AquaTec Coatings

What AquaTec Coatings does

AquaTec Coatings Limited is a UK-based, privately held manufacturer of water-based, solvent-free paints and industrial coatings, founded in February 1999 and headquartered at the Wrexham Industrial Estate. The company self-describes as the UK's market leader in water-based coatings technology and operates a single production site in Wrexham, serving industrial and commercial buyers across agricultural and construction equipment, commercial refurbishment, decorative wood and joinery, structural steelwork, transport vehicles, modular and portable buildings, recycling and waste management equipment, and graffiti removal applications. The product portfolio is organised under multiple proprietary brand families, including ShieldTec (anti-corrosive, line marking, spatter, joinery topcoats), PrimeTec and BaseTec (primers and stains), FloorTec (epoxy floor systems), TimberTex (shed, fence and pet home protection), ArmourTec (interior emulsion) and RustTec (rust converters).

The company's core technology is water-based, low-VOC, solvent-free coating chemistry that can be applied by brush, roller, dip or spray. A purpose-built on-site R&D laboratory installed in 2015 supports custom formulation, allowing AquaTec to tailor products to customer specifications across performance, colour and substrate. Compliance positions include ISO 9001:2015, CHAS, Constructionline, Carbon Zero status (via offsetting partner co2balance.com), and product-specific qualifications such as LUL 1-085 compliance and Class 1 fire rating for ShieldTec PA-100.

AquaTec operates a B2B, direct enterprise sales model with no disclosed public pricing; quotes are obtained via an in-house sales team and Regional Account Managers who provide technical support and on-site training. Products are distributed domestically from the Wrexham facility, with limited international reach through the US launch of the RustTec product line. The ownership structure remains concentrated among directors Anthony Kershaw (Managing Director) and Helen Munro since they assumed control from founders Tony Kershaw and John Warren in 2002, and the company carries no disclosed institutional or external private equity backing.

Name

AquaTec Coatings

Legal name

AquaTec Coatings Limited

Website

https://aquatecpaint.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AquaTec Coatings Limited is a UK-based manufacturer of water-based, solvent-free industrial coatings serving agricultural, construction, modular-building, joinery, structural steel, and transport sectors via direct enterprise sales and on-site R&D-driven custom formulation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Paints and Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Protective Coatings (Steel/Concrete/Equipment) (IMAIAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM), Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Industrial water based coatings
• Solvent free paints
• Anti-corrosive epoxy coatings
• Joinery coating systems
• Epoxy floor paints

Headquarters

HQ city

Wrexham

HQ country

United Kingdom

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Coatings Sales: Sale of water based, solvent free paints and coatings for industrial applications including agricultural equipment, commercial refurbishment, wood/joinery, structural steelwork, floor coatings, anti-graffiti products, and transport vehicles.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AquaTec Coatings Limited manufactures and sells water based, solvent free, low VOC, non-toxic paints and coatings for industrial and commercial customers. Its product families cover anti-corrosive epoxy coatings, primers, translucent and opaque joinery systems, epoxy floor and line marking coatings, anti-graffiti products, shed and fence timber protection, transport and agricultural equipment finishes, and rust converters. Products are sold as one or two pack systems applicable by brush, roller, dip, or spray and can be colour matched to BS, RAL, and Pantone standards.

Product overview

AquaTec Coatings is a UK-based manufacturer specializing in water based, solvent free paints and coatings. Their product portfolio includes multiple coating systems organized by application sector (Agricultural & Construction Equipment, Commercial Unit Refurbishment, Decorative Wood & Joinery, Graffiti Removal & Protection, Modular & Portable Buildings, Recycling & Waste Management Equipment, Structural Steelwork, Transport Vehicles & Components) as well as specialized product lines. The ShieldTec family includes anti-corrosive coatings (Epox-600, Epox-503), line marking and floor paints (PA-100), spatter finishes (AC-206), and joinery topcoats (AC-702, AC-705, AC-700, PU-206). PrimeTec primers include AC-300 for softwood, AC-350 for hardwoods, and AC-305 for interior applications. Floor systems include FloorTec Epox-100 and Epox-503 products. TimberTex provides shed and fence protection products. These products are available as one or two pack systems and can be applied by brush, roller, dip, or spray. Colour matching is available in BS381C, BS4800, BS2600, Pantone, and RAL colour systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TimberTex: Water based timber protection range specifically developed for the protection of plane and rough sawn timber used in the shed, fence and pet home manufacturing industry. Contains water repellent chemicals and additives for lasting weather protection.
• ShieldTec
• PrimeTec
• BaseTec
• FloorTec
• ArmourTec
• RustTec

Products and services

• Agricultural & Construction Equipment Coatings

Quantifiable outcome

• Personal exposure for inhalable dust and VOC's achieved less than 50% of Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) in air monitoring survey conducted by Environmental Essentials (UK) Ltd

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• co2balance.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquaTec Coatings works in partnership with co2balance.com to achieve Carbon Zero status. The partnership involves calculating carbon dioxide emissions from daily activities and offsetting through tree planting at Bishops Wood near Morchard Bishop in Devon.
• Paint 360minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaint 360 re-engineers waste paint products into new general use paint. AquaTec works with Paint 360 to reduce waste and environmental impact, with recycled paint containing at least 65% recycled content.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PPG Industries: Global industrial coatings major supplying protective, marine, and architectural finishes. Competes with AquaTec for larger UK industrial accounts but is far broader in scope and scale.
• Jotun Paints: Norwegian global coatings manufacturer with a strong industrial and protective coatings division. Targets many of the same structural steelwork and infrastructure customers as AquaTec across European markets.
• Rust-Oleum: Global specialty coatings brand (Rust-Oleum brand owned by RPM International) with a strong anti-corrosion and direct-to-metal product portfolio. Directly competes in AquaTec's Epox-600 anti-corrosive metal coatings segment but is far larger globally.
• Hempel: Danish global coatings company serving marine, protective, and industrial markets. Comparable in serving structural steelwork and infrastructure projects, though at much larger scale.
• AkzoNobel (Dulux / International): Global paints and coatings giant with Dulux (decorative) and International Paint (industrial/marine) brands. Operates broadly in the same industrial coatings space and competes in UK accounts, though it does not specialize in AquaTec's small-batch niche.

Regional players

• Teknos: Finnish family-owned coatings manufacturer with strong presence in industrial wood and joinery coatings across Northern Europe. Comparable in coatings technology focus and family ownership, but with Nordic rather than UK geographic focus.

Direct peers

• Crown Paints: One of the UK's largest paint manufacturers with a broad portfolio including industrial and trade coatings. Closely comparable UK-headquartered competitor serving overlapping industrial and trade customer segments.
• Bradite Paints: UK-based manufacturer of industrial and decorative paints, including water-based coatings for structural steel, joinery, and commercial refurbishment. Directly comparable mid-sized UK competitor with overlapping product lines and customer segments.
• Tor Coatings: UK manufacturer of industrial and protective coatings for steel, cladding, and concrete. A comparable specialist UK coatings producer competing in adjacent protective-coatings niches.
• Firwood Paints: UK manufacturer specializing in industrial and protective coatings for steel, flooring, and joinery. A direct mid-market UK peer serving similar industrial applications with comparable product breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquatec-coatings-ltd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 AquaTec Coatings