INOX-COLOR

What INOX-COLOR does

INOX-COLOR GmbH is a privately held German specialty manufacturer founded in 1984 and headquartered in Walldürn, Germany. The company provides contract (toll/job-work) surface finishing services for stainless steel workpieces, operating a B2B model in which customers supply semi-finished stainless steel components and INOX-COLOR returns them with specified surface treatments. Core processes span electropolishing, pickling, passivation, mechanical grinding/blasting/brushing/polishing, and three proprietary branded processes: INOX-SPECTRAL® (electrochemical interference colouring without pigments, producing champagne, gold, bronze, blue, and black finishes), PEARLTEC® (metallic velvety, dirt-repelling refinement), and INOX-TEC® (fingerprint-resistant homogenised surfaces). The company offers verified processing capacity up to 6,000 x 1,200 x 2,000 mm and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.

The company operates across six primary verticals: architecture and facades (its primary segment), mechanical and plant engineering, interior design and shopfitting, elevator/escalator construction, industrial components and small parts, and food/beverage/pharmaceutical tank construction. Distribution is entirely direct from the Walldürn facility to customers worldwide, with reference projects documented across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, the UK, Czech Republic, and the United States. Marketing relies on trade fair participation (BAU Munich, bautec Berlin, Marine Interiors Hamburg, IFAT) and a technical content-led website featuring an extensive INOX ABC glossary and downloadable architecture/industry brochures. INOX-COLOR is family-owned — managed by Raimund Murke — and has been affiliated with DESIGNFACTORY GmbH (Sachsenheim) since September 2017. The company carried out a brand refresh in February 2024 and expanded its in-house mechanical processing capabilities in April 2024.

Name

INOX-COLOR

Legal name

INOX-COLOR GmbH

Website

https://inox-color.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

INOX-COLOR GmbH, founded in 1984 in Walldürn, Germany, is a privately held specialty manufacturer providing toll-based stainless steel surface finishing services — electropolishing, pickling, colouring (INOX-SPECTRAL®), and proprietary refinements (PEARLTEC®, INOX-TEC®) — to architects, industrial customers, and component manufacturers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Surface Finishing Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (3328)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation) (IMAIAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Stainless steel finishing
• Surface treatment services
• Electropolishing services
• Metal colouring processes
• Steel surface processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Walldürn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Finishing Services (Toll/Job Work): INOX-COLOR provides toll (job-work) finishing services on stainless steel. Customers send their stainless steel products and INOX-COLOR applies surface treatments (electropolishing, pickling, colouring, grinding, etc.) returning finished products. This is the primary revenue stream. The company also offers unique coloured stainless steel products and custom surface solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

INOX-COLOR provides toll (job-work) surface finishing services for customer-supplied stainless steel materials. Core services include electropolishing, pickling and passivation, electrochemical colouring (INOX-SPECTRAL®), and mechanical processing (grinding, blasting, polishing, brushing) under the inoxTEXTURE line. The company also applies proprietary refinement treatments (PEARLTEC® and INOX-TEC®) and offers customised surface design under inoxATELIER, processing components up to 6,000 x 1,200 x 2,000 mm.

Product overview

INOX-COLOR is a German manufacturer of stainless steel surface finishing services, established in 1984. Their offering consists of multiple proprietary processes and service lines that work together as an integrated surface treatment portfolio: the core processes are INOX-SPECTRAL® for electrochemical colouring without pigments, PEARLTEC® for velvety corrosion-resistant finishes, and INOX-TEC® for fingerprint-resistant homogenized surfaces. These are supported by four main product groups: inoxPERFECT (electropolishing, pickling, deburring, passivation), inoxTEXTURE (mechanical grinding, brushing, blasting, mirror polishing), and inoxATELIER (customized surface design). The company also provides extensive surface pattern series (wafer plates, tear plates, hairline, brushed, and decorative patterns) and consumer products like INOXprotect AFP. Processing capabilities include components up to 6,000 x 1,200 x 2,000 mm and various material grades (V2A, V4A).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INOX-SPECTRAL®: Electrochemical colouring process for stainless steel creating interference colours without colour pigments
• PEARLTEC®
• INOX-TEC®
• inoxATELIER
• inoxPERFECT
• inoxTEXTURE

