What Poeton does

Poeton Industries Limited is a UK-headquartered, family-owned industrial surface treatment specialist founded in 1898 by Arthur Thomas Poeton in Bristol and now based in Gloucester. The company applies metallic, polymer, and ceramic coatings (electroplating, electroless nickel, anodising, thermal spray, conversion coatings, cadmium and zinc-nickel plating, NDT) to substrates including aluminium, titanium, magnesium, steel, copper, and carbon composites for customers in aerospace and defence, automotive, oil and gas, medical, food and drink, and general engineering. Its proprietary Apticote range covers more than 13 advanced treatments such as Apticote 460 (nickel-PTFE composites), Apticote 810 (plasma polymer composites), Apticote 900 (cadmium), and Apticote 2000 (nickel-silicon carbide cylinder bores), complemented by bespoke R&D in dedicated laboratories.

The company is qualified to NADCAP (Chemical Processing, Coatings, NDT), AS9100 Rev D, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and Polish Military Concession standards, and is pre-approved by major aerospace and defence primes including Airbus, Boeing, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, Collins Aerospace, Honeywell, Thales, Safran, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, and MBDA. It operates five sites: Gloucester and Cardiff in the UK, Poeton Polska in Poland's Aviation Valley (launched 2017), the Poeton Hartchrom subsidiary in Munich (1977), and the ATC Poeton joint venture in Singapore (2012), with additional interests through Teikuro Poeton (1996 JV) and Max Power Cylinders (USA, 1998). The Aptec Motorsport sub-brand serves the motorsport cylinder bore market.

Poeton monetises surface treatment as a fee-for-service business via quote-based, per-part or per-batch pricing across direct enterprise sales teams in each region. Revenue diversification includes licensing royalties from General Magnaplate (Nedox and Plasmadize, 30+ year exclusive UK licence), Keronite licensing for Apticote 3000, and bespoke solution development for unique engineering challenges. The company is privately held under continuous Poeton family ownership through five generations, with James Poeton joining in 2020, and has not raised institutional equity capital.

Name

Poeton

Legal name

Poeton Industries Ltd

Website

https://poeton.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Poeton Industries is a 125-year-old, family-owned UK surface treatment specialist that applies metallic, polymer, and ceramic coatings (electroplating, anodising, thermal spray, NDT) under its proprietary Apticote range to aerospace, defence, automotive, oil and gas, medical, and industrial customers across facilities in the UK, Poland, Germany, and Singapore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial surface treatment and functional coatings services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (33281), Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers (332812)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Commercial Painting/Coatings/Surface Treatment (IMAIAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK), Surface Treatment & Finishing Equipment (Coating, Plating, Deburring, Shot Blasting) (IMAHADAJ)

Keywords

• Industrial surface treatments
• Functional metal coatings
• Electroplating services
• Thermal spray coatings
• Corrosion protection treatments

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Treatment Services: Core business providing industrial surface treatment and coating services to aerospace, defence, automotive, oil & gas, medical, and food & drink industries. Services include electroplating, anodising, thermal spray, conversion coatings, paint, NDT (non-destructive testing), and bespoke solutions. Revenue generated through per-part or per-batch processing fees based on treatment type, material, and complexity.
2. Bespoke/ Custom Solutions: Custom surface treatment development and application services backed by world-class laboratories and dedicated R&D team. Solution design and application for unique engineering challenges.
3. Licensed Technology (General Magnaplate): Revenue from licensing arrangements including General Magnaplate Nedox and Plasmadize coatings where Poeton is the exclusive UK licensee. Technical knowledge sharing relationship spanning over 30 years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Poeton Industries provides industrial surface treatment and functional coating services for engineered components supplied by customers, applying electroplating, anodising, thermal spray, polymer, conversion coatings, paint, and non-destructive testing processes. Services are organised around standard treatment types (Anodising, Dry Film Lubricants, Plating, Thermal & Metal Sprays, Conversion Coatings, Paint, NDT, Bespoke Solutions) and the proprietary Apticote advanced treatment range (100, 200, 300, 340, 350, 400, 450, 460, 480, 600, 800, 810, 900 series plus Zinc Nickel) to solve corrosion, wear, friction, galling, and non-stick challenges for aerospace, defence, automotive, oil & gas, medical, and food & drink customers.

