Gicar

What Gicar does

Gicar S.p.a is an Italian B2B chemical manufacturer founded in 1988 by Giuseppe Trombini, headquartered in Cerano (Novara) with a registered office in Milan. The company operates four product divisions: automotive fluids, industrial chemical products, flavors and fragrances, and surface treatment (Bonderite), supplying primarily major oil companies and chemical firms on a private-label and contract manufacturing basis. Since 1996 Gicar has sold directly to these customers, eliminating the dealer network, and positions itself as a top European producer in its segments.

The company's operations are anchored by a 190,000 m² total site area with 25,000 m² of covered production space, supplemented by an April 2023 acquisition of the former Henkel industrial complex in Cerano (approximately 6,500 m² additional covered area on a 12,000 m² plot). Aggregate production capacity exceeds 50,000 tonnes per year. Gicar maintains in-house R&D and applications laboratories staffed by internationally qualified chemists, is ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified, holds active memberships on ASTM, SAE, and CUNA standards committees, and operates in compliance with REACH and CLP chemical regulations. Augmented capacity supports logistics services including packaging, storage, and distribution.

Gicar's revenue model is B2B private-label and contract manufacturing, with pricing structured on a quote/per-tonne basis to major oil majors and chemical companies rather than through retail or dealer channels. The Flavors & Fragrances division extends the company into specialty chemicals serving consumer-facing end markets indirectly through its industrial customers. The 2023 Henkel complex acquisition and Bonderite distribution partnership signal continuing expansion of both physical capacity and product-line breadth in surface treatment technologies.

Name

Gicar

Legal name

Gicar S.p.a

Website

https://gicarspa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gicar is an Italian B2B chemical manufacturer founded in 1988, producing automotive fluids, industrial chemicals, flavors and fragrances, and surface treatment products on a private-label basis for major oil and chemical companies across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemical Manufacturing

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Aftermarket Fluids, Lubricants & Chemical Products Manufacturing (Oils/Coolants/Additives/Cleaners) (IMACANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lubricants, Fluids & Chemical Products Distribution (Oils, Coolants, AdBlue/DEF, Cleaners) (TLAKAOAL), Specialty Surfactants & Performance Additives (IMAEABAL), Coating & Adhesive Raw Materials (Resins, Additives, Solvents) (IMAEAGAK)

Keywords

• Automotive chemical manufacturing
• Brake fluid production
• Engine coolant manufacturing
• Industrial chemical supply
• Flavors and fragrances

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Products Sales: Gicar manufactures and commercializes chemical products including automotive fluids, industrial chemicals, flavors and fragrances, and surface treatment products. The company sells both finished products and raw materials to industrial customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Gicar manufactures and supplies chemical products on a B2B basis, including automotive fluids (engine coolants, brake fluids, detergents), industrial chemicals (base chemicals, polymers, solvents, intermediates for resins and fibers, food and pharmaceutical chemicals), and flavors and fragrances (essential oils, natural and synthetic raw materials). The company also distributes Henkel's Bonderite surface treatment products for the metal industry. Products are primarily sold under customers' own brands to major oil companies and chemical companies directly from its two production facilities in Cerano (NO), Italy.

Product overview

Gicar is a B2B chemical manufacturing and distribution company offering four core product lines: Automotive Fluids (engine coolants, brake fluids, detergents), Chemical Products (base chemicals, polymers, solvents for industrial/food/pharmaceutical use), Flavors & Fragrances (raw materials including essential oils, natural and synthetic products), and Surfaces Treatment (as authorized Bonderite distributor, providing