What Arcotec does

Arcotec GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer of physical surface pretreatment systems headquartered in Mönsheim, Germany. Founded in 1985 by Fritz Bloss (whose commercial activities date to 1974), the company designs and builds equipment that activates the surfaces of polymers, metals, ceramics, glass, and paper to enable adhesion of inks, paints, coatings, and adhesives. Arcotec's portfolio spans four proprietary physical pretreatment methods delivered under atmospheric pressure: arcotreat Corona systems (high-frequency electrical discharge), arcospot and arcojet Plasma generators (atmospheric pressure plasma, including free-jet electrodes for 3D parts), arcogas Flame Treatment systems (combustion-based plasma up to 1,800°C), and arcosil Silicatization (silane precursor creating nanometer-scale silicate layers). Arcotec is the only manufacturer offering all four methods from a single source, allowing application-specific recommendations rather than single-technology sales.

The company's revenue model is built on one-time capital equipment sales (pretreatment systems ranging from laboratory units to industrial control cabinets such as FTS and EFT PLC units), complemented by recurring consumables through the Arcotest test inks and test pens line, plus laboratory and after-sales service revenues (in-house physicist/engineering testing, 365-day on-site support, and 24-hour spare parts delivery). Go-to-market is sales-led B2B, executed through a registration-gated webshop, direct consultation, and a network of regional distributors covering the USA (Arcotreat Corp. and Lotar Enterprises in Green Bay, Wisconsin), China (ASTRAL Technology in Xiamen), Turkey (ALMELEK in Istanbul), and Japan (K. Brasch & Co. in Tokyo), with the company claiming more than 25,000 systems installed globally. Customer segments span industrial manufacturers (plastic processors, metal fabricators, glass producers), R&D and quality laboratories, and custom automated production line operators, served across at least 16 countries.

Ownership remains with founders Fritz P. Bloss and Sebastian Bloss (Managing Director), with no disclosed institutional investors, venture capital, or parent entity. The company shows no publicly traded securities, has not disclosed revenue, and reports 11–50 employees, placing it firmly in the small-cap industrial Mittelstand category with a niche specialization in physical (rather than chemical) surface activation technology.

Name

Arcotec

Legal name

arcotec GmbH

Website

https://arcotec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arcotec GmbH is a German manufacturer of physical surface pretreatment systems, offering corona, plasma, flame, and silicatization equipment under atmospheric pressure for industrial manufacturers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Surface Pretreatment Equipment

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Thermal Spray & Metallizing (HVOF/Plasma/Arc) (IMAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Surface pretreatment systems
• Corona treatment equipment
• Atmospheric plasma treatment
• Flame treatment systems
• Industrial adhesion technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Monsheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pretreatment Equipment Sales: Arcotec manufactures and sells a full range of physical surface pretreatment equipment including Corona systems (generators, stations, laboratory units, sheet stations), plasma generators (arcospot, arcojet series), flame treatment systems (FTM manual, FTS and EFT control units, burner types), and silicatization systems. Products are sold directly through the B2B webshop (post-registration) and via direct sales and consultation.
2. Test Inks and Consumables: Sale of Arcotest test inks and test pens for verifying surface tension of treated substrates. Products available through the Arcotest online shop (arcotest.de) after registration. Includes specialized product lines: arcotest ORGANIC (ecological, non-toxic), QUICKTEST 38 and RAPIDTEST 38 for polyolefin analysis, and arcospray 38 for contamination detection.
3. Laboratory and Testing Services: Arcotec operates its own laboratory for surface pretreatment testing. The team of physicists, engineers, and technicians tests customer samples and helps find optimal pretreatment methods. Services include practical testing on advanced equipment, simulation of production parameters under near-real conditions, and prototype development.
4. Technical Services and Spare Parts: After-sales technical support including on-site service worldwide (365 days/year), spare parts supply with 24-hour delivery, telephone support in multiple languages, replacement equipment fleet, remote technical support, and OEM assistance for Arcotec equipment integrated into third-party systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arcotec manufactures physical surface pretreatment equipment under atmospheric pressure, offering four proprietary technology families — arcotreat® Corona, arcospot® and arcojet® atmospheric plasma, arcogas® flame treatment, and arcosil® silicatization — that activate polymers, metals, ceramics, glass, and paper for durable adhesion of inks, paints, coatings, and adhesives. The portfolio also includes FTS/EFT control units, FTM manual flame devices, burner types, Arcotest® surface tension test inks, custom-engineered pretreatment systems, and in-house laboratory testing services.