Product overview

Poeton Industries is a surface treatment company with over 125 years of experience providing industrial coating services. The company operates a portfolio of industry-standard surface treatments organized by treatment type (Anodising, Dry Film Lubricants, Plating, Thermal & Metal Sprays, Conversion Coatings, Paint, NDT) and a branded line of advanced treatments under the Apticote family (Apticote 100, 200, 300, 340, 350, 400, 450, 460, 480, 600, 800, 810, 900) plus Zinc Nickel Plating. These advanced treatments provide specialized performance including hard chrome alternatives, nickel composites, thermal plasma sprays, polymer coatings, and cadmium plating. The offering is complemented by bespoke solutions developed through world-class laboratories and R&D capabilities, with an Aptec Motorsport sub-brand serving the racing industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Apticote: Advanced plating technological coatings product range including Apticote 100, 200, 300, 340, 350, 400, 450, 460, 480, 600, 800, 810, 900 for various surface treatment applications.
• Aptec Motorsport

Products and services

• Anodising Electrolytic surface treatment producing a protective oxide layer on metal components for wear resistance, corrosion protection and improved hardness. Includes hard, sulphuric, chromic, tartaric sulphuric (TSA) and titanium anodising variants offered to aerospace, defence, automotive and general engineering customers.
• Dry Film Lubricants Solid lubricant coatings delivering low friction and wear resistance for components operating in conditions where liquid lubricants cannot be used, including high temperature and food contact applications.
• Plating (electrolytic and electroless) Electrolytic and electroless coating processes including cadmium, zinc nickel, silver and electroless nickel plating providing corrosion protection, wear resistance and electrical conductivity on engineered components.
• Thermal and Metal Sprays High performance coating processes including plasma spray, wire spray, electric arc spray and HVOF that apply ceramic, cermet and metallic coatings for wear, corrosion and extreme temperature protection across aerospace, automotive, oil & gas and general engineering.
• Conversion Coatings Chemical conversion treatments including Alocrom/Alodine that provide corrosion resistance and paint preparation on aluminium and other metals, used as part of aerospace and industrial coating systems.
• Industrial Paint Industrial paint systems including anti-corrosion, aerospace, defence and CARC coatings applied to engineered components for protection and functional purposes across multiple industry sectors.
• Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Inspection services including fluorescent penetrant inspection, magnetic particle inspection, hardness testing, conductivity testing and acid etch that verify material integrity without damaging components, Nadcap accredited at Cardiff and Poeton Polska.
• Bespoke Surface Treatment Solutions Custom designed surface treatments developed through world-class laboratories and dedicated R&D teams to address specific customer engineering challenges where off-the-shelf coatings are inadequate.
• Apticote 100 Hard Chrome Low temperature electrolytic hard chrome plating that deposits protective hard chrome on various base materials, outperforming conventional hard chrome coatings for wear and corrosion resistance.
• Apticote 200 Polymer Coatings Range of high technology polymer-based coatings offering low friction, non-stick and wear resistance for diverse industrial applications.
• Zinc Nickel Plating Environmentally friendly alternative to cadmium plating providing sacrificial corrosion protection with up to 1,000 hours salt spray resistance at 10-15um thickness, used across aerospace, automotive, defence, oil & gas, marine and plant machinery.
• Apticote 460 Nickel Composites Nickel composite coatings combining low friction polymers with nickel hardness and corrosion resistance, available in 460H, 460G, 460C and 460M variants. Achieves four times adhesive wear resistance of standard electroless nickel and over 1500 hours salt mist, with FDA compliant variants available.
• Apticote 810 Plasma Polymer Composite Next generation plasma polymer composite coating combining thermal spray with polymers for non-stick surfaces, with friction coefficient as low as 0.11 and operating temperatures from -200C to +300C. USDA/FDA compliant.
• Apticote 2000 Nickel Silicon Carbide Cylinder Bore Coating Premier cylinder bore coating technology providing a metal matrix of nickel with suspended silicon carbide particles, delivering hardness of 560-600Hv and superior adhesion compared to conventional Ni/Ceramic electroplates, used for engine cylinder bores and rotary housings.
• Apticote 800 Thermal Plasma Spray High performance ceramic, cermet and metallic thermal plasma spray coatings applied using combustion wire, combustion powder, electric arc, plasma and HVOF processes for wear resistance, corrosion protection, thermal barriers and salvage applications.
• Apticote 900 Cadmium Plating Cadmium and LHE (Low Hydrogen Embrittlement) cadmium electrolytic plating offering over 2,000 hours salt spray protection with self-healing properties and coefficient of friction as low as 0.15. Limited to aerospace and defence applications.
• Apticote 600 Silver Plating Silver electroplating service delivering anti-fretting and anti-galling properties, corrosion resistance and high electrical conductivity (95% reflectivity), conforming to BS, Def.Stan and MIL specifications for aerospace, defence and electronic components.
• Apticote 450 Nickel/PTFE Composite Slick composite nickel/PTFE coating with sub-micron PTFE particles for optimal distribution. Coefficient of friction as low as 0.07, with up to 40x better wear resistance than standard Ni/PTFE coatings after heat treatment, applied at 5-20 microns thickness.
• Apticote 300 Anodising Range of anodising processes including hard, sulphuric and TSA anodising, each offering distinct performance benefits for wear resistance, corrosion protection and thermal/electrical insulation.
• Apticote 340 Anodising Composites Anodising composites combining the hardness of aluminium oxide with fluorocarbon polymers to produce hard, continuously lubricating surfaces.
• Apticote 400 Electroless Nickel Electroless nickel plating coating of 4-14% phosphorus nickel alloy deposited chemically for even distribution, available in low, medium, graded medium and high phosphorous variants for different temperature and corrosion requirements.
• Apticote 350 Hard Anodising with Polymer Hard anodising combined with polymer to deliver wear resistance and low friction, applied 25-50 microns thick for light surface contact loads, corrosion protection and thermal/electrical insulation.
• Apticote 480 Advanced Nickel Composite Advanced nickel polymer composite coating offering ultimate non-stick and low-friction properties of fluorocarbon combined with hardness, wear resistance and corrosion protection of electroless nickel, with coefficient of friction as low as 0.05.
• Aptec Motorsport Cylinder Bore Coating Services Specialist surface treatment service from Poeton's Aptec Motorsport sub-brand focused on cylinder bore coating for motorsport engines used in motorbikes, drones, cars and racing karts, including Apticote 2000 as a replacement for traditional Nikasil coatings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Apticote 460 achieves four times the adhesive wear resistance of standard electroless nickel in pin-on-disc sliding tests, with hardness values of 750-1000 Hv
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• General MagnaplatecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPoeton is the exclusive UK licensee of General Magnaplate's Nedox coatings. Poeton also offers Plasmadize coatings in partnership with General Magnaplate. The relationship spans over 30 years, with treatment solutions and expertise shared to provide complete surface coating range to customers on both sides of the Atlantic.
• ADS (Aerospace, Defence and Security)minorOthersMember of ADS, the UK trade association for aerospace, defence, and security. Provides networking, advocacy, and industry representation benefits.
• Teikuro PoetonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese-English joint venture established 1996 in Gloucester offering dedicated press chromium plating service for automotive applications.
• ATC PoetonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture in Singapore established 2012 to support growing aerospace demand in South East Asia.
• Poeton Hartchrom LtdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSubsidiary established 1977 in Munich, Germany for international growth and European market coverage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bodycote plc: Bodycote plc is the world's largest provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, operating 700+ facilities globally across aerospace, defence, automotive, and industrial end markets. It is a broad incumbent in the same surface treatment services category as Poeton, with significantly larger scale and a broader geographic footprint.
• Mersen: Mersen is a French-listed industrial group providing specialty graphite and coatings solutions for aerospace, energy, electronics, and process industries. Its anticorrosion and high-temperature coatings compete with Poeton's surface treatments in aerospace and oil & gas applications.
• Oerlikon Balzers (Oerlikon Group): Oerlikon Balzers is the surface solutions division of Oerlikon Group, providing PVD/PACVD coatings, thermal spray, and related surface treatments to aerospace, automotive, tooling, and industrial customers globally. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in thermal spray (acquired Praxair ST) and competes with Poeton in aerospace engine and component coatings.

