API S.p.A
API S.p.A is an Italian specialty materials company, founded in 1956 and now a Trinseo subsidiary, that develops thermoplastic elastomers, TPU, color masterbatches, and bioplastics compounds for luxury footwear manufacturers from its northern Italy facility.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1956
- HeadquartersMussolino, Italy
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What API S.p.A does
API S.p.A (Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali S.p.A.) is an Italian specialty materials developer and producer founded in 1956 and headquartered in northern Italy. The company formulates thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), color masterbatches, and bioplastics compounds customized for the luxury and sports footwear industry. Its proprietary product platforms include APICOLOR™ color masterbatches, the APILON™ 52 series (BIO bio-based, A/C thermoabrasion resistant, and ECO sustainable variants), APIGO™ TPO compounds, APINAT™ BIO biodegradable TPC, and MEGOL™ BIO bio-based TPS-SEBS. The company pioneered reticulated and expandable polymer applications enabling extremely lightweight footwear components with high physical-mechanical performance.
API operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trinseo following Trinseo's July 2017 acquisition of the company, which positioned the northern Italy facility as Trinseo's center of excellence for footwear materials. Revenue is generated through direct B2B enterprise sales to luxury footwear manufacturers, with quote-based pricing on formulated compounds sold as materials rather than finished goods. The go-to-market combines application engineering and design-to-manufacturing support with Trinseo's broader digital marketing, social media, and trade-publication channels. Customer concentration sits primarily in the luxury footwear manufacturing vertical, with an emerging secondary position in sustainable fashion brands served through the bio-based product lines.
API S.p.A firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- API S.p.A
- Legal name
- Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali S.p.A.
- Website
- https://apiplastic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1956
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- API S.p.A is an Italian specialty materials company, founded in 1956 and now a Trinseo subsidiary, that develops thermoplastic elastomers, TPU, color masterbatches, and bioplastics compounds for luxury footwear manufacturers from its northern Italy facility.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
API S.p.A industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Footwear Plastics & Thermoplastic Elastomers
- NAICS
- Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521), Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)
- SIC
- Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE/TPU/TPV) Compounds (IMANABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Rubber & Bio-elastomers (bio-based TPEs, natural rubber innovations) (IMANANAG), Biodegradable Elastomers & Rubbers (IMAEAOAI)
Keywords
Where API S.p.A is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mussolino
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
API S.p.A business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Specialty Materials Sales: API S.p.A generates revenue through the sale of thermoplastic elastomer compounds, TPU materials, color masterbatches, and bioplastics to luxury footwear manufacturers. Products are sold as formulated materials rather than finished goods, with revenue driven by volume and product complexity.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
API S.p.A product offering
Product offeringCore offering
API S.p.A researches, develops, and produces specialty thermoplastic elastomer compounds — including TPU, TPO, TPC, and TPS-SEBS polymers and masterbatches — as well as bio-based and biodegradable plastics, marketed under brands APILON™, APICOLOR™, APIGO™, API L™, APINAT™, and MEGOL™. These formulated materials are sold to luxury footwear manufacturers for use in soles, sports footwear components, and fashion accessories, providing customized aesthetics, lightweight performance, durability, and sustainability.
Product overview
Trinseo's footwear and fashion solutions portfolio was significantly expanded through the July 2017 acquisition of Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali S.p.A. (API S.p.A.), a renowned partner for luxury footwear manufacturers. The company provides a complete portfolio of TPE, TPU, and bioplastics customized for footwear and fashion applications. Key product families include: APICOLOR™ color solutions (masterbatches and color compounds for luxury fashion and footwear); APILON™ 52 series of TPUs (including BIO bio-based, A/C thermoabrasion resistant, and ECO sustainable variants); and APIGO™ TPO compounds. The portfolio emphasizes core properties including aesthetics (wide gloss range, colorability), lightweight and low density, durability (abrasion, UV, ozone, weather resistance), processability (shorter cycle times vs. rubber), and sustainability (bio-based, biodegradable, and recyclable options).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- APICOLOR™ Color Solutions Portfolio of color masterbatches and color compounds designed to supply customers with uniformly finished products meeting luxury fashion and footwear markets' narrow product development timelines. Includes fluorescent color masterbatches for footwear. Targets footwear manufacturers.
- APILON™ 52 BIO Bio-based TPU Bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) developed to meet growing global demand for environmentally friendly materials in footwear. Combines excellent physical-mechanical properties and aesthetics with sustainable bio-based composition. Intended for footwear manufacturers seeking sustainable materials.
- APILON™ 52 A/C Thermoabrasion Resistant TPU Range of TPUs designed as a replacement for vulcanized rubber while enabling molders to obtain production efficiencies with shorter cycle times compared to rubber processing. Features thermoabrasion resistance for demanding footwear applications.
- APILON™ 52 ECO TPU Sustainable TPU solution developed for competitive footwear markets, offering environmental benefits combined with performance characteristics suitable for athletic and fashion applications.