Product overview

Arcotec offers a comprehensive portfolio of physical surface pretreatment systems under four main brands: arcotreat® Corona (high-frequency electrical discharge), arcospot® and arcojet® Plasma (atmospheric pressure plasma), and arcogas® Flame (flame treatment). The company manufactures all pretreatment methods under atmospheric pressure and provides complementary products including test inks (Arcotest®), silicatization systems (arcosil®), control units (FTS/EFT), and various burner types. The product architecture follows a modular approach where customers can select appropriate pretreatment methods (corona, plasma, flame, or silicatization) based on their specific application requirements, from laboratory testing to large-scale production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• arcogas®: Flame treatment systems for improving the wettability of surfaces
• arcospot®
• arcojet®
• arcotreat®
• arcotest®
• arcosil®

Products and services

• arcotreat® Corona Pretreatment Systems High-frequency corona pretreatment systems for improving surface adhesion of films, papers, and molded parts through electrical discharge activation; includes generators, stations, laboratory units, and sheet stations.
• arcospot® Atmospheric Plasma Generators Atmospheric pressure plasma generators (PGS061P, PGS062P) optimized for inline treatment of preformed parts, profiles, bonding grooves, and folding cartons with treatment speeds up to 200 m/min.
• arcojet® Free-Jet Plasma Generators Free-jet electrode plasma generators (PG051, PG052) for pretreatment of small three-dimensional molded plastic parts, profiles, tubes, and containers at treatment speeds up to approximately 15 m/min.
• arcogas® Flame Treatment Systems Flame treatment systems using specially adjusted burners with combustion-based plasma at temperatures up to 1,800°C to improve wettability of plastics, metals, and glass substrates.
• arcosil® Silicatization Process Silane precursor (arcosil) dosed into the flame to create ultra-thin silicate layers (SiOx, x≈2) of only a few nanometers on treated surfaces, providing optimal long-term adhesion, moisture/corrosion resistance, and improved bonding for metals, glass, and plastics.
• FTM Manual Flame Treatment Unit Portable manual flame treatment device for small series production, laboratory testing, and backup applications with mobile housing, separate pneumatic and electrical sections, 3m tube, piezoelectric igniter, integrated fan with continuously adjustable flame power, and standard 100mm (max 200mm) treatment width.
• FTS and EFT Flame Treatment Control Units Modular PLC-controlled control units for industrial flame treatment: FTS series features continuously adjustable flame power via fan, constant gas/air mixture ratio regardless of power level, and separate electrical and pneumatic housings; EFT series is optimized for robotic applications and web/converting treatment with digital process parameters, touchscreen interface, and automatic data adjustment based on line speed.
• Burner Types (B1, DB, MB3, MB22, UB22, KB, MBT, BR, B1W, B3W) Comprehensive selection of burner types for arcogas flame treatment, each suited for specific applications and substrate geometries, integrated with FTS and EFT control units.
• Arcotest® Test Inks and Test Pens Test inks and pens for verifying surface tension of treated substrates with accuracy of approximately ±1.0 mN/m, including specialized product lines: arcotest ORGANIC (ecological, non-toxic), QUICKTEST 38 and RAPIDTEST 38 for polyolefin analysis, and arcospray 38 for contamination detection.
• Custom Pretreatment Solutions Custom-engineered pretreatment systems, including robotic solutions, conveyor systems, protective enclosures, and special configurations integrated into customer production lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Treatment speeds up to 200 m/min with Arcospot plasma systems
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered regional.

