes for industrial coatings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Printing Inks
• Rubber Lacquers
• Industrial Coatings
• Lacquers & Paints
• Marking Solutions
• Pigment Preparation
• PU Finishing
• High Heat Resistant Coatings
• Automotive Paint Systems
• Rail Vehicle Coatings
• Road Marking Systems
• Watches & Jewelry Surface Finishing
• UV Coatings for Architecture
• Shoe Industry Coatings
• Sport, Leisure & Lifestyle Coatings
• UV Ink/Inkjet Systems
• Advertising & Packaging Coatings
• Medical Sector Coatings
• CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Elastomers)

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% reduction in primary energy consumption since 2016 through sustainability initiatives
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Sioen IndustriesminorOthers · 15 January 2026Berlac Group has sold ISL-Chemie GmbH to Sioen Industries. This divestiture represents a strategic realignment of the Berlac Group portfolio.
• Nordic Paraski Team GermanyminorOthers · 22 January 2025Official sponsor of Nordic Paraski Team Germany. Social commitment supporting athletes with physical or visual impairments in Nordic winter sports. Provides planning security for athletes' sporting careers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DAW SE (Caparol): German family-owned paints group with architectural, industrial, and construction-industry coatings — comparable Swiss/German family-owned model and breadth overlapping with Berlac's construction-industry coatings.
• RPM International Inc. US-listed specialty coatings conglomerate operating a federation of niche coating brands — a model closely analogous to Berlac's multi-subsidiary structure, with overlapping categories (industrial, automotive, flooring, road markings).
• PPG Industries: Global coatings leader with overlapping automotive OEM, industrial, and specialty product lines; serves as the benchmark large-scale incumbent against which specialty players such as Berlac compete in key accounts.
• AkzoNobel: World's largest paints and coatings company, with significant industrial and specialty coatings operations that overlap with Berlac's automotive, rail, and protective coatings segments.
• Hempel Foundation: Global industrial coatings supplier (marine, protective, container, yacht) overlapping with Berlac's protective industrial coatings and stone-chip/corrosion product lines.
• Axalta Coating Systems: Global coatings company focused primarily on automotive OEM and refinish — directly overlaps with Berlac's automotive OEM interior/exterior coatings and corrosion-protection systems.

Direct peers

• Beckers Group: Independent industrial coatings supplier with strong rail and coil-coating businesses — directly overlaps with Berlac's Weckerle-Lacke rail coatings and industrial corrosion-protection portfolio.
• TIGER Coatings GmbH & Co. KG: Austrian specialty coatings manufacturer of powder coatings and UV/LED systems — comparable in scale and specialization, with similar industrial/customer-engineered go-to-market approach.
• Mankiewicz GmbH & Co. KG: German specialty coatings manufacturer focused on aviation, automotive, and industrial applications — directly comparable in scale, vertical specialization, and the model of developing customer-specific formulations with deep technical service.

Others

• Sika AG: Swiss-headquartered specialty chemicals company with adjacent construction, sealing, and bonding product portfolios that overlap with Berlac's CASE construction-industry and sealant-adjacent coatings offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Berlac Group