Silmaco

What Silmaco does

Silmaco NV is a Belgian specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1987 in Lanaken, Belgium, producing sodium silicates, lithium silicates, sodium metasilicates, sodium disilicates, and sodium trisilicates in liquid, granular, and powder forms. The company operates a single manufacturing site with stated annual capacity of 100,000 tons of sodium silicates, supported by a state-of-the-art granulation plant, an application-oriented R&D laboratory, and a pilot plant. A key input is locally sourced pure silver sand, which the company credits for product purity. Silmaco is family-owned, employs approximately 40 people, and is led by CEO Heidi Machiels.

Silmaco serves industrial B2B customers across roughly 20 end-markets — including detergents, metal surface treatment, mining, pulp and paper, refractories, oil and drilling, ceramics, concrete densifiers, cosmetics, grouting and tunneling, fire protection, water treatment, textile, foundries, cardboard, welding, offset printing, geopolymers, and coatings and paints. Its product portfolio is split between a standard catalog (liquids and granules/powders) and customized mixtures produced in batches ranging from 1,000 to 25,000 liters. Customization extends to SiO2/Na2O ratio, solid content, hydration, and particle size, and packaging is offered in road tankers (10–30 tons), IBCs (1,000L), 200L drums, and 25 kg bags.

The business model is direct B2B specialty chemicals sales with no public pricing, no disclosed distribution intermediaries, and no app or API surface. Commercial reach is direct to customers in 60 countries across five continents, supported by a multilingual website (EN/NL/FR/DE) and a phone-led sales channel. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and operates as a privately held Belgian NV with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or strategic partnerships.

Name

Silmaco

Legal name

Silmaco NV

Website

https://silmaco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silmaco NV is a Belgian family-owned specialty chemicals manufacturer producing customized sodium and lithium silicates in liquid, granular, and powder forms for industrial B2B customers across 60 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Silicate Chemicals Manufacturing

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (327999), Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Silica (Quartz, Fumed, Precipitated) (IMAEAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mineral/Particulate Thickeners (Silicates, Clays, Calcium Carbonate as texturizers) (AFAJAMAJ), Silica, Alumina & Metal Oxide Adsorbents/Desiccants (IMAEAIAG)

Keywords

• Specialty silicate manufacturing
• Sodium silicate production
• Lithium silicate supply
• Customized industrial chemicals
• Silicate granulation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lanaken

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Silicate Products (Liquids, Granules & Powders): Manufactures and sells sodium silicates, lithium silicates, metasilicates, sodium disilicates and sodium trisilicates in liquid and solid forms. Products can be customized regarding SiO2/Na2O ratio, solid content, and particle size. Production capacity of 100,000 T/y of sodium silicates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Silmaco manufactures and sells customized silicate products — sodium silicates, lithium silicates, sodium metasilicates, sodium disilicates and sodium trisilicates — in liquid, granular and powder forms. It serves industrial buyers across detergents, cosmetics, refractories, foundries, ceramics, mining, oil and drilling, water treatment, coatings and other sectors with tailored SiO2/Na2O ratios, solid content and particle sizes.