• Arcotreat Corp. USAregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArcotreat Corp. USA is a regional sales representative for Arcotec covering the Midwest USA market from its office in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company handles local sales inquiries, customer support, and distribution of Arcotec/Corona pretreatment products in the region.
• Lotar Enterprises (Tatjana Qadada)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLotar Enterprises, represented by Tatjana Qadada, serves as an additional sales representative for Arcotec products in the USA, operating from Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company provides local customer contact and sales support for the US market.
• ASTRAL TECHNOLOGY (Xiamen) Co., Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorASTRAL TECHNOLOGY is the regional sales representative for Arcotec covering the China market from its office in Xiamen, Fujian Province. The company handles local sales, customer inquiries, and technical support for Arcotec pretreatment equipment in China.
• ALMELEK MATBAA MÜREKKEPLERİ BOYA SAN. VE TİC. AŞregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorALMELEK is the regional sales representative for Arcotec covering the Turkey market from its facility in Tuzla, Istanbul. The company handles local sales, distribution, and customer support for Arcotec pretreatment products in Turkey.
• K. Brasch & Co. Ltd. (Mr. Sugimoto)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK. Brasch & Co. Ltd., represented by Mr. Sugimoto, serves as the regional sales representative for Arcotec covering the Japan market from its office in Tokyo. The company handles local sales and customer support for Arcotec pretreatment equipment in Japan.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Softal Corona & Plasma: Softal (Germany) produces corona treatment systems and generators for industrial surface activation in film, foil, and converting applications, positioning it as a direct German-headquartered competitor to Arcotec's arcotreat product line.
• PlasmaTreat: PlasmaTreat (Germany) is a leading manufacturer of atmospheric plasma systems for surface activation prior to bonding, painting, and printing — directly comparable to Arcotec's arcospot and arcojet plasma generators serving identical industrial customers.
• Vetaphone: Vetaphone (Denmark) is a specialist in corona treatment systems for web and sheet materials, with extensive installed base in label, packaging, and converting industries — a direct rival to Arcotec's arcotreat Corona line in film/sheet pretreatment.
• Enercon Industries: Enercon Industries (US) is one of the largest global suppliers of corona and atmospheric plasma surface treaters, competing head-to-head with Arcotec's arcotreat and arcospot/arcojet product lines for film, sheet, and molded-part pretreatment applications.
• Tantec: Tantec (Denmark) is a direct competitor manufacturing corona, plasma, and flame surface treatment equipment for industrial adhesion applications, targeting the same plastics, automotive, packaging, and medical device customers as Arcotec with overlapping technology platforms.
• 3DT (Tri-Star Technologies / 3DT LLC): 3DT manufactures atmospheric plasma and corona treatment systems for surface activation in medical, electronics, and industrial applications, directly overlapping with Arcotec's plasma and corona offerings to similar B2B customer segments.
• AcXys (Plasma Systems & Solutions): AcXys (France) develops atmospheric plasma and UV systems for industrial surface treatment, including corona and plasma equipment that competes with Arcotec's broader pretreatment portfolio across printing, automotive, and packaging lines.

Emerging players

• Ahlbrandt System GmbH: Ahlbrandt (Germany) supplies corona treatment equipment for narrow web and label applications; smaller and more focused than Arcotec but addresses adjacent corona pretreatment niches with overlapping customers in printing and converting.
• Diener Electronic (PlasmaSurface): Diener Electronic (Germany) builds low-pressure and atmospheric plasma systems for industrial surface cleaning and activation, overlapping with Arcotec's plasma pretreatment applications in electronics, medical, and precision manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• Illinois Tool Works (ITW) — Industrial Pretreatment Equipment: ITW is a large diversified industrial conglomerate whose segments (e.g., Pillarhouse, surface treatment-adjacent units) supply industrial pretreaters and finishing equipment at scale — represents the broad-incumbent threat that could bundle pretreatment into wider factory systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcotec-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Arcotec