Products and services

• Electropolishing Electrochemical process that smooths stainless steel in the micro range, deburrs, cleans and passivates in one step. Reduces effective surface area by up to 80%, improves corrosion resistance and makes parts easier to clean. Offered as a toll/job-work service for industrial and architectural customers.
• Pickling and Passivation Chemical and electrochemical treatments to remove heat tint, scale and contamination, restoring the passive layer on stainless steel. Available as immersion, spray, and circulating pickling methods for industrial components and architectural elements.
• INOX-SPECTRAL® Colouring Electrochemical colouring process for stainless steel that creates interference colours (champagne, gold, bronze, steel blue, cobalt blue, black) without colour pigments or paint. Colour is formed in the passive layer; full corrosion protection is retained. Suitable for sheets, expanded metal, wire mesh, profiles, structural elements and small parts up to 6,000 x 1,200 x 2,000 mm.
• inoxTEXTURE Mechanical Processing Mechanical surface processing service for stainless steel including grinding, sanding, brushing, hairline finish, vibration finish, cross and diagonal grinding, mirror polishing, bead blasting, pattern rolling and embossing, anti-slip and scratch resistance treatments.
• PEARLTEC® Surface Refinement Proprietary INOX-COLOR-developed process applied to flat and three-dimensionally shaped decor and functional surfaces. PEARLTEC® surfaces appear metallic velvety, exhibit improved corrosion resistance, have dirt-repelling properties and are easy to clean. Used for clean room coverings and automotive industry components.
• INOX-TEC® Surface Treatment Proprietary process that reduces visibility of fingerprints and allows residue-free removal on stainless steel surfaces. Provides optimum corrosion resistance and makes surfaces appear homogeneous across different material thicknesses. Reduces cleaning and care costs.
• inoxATELIER Customised Surface Design Customised surface creation service combining INOX-COLOR's expertise in surface treatment for demanding interior and exterior design projects, working in dialogue with architects, designers and facade planners to transform surfaces into bespoke solutions.
• Colour Coding and Marking for Industrial Components Durable colour coding service for industrial components such as screws, springs, bolts, buttons and bushings using INOX-SPECTRAL colouring. Colours withstand cleaning cycles and chemicals, enabling permanent marking for assembly, picking, maintenance and quality assurance.
• INOXprotect AFP Metal Cleaner Metal cleaner and care product with anti-fingerprint effect, supplied ready for use in 100ml, 250ml and 500ml spray bottles. Forms a dry, transparent film that is easy to clean and can be removed with solvent, damp cloth or alkaline solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Electropolishing reduces the effective surface area of a stainless steel component by up to 80%, significantly improving cleanability, reducing germ adhesion, and enhancing corrosion resistance.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 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

One partnership is on record.

• DESIGNFACTORY GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017INOX-COLOR GmbH (Walldürn) and DESIGNFACTORY GmbH (Sachsenheim) are affiliated companies since September 1, 2017. Both companies maintain their market presence under their respective corporate names and familiar contact data. Customers benefit from the combined know-how of both companies representing significant added value. The affiliation is intended to better express the strong bond between INOX-COLOR and DESIGNFACTORY, with the new logo design reflecting this relationship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Oerlikon Balzers: Swiss-based surface-solutions business of OC Oerlikon providing PVD coatings and surface treatments for precision components and industrial tools. A broad incumbent in advanced surface engineering that overlaps with INOX-COLOR's industrial customer base, although it focuses on hard coatings rather than stainless-steel finishing.
• Bodycote plc: UK-listed global provider of heat treatment and surface technology services to aerospace, automotive and industrial customers. A broad incumbent in metal surface treatment with a global footprint that competes with INOX-COLOR in metallurgical finishing, though Bodycote does not focus on stainless-steel colouring.
• Mersen: French-listed industrial group with surface-treatment and anticorrosion solutions serving process industries. Comparable as a broad incumbent in metal-surface finishing serving similar B2B industrial customers, though Mersen's portfolio is broader and less stainless-steel-colouring-specific than INOX-COLOR's.
• Aalberts Surface Treatment: Surface-treatment division of Dutch industrial group Aalberts N.V., offering plating, heat treatment and coating services across multiple substrates. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes with INOX-COLOR in industrial surface finishing but lacks INOX-COLOR's stainless-steel specialisation and proprietary colouring process.

Direct peers

• Poligrat GmbH: German specialist in electrolytic polishing and electrochemical surface treatment of stainless steel. Closely comparable to INOX-COLOR because both firms sell electropolishing, pickling and passivation of stainless steel to industrial and architectural customers as a job-work service.
• Rimex Metals Group: UK-based manufacturer of patterned, coloured and textured stainless steel surfaces. Directly comparable to INOX-COLOR's inoxTEXTURE and INOX-SPECTRAL lines because Rimex also offers patterned finishes and coloured stainless steel for architectural facade and interior applications.

Others

• Voestalpine AG: Austrian-listed steel and technology group with stainless and specialty steel product lines serving architecture and industry. Comparable as a stainless-steel ecosystem participant that supplies materials INOX-COLOR finishes, but Voestalpine is a vertically integrated producer rather than a surface-treatment specialist.
• Outokumpu Oyj: Finnish-listed global leader in stainless steel production. Comparable as an upstream supplier of the stainless-steel raw material INOX-COLOR processes, and as a related ecosystem participant in the stainless-steel value chain, though Outokumpu is a steel mill rather than a surface finisher.
• Chemetall (BASF Coatings): Global supplier of surface-treatment chemicals, pretreatment and process solutions for metal finishing, now part of BASF. Comparable as an enabling supplier to the surface-treatment industry that INOX-COLOR operates in, but Chemetall sells chemistry rather than performing toll finishing services.

Regional players

• Hannecard: Belgian manufacturer of roller coverings and surface coatings for industrial applications. Comparable to INOX-COLOR as a European specialty surface-treatment provider, but serves a different product mix (rollers and elastomeric coatings) and overlaps mainly on industrial finishing customers rather than stainless-steel architectural work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

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 INOX-COLOR