Product overview

Silmaco is a silicate manufacturing company offering two main product lines: Liquids (sodium silicates, lithium silicates, and customized mixtures) and Granules/Powders (metasilicates, sodium disilicates, and sodium trisilicates). The company produces specialty silicate products including Sodium Metasilicate Anhydrous, Sodium Metasilicate Pentahydrate, Sodium Disilicate, Sodium Trisilicate, and liquid Sodium Silicates. Additionally, Silmaco provides custom mixture formulation services through a dedicated mixing department capable of producing batches from 1,000 to 25,000 liters. The products serve diverse industrial applications including detergents, cosmetics, refractories, foundries, ceramics, water treatment, and more.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sodium Silicates (Liquid) Liquid sodium silicates available in molar ratios of 1.6-2.6, 2.6-3.2 and 3.2-3.5 with concentrations from 25-55%, supplied to industrial buyers for alkalinity, hardness binding and corrosion protection in 200L drums, 1000L IBCs and road tankers of 10-30 tons.
• Sodium Metasilicate Anhydrous Multifunctional anhydrous sodium metasilicate with high active content and purity, offered in grain sizes FA (200-630 micron), FB (630-1250 micron), FC (200-1250 micron) and powder FE (100 micron), used for pH regulation, detergency, corrosion inhibition and dispersing applications.
• Sodium Metasilicate Pentahydrate Multifunctional sodium metasilicate pentahydrate containing 43% water of crystallization with pH-regulating capacity, detergency, corrosion inhibition and dispersing properties, supplied in fine (<1250 micron) and medium (<1600 micron) granular forms.
• Sodium Disilicate Hydrated sodium disilicate fully soluble in water, supplied in fine granular form (200-630 micron) and powder forms (200P0 70 micron, 200P1 100 micron, 200P2 170 micron) for buffering, corrosion inhibition and bleach stabilization.
• Sodium Trisilicate Versatile hydrated sodium trisilicate with silica-to-alkalinity molar ratio of 3.4:1, providing corrosion inhibition, bleach stabilization and binding, available in fine granular (200-630 micron) and powder (340P1 70 micron, 340P2 170 micron) forms.
• Customized Silicate Mixtures Custom silicate-based mixtures formulated in a dedicated mixing department in batches from 1,000 to 25,000 liters, including custom drilling fluids, silicate hardeners for fire protection and grouting, and mixtures for cardboard, concrete treatment, foundries, oil and drilling, paints and coatings, pulp and paper, and welding.
• Lithium Silicates (Liquid) Liquid lithium silicates supplied for industrial applications, including cosmetics and pH-regulated formulations.

Segments20 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF: World's largest chemical company offering silicates and a wide range of complementary products to detergents, coatings, construction, and personal care end markets. Overlaps with Silmaco's customer base but as a broad portfolio supplier rather than a silicate specialist.
• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals company with silica and silicate adjacencies serving coatings, adhesives, and industrial applications. Broad incumbent with overlapping chemistries and customer segments relevant to Silmaco.
• OxyChem (Occidental): Major North American producer of chlor-alkali and silicate chemicals, including sodium silicate for detergents, silica, and water treatment. A broad incumbent competing in silicate segments that overlap with Silmaco's portfolio.
• Solvay: Global chemical giant with silicate and soda-ash product lines serving detergents, paper, and industrial applications. Overlaps with Silmaco's end markets but offers silicates as part of a much broader chemical portfolio rather than as a specialty focus.

Direct peers

• Tokuyama Corporation: Japanese chemical manufacturer producing sodium silicate and metasilicate for detergents, paper, and industrial applications. Comparable to Silmaco as a vertically integrated silicate specialist serving similar B2B end-use segments.
• CIECH Group: Polish chemical group with sodium silicate production as part of its soda and silicate portfolio. Operates in adjacent European geography and serves overlapping detergent, paper, and construction end markets — directly comparable to Silmaco's product and customer base.
• Wöllner Group: German specialty silicates producer focused on customized sodium and potassium silicate solutions for detergents, foundry, and construction applications. Closely comparable to Silmaco in customization-driven, specialty-grade positioning in the European market.
• PQ Corporation: World's largest producer of sodium and potassium silicates with global manufacturing footprint. Most directly comparable to Silmaco across the full silicate product portfolio (liquids and granules) and serves the same end-use segments (detergents, construction, paper).

Regional players

• Hoben International: UK-based specialty mineral and silicate supplier serving European industrial customers. Comparable in product family (silicates, fumed silica, functional fillers) but operates with a primarily UK-focused regional footprint versus Silmaco's 60-country export reach.

Emerging players

• Silquim / IQE Group: Spanish specialty silicates manufacturer serving detergent, ceramic, and industrial cleaning applications. A smaller, niche-focused European silicate player with comparable specialty positioning to Silmaco.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silmaco-nv/about

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Silmaco