- APILON™ 52 TPU Polymers and Compounds Comprehensive range of thermoplastic polyurethane polymers and compounds for footwear applications, providing solutions across various performance requirements.
- API L™ TPC Compounds Thermoplastic copolyester (TPC) compounds from the API S.p.A. portfolio, part of Trinseo's expanded elastomer offerings for footwear and fashion applications.
- APIGO™ TPO Compounds Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) compounds for footwear applications, offering lightweight properties and durability for athletic and fashion footwear.
- APINAT™ BIO Biodegradable TPC Compounds Biodegradable thermoplastic copolyester (TPC) compounds developed for sustainable footwear, combining environmental benefits with performance properties.
- MEGOL™ BIO Bio-based TPS-SEBS Compounds Bio-based thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPS-SEBS) compounds for sustainable footwear solutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Products recyclable according to Association of Plastic Recyclers definition based on OECD guidelines and LIFE16 ENV/ES00254 European Union project data
Companies that use API S.p.A
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
API S.p.A technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
API S.p.A partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TrinseocoreAPI S.p.A (Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali S.p.A.) was acquired by Trinseo in July 2017. This acquisition expanded Trinseo's portfolio of products for the footwear industry, combining API's renowned expertise in soft plastics solutions with Trinseo's global materials capabilities. The northern Italy facility continues to serve as a center of excellence for luxury footwear manufacturing solutions.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
API S.p.A competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Huntsman: IROGRAN and AVALON TPU lines serve athletic and casual footwear applications; specialty chemical peer with comparable TPU compound focus to API's APILON series.
- Kuraray: Producer of Hytrel thermoplastic polyester elastomers and SEPTON styrenic TPEs used in footwear and sports applications; directly comparable specialty elastomer compounder to API.
- EMS-Chemie: Swiss specialty polymers producer (Grilamid, Grilon, Grilflex) supplying high-performance nylon and TPE materials into footwear and lifestyle segments; comparable mid-sized specialty compounder.
- Avient: Specialty TPE compounder (reSound, Versaflex) with a meaningful footprint in footwear and consumer goods; comparable to API in serving brand customers with customized soft-touch polymer solutions.
- HEXPOL TPE: Specialty TPE compound producer (Dryflex, Mediprene, Lifoflex) serving consumer goods including footwear; comparable mid-sized European competitor with custom compounding capabilities similar to API.
- Lubrizol (Berkshire Hathaway): Specialty producer of Estane TPU and other engineered polymers for footwear, including bio-based variants; competes head-to-head with API's APILON portfolio for design-ins at global footwear brands.
Broad incumbents
- Covestro: Major TPU producer (Desmopan, Texin) serving footwear and lifestyle applications; directly comparable to API as a broad incumbent with deep R&D and global customer reach in footwear elastomers.
- Solvay: Specialty chemical major with engineered polymers (including bio-based and recycled-content offerings) serving consumer goods and footwear end-markets; competes with API on sustainable material solutions.
- Wanhua Chemical: Large Asian chemical group producing TPU and other polyurethane materials for footwear, apparel and industrial uses; emerging global competitor to API in footwear-grade elastomers.
- BASF: Global chemical incumbent producing Elastollan TPU and broad footwear material solutions; competes with API in performance and bio-based TPU for athletic and fashion footwear customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
API S.p.A social profiles
Digital presenceAPI S.p.A financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
API S.p.A leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
API S.p.A funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
API S.p.A 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 API S.p.A
What does API S.p.A do?
API S.p.A researches, develops, and produces specialty thermoplastic elastomer compounds — including TPU, TPO, TPC, and TPS-SEBS polymers and masterbatches — as well as bio-based and biodegradable plastics, marketed under brands APILON™, APICOLOR™, APIGO™, API L™, APINAT™, and MEGOL™. These formulated materials are sold to luxury footwear manufacturers for use in soles, sports footwear components, and fashion accessories, providing customized aesthetics, lightweight performance, durability, and sustainability.
Is API S.p.A a public or private company?
API S.p.A is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was API S.p.A founded?
API S.p.A was founded in 1956. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is API S.p.A based?
API S.p.A is headquartered in Mussolino, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does API S.p.A make money?
One revenue line is on record: specialty Materials Sales.
Who are API S.p.A's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Huntsman, Kuraray, EMS-Chemie, Avient, HEXPOL TPE and Lubrizol (Berkshire Hathaway). Broad incumbents are Covestro, Solvay, Wanhua Chemical and BASF.
Does API S.p.A have an API?
No public API is recorded for API S.p.A.
What industry is API S.p.A in?
API S.p.A's product category is Specialty Footwear Plastics & Thermoplastic Elastomers. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANABAC, Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE/TPU/TPV) Compounds, with a secondary code of IMANANAG, Sustainable Rubber & Bio-elastomers (bio-based TPEs, natural rubber innovations). Its NAICS code is 32521 and its SIC code is 2821.