Folex
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersKöln, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Folex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Folex
- Legal name
- Folex
- Website
- https://folex.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Folex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Coatings
- NAICS
- Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255)
- SIC
- Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)
Keywords
Where Folex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Köln
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Folex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Industrial coating products: Sale of proprietary coating products and solutions to industrial customers in printing, electronics, and related sectors
- Contract coating services (Lohnbeschichtung): Custom contract coating services where Folex applies coatings to customer-provided materials on a service basis
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Folex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Folex manufactures and supplies specialized industrial coatings and coated films for the printing industry, digital printing, and electronics industry. The company offers a portfolio of high-performance coating products including self-healing transport protection films, high-performance lacquer plates such as Folacoat Speed, and coatings for electronic components. In addition to proprietary coating products, Folex provides custom contract coating services (Lohnbeschichtung) where it applies specialized coatings to materials supplied by customers.
Product overview
Folex is a coating solutions provider offering a portfolio of products organized into five main divisions: Print Industry (Druckindustrie), Digital Printing (Digitaldruck), Electronics Industry (Elektronikindustrie), Contract Coating (Lohnbeschichtung), and Special Products (Spezialprodukte). The core products include FOLACOAT SPEED high-performance lacquer plates for print applications and Polypropylene Roll-Up Banners for display purposes. Folex also operates a B2B e-commerce shop (shop.folex.com) for direct product sales and offers contract coating services. The company's tagline is 'the fine art of coating,' reflecting its focus on precision coating technologies across multiple industry segments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FOLACOAT SPEED Hochleistungs-Lackplatte High-performance lacquer plate for the print industry, designed for speed and efficiency in industrial printing applications. Used by printing manufacturers and print production operations.
- Polypropylen Roll-Up Banner Polypropylene-based roll-up banner product with extra performance characteristics for display and signage applications.
- Lohnbeschichtung (Contract Coating Services) Custom contract coating services where Folex applies specialized coatings to materials submitted by customers. Enables access to specialized coating capabilities without capital investment in equipment. Used by industrial manufacturers across multiple sectors.
- Self-Healing Transport Protection Films Premium transport protection films with self-healing properties that can repair minor scratches and damage automatically. Used in automotive OEM and aftermarket surface protection applications, with enhanced durability and optical clarity for demanding applications.
- Electronics Industry Coatings (MTS - Micro Technology Solutions) Specialized coatings for electronics industry applications, including MTS products for protection, insulation, and performance enhancement of electronic components. Used by electronics manufacturers.
- B2B E-Commerce Shop Online B2B shop at shop.folex.com for direct purchasing of Folex coated products by industrial customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4-6% CAGR growth forecast for German transport protection film market through 2035
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Folex
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Folex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Folex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- NiTEO ProductscoreNiTEO Products, a portfolio company of Highlander Partners, acquired Folex in December 2025. The acquisition aims to expand NiTEO's household products division and enhance its market position. This represents a significant ownership change for Folex, moving from independent operations to part of a larger portfolio company structure.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Folex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Henkel: German multinational with industrial adhesives and functional coatings divisions serving electronics and industrial markets, comparable to Folex's electronics industry and contract coating segments.
- Lintec Corporation: Japanese specialty films and adhesive products manufacturer with broad industrial coating capabilities, including electronics-adjacent products similar to Folex's Elektronikindustrie offerings.
- 3M: Diversified industrial conglomerate with significant specialty coatings and films business; competes with Folex broadly across industrial and electronics coating applications from a much larger base.
- Covestro: Major German chemical company producing specialty coatings raw materials and films; comparable as a German industrial coatings player with broader portfolio scale than Folex.
- Avery Dennison: Global leader in pressure-sensitive labels and specialty tapes with industrial coating capabilities; adjacent competitor with broader scale across multiple end markets served by Folex.
Direct peers
- Renolit: German manufacturer of high-quality films, sheets, and surface coatings for industrial applications; competes with Folex in specialty coated films for printing and electronics markets.
- Klöckner Pentaplast: Specialty films and coating manufacturer serving printing, packaging, and electronics; comparable to Folex's coated film products across multiple industrial verticals.
- Hexis: French manufacturer of self-adhesive films and paint protection films including self-healing variants. Directly comparable to Folex in the premium transport protection film segment where Folex holds 25-35% German aftermarket share.
- XPEL: Specializes in paint protection films with self-healing properties for automotive OEM and aftermarket, directly competing with Folex's premium self-healing transport protection films.
- SunTek (Eastman Chemical): Paint protection film brand under Eastman offering self-healing films for automotive and transport protection, directly comparable to Folex's premium segment positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Folex social profiles
Digital presenceFolex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Folex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Folex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Folex M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Folex
What does Folex do?
Folex manufactures and supplies specialized industrial coatings and coated films for the printing industry, digital printing, and electronics industry. The company offers a portfolio of high-performance coating products including self-healing transport protection films, high-performance lacquer plates such as Folacoat Speed, and coatings for electronic components. In addition to proprietary coating products, Folex provides custom contract coating services (Lohnbeschichtung) where it applies specialized coatings to materials supplied by customers.
Is Folex a public or private company?
Folex is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Folex founded?
Folex was founded in 1951. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Folex based?
Folex is headquartered in Köln, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Folex make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Industrial coating products are the primary driver. The others are contract coating services (Lohnbeschichtung).
Who are Folex's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Henkel, Lintec Corporation, 3M, Covestro and Avery Dennison. Direct peers are Renolit, Klöckner Pentaplast, Hexis, XPEL and SunTek (Eastman Chemical).
Does Folex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Folex.
What industry is Folex in?
Folex's product category is Industrial Coatings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAGAB, Industrial & Protective Coatings, with a secondary code of IMAIAKAM, Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating). Its NAICS code is 32551 and its SIC code is 2851.