Inco

What Inco does

Inco Industria Colori S.p.A., founded in 1987 and headquartered in Pavullo nel Frignano, Italy, is a privately held specialty chemicals company that manufactures inorganic pigments and digital ceramic inks for the ceramic tile and surface-decoration industry. The product portfolio spans inorganic pigments for ceramic inks, bodies, and glazes; the proprietary High Solid Content (HSC) ink series containing at least 50% inorganic pigment; the Natura engobe and enamel dye series; grits, whiteners, additives, and raw materials; the INGLASS line of colorants for flat glass decoration; B.Cliin silver-based antibacterial ceramic solutions; and water-based digital adhesives. Technical differentiation is supported by 500+ square meters of R&D and analytical laboratories staffed by 20+ qualified technicians, pilot-scale validation of custom formulations, and collaborations with ceramic plant manufacturers and universities including UNIMORE.

The company serves ceramic manufacturers across 35 countries through a direct B2B go-to-market motion, with three production sites in Italy, India, and Russia (the latter via the wholly-owned Rincolor division, founded in 2004) and distribution/storage facilities in Mexico and Vietnam. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales of pigments, inks, and related ceramic decoration inputs, complemented by Taylor Made custom formulation services, self-production ink systems with know-how transfer, and post-sale technical/graphic/design assistance. Marketing relies on international trade shows (notably Cersaie), regional press, and a multilingual website in Italian, English, Spanish, and Russian. The company reports 80+ employees at its Italian headquarters, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, and operates an Italian Modello Organizzativo 231 governance framework and a whistleblowing system.

Name

Inco

Legal name

Inco Industria Colori S.p.A.

Website

https://incolours.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Inco Industria Colori S.p.A., founded in 1987 in Italy, manufactures inorganic pigments and digital ceramic inks for ceramic tile and surface-decoration manufacturers. It operates three global production sites and serves more than 500 customers across 35 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ceramic Colorants and Digital Inks

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Pigments & Dyes (IMAEAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive) (IMAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Ceramic pigments
• Digital ceramic inks
• Inorganic pigments
• Ceramic colorants
• Ceramic decoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Pavullo Nel Frignano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 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. Ceramic Pigments and Inks: Inco manufactures and sells inorganic pigments, digital ceramic inks, and related products for the ceramic industry. Products include pigments for ceramic inks, ceramic inks, body pigments, glaze pigments, grits, antibacterial solutions, engobes, glazes, additives, whiteners, and raw materials. Revenue is generated through direct product sales to ceramic manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inco manufactures and sells inorganic pigments, digital ceramic inks (including its proprietary HSC High Solid Content line with at least 50% inorganic pigment content), engobe and enamel dyes (Natura series), grits, whiteners, additives, and raw materials for ceramic tile producers and adjacent industries. The company also offers water-based digital adhesives, B.Cliin antibacterial solutions, INGLASS colorants for flat glass decoration, self-production systems for ceramic inks, Taylor Made custom product development, and technical/graphic design assistance.

Product overview

Inco (Inco Industria Colori S.p.A.) is a ceramic color manufacturer offering a diversified portfolio of inorganic pigments and digital ceramic products for the ceramic industry. The core offering spans inorganic pigments (for bodies, glazes, and ink production), ceramic inks including the proprietary HSC (High Solid Content) high-performance digital ink line with ≥50% inorganic pigment, engobe and enamel dyes (Natura series), coloring oxides, grits, whiteners, and additives. The portfolio extends through B.Cliin antibacterial solutions, INGLASS colorants for flat glass decoration, and water-based digital adhesives. Inco also provides complementary solutions including self-production systems for ceramic inks (enabling clients to manufacture inks on-site), Taylor Made custom product development, technical/graphic design assistance, and digital decoration services for building materials. The company operates 3 production sites (Italy, India, Russia) with R&D headquartered in Italy and provides global technical, commercial, and graphic assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INGLASS: Product line for the decoration of flat glass, covering all possible color ranges for maximum specific color result. Designed for architectural, household appliances, automotive, and interior applications.
• B.Cliin
• Inco Paint&Coatings

Products and services

• Inorganic Pigments (Pigmenti Inorganici)
• Ceramic Inks (Inchiostri Ceramici)
• HSC High Solid Content Inks
• Natura Engobe and Enamel Dyes
• Ceramic Pigments for Bodies (Pigmenti Ceramici da Impasto)
• Ceramic Pigments for Glazes (Pigmenti Ceramici da Smalto)
• INGLASS Colorants for Flat Glass
• Antibacterial Ceramic Solution (B.Cliin)
• Grits (Graniglie)
• Engobes and Glazes (Engobbi-Smalti)
• Additives for Ceramic Decoration
• Whiteners for Ceramic Bodies (Sbiancanti per Impasti Ceramici)
• Raw Materials (Materie Prime)
• Water-Based Digital Adhesives (Colle Digitali Base Acqua)
• Self-Production Systems for Ceramic Inks
• Technical Assistance / Graphics / Design Services
• Taylor Made Custom Product Development
• Digital Decoration Solutions for Building Materials

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced ink consumption through proper engobe coloring
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universities and Research CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInco collaborates with prestigious research centers and universities, as well as major ceramic groups and plant manufacturers, to develop new products and test them under real industrial conditions. The R&D laboratory works with external research institutions to deepen scientific understanding while maintaining industrial applicability. SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are established during the research phase to guarantee quality and consistency.
• Ceramic Plant ManufacturerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInco works closely with major ceramic plant installers to develop and test new products in industrial conditions, ensuring that innovations are validated in real production environments before market release.
• UNIMORE (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Angelo Lami, President of Inco, delivered a speech on the evolution of digital ceramic inks at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The company also hosts students from the Master in Ceramic Technology for training sessions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Colorobbia: Italian-headquartered specialist in ceramic colors, glazes, inks and raw materials serving the global ceramic industry — directly overlapping with Inco's inorganic pigments, ceramic inks and digital decoration offerings across the same tile-manufacturer customer base.
• Torrecid: Spanish global supplier of ceramic inks, frits, glazes, pigments and digital printing solutions — competing head-to-head with Inco in ceramic inkjet inks, colorants and high-solid-content formulations for tile manufacturers.
• Zschimmer & Schwarz: German specialty-chemical producer of ceramic auxiliaries, colorants and process chemicals for the ceramic industry — directly competes with Inco in ceramic additives, dyes and processing aids used by the same tile manufacturing customers.
• Sicer: Italian manufacturer of ceramic colorants, glazes and digital printing materials with strong R&D focus — closely comparable to Inco in inorganic pigments, ceramic inks and tailored specialty solutions for tile manufacturers.
• Esmalglass-Itaca: Spanish producer of ceramic inks, glazes, frits and digital decoration materials with worldwide operations — directly comparable to Inco across ceramic inkjet inks, engobe dyes and decorative solutions for the same ceramic tile end market.
• Fritta (Fritta Group): Spanish ceramic frit, glaze, pigment and ink manufacturer serving international tile producers — overlapping with Inco's pigments, glazes and ceramic ink portfolio and competing for the same digital-decoration customers.

Broad incumbents

• ALTANA (BYK additives): German specialty-chemical group whose BYK and ECKART divisions supply additives, pigments and pigment dispersions used across coatings, inks and ceramics — competing with Inco at the chemistry/raw-material layer from a much larger global platform.
• Ferro Corporation: US-listed specialty coatings and performance materials producer with established ceramic colorants and tile-coatings business — a much larger incumbent whose ceramic segment overlaps with Inco's pigments and inks from a broader portfolio position.

Others

• Marabu: German specialty inks and coatings manufacturer serving industrial and graphics applications — adjacent to Inco's specialty-ink formulation know-how and water-based ink systems, though focused on screen and pad printing rather than ceramic inkjet.

Regional players

• Shandong Sinocera Functional Material: Chinese ceramic materials and functional ceramic manufacturer specializing in ceramic pigments, powders and structural ceramic components — a leading regional competitor in Asian ceramic colorants overlapping with Inco's inorganic pigment range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inco_spa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Inco