Direct peers

• Wallwork Group: Wallwork Group is a UK-based privately held provider of heat treatment, hot isostatic pressing, and surface treatment services to aerospace, defence, motorsport, and medical sectors. It is the closest direct UK peer to Poeton in scale, customer mix, and service offering, with facilities in Manchester and Birmingham.
• Techmetals Inc. Techmetals is a US-based metal finishing and surface treatment company offering anodising, plating, conversion coatings, and thermal spray services to aerospace and industrial customers. It is a direct peer in plating and anodising services, with similar OEM-approval-driven business model.
• Castolin Eutectic: Castolin Eutectic is a global leader in wear protection and surface engineering solutions, offering thermal spray, welding, brazing, and coatings to industrial and aerospace customers. It competes directly with Poeton in the thermal spray and wear-resistant coatings segment.
• ASB Industries (Curtiss-Wright): ASB Industries (now part of Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies) is a US-based thermal spray applicator serving aerospace, defence, medical, and industrial customers. It is a direct competitor in HVOF, plasma spray, and combustion spray coatings overlapping with Poeton's Apticote 800 portfolio.
• Flame Spray Technologies: Flame Spray Technologies is a Netherlands-based provider of thermal spray equipment and coating services for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. It competes with Poeton's thermal spray Centre of Excellence in HVOF, plasma, and combustion spray technologies.
• Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies: Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies is a division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation providing surface treatment services (shot peening, plating, coatings, NDT) to aerospace, defence, and industrial OEMs globally. Directly competes with Poeton in aerospace surface treatments serving the same Boeing, Lockheed, and other US/EU OEM customer base.

Regional players

• Nitron (Mitsubishi Materials): Nitron is a Mitsubishi Materials Group company providing hard chrome plating and surface treatments primarily to Japanese and Asian aerospace customers. It competes regionally with Poeton Polska and ATC Poeton in Asia, offering similar hard chrome and plating technologies.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/poetonindustries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/poeton-industries-ltd
• Xx.com/poeton

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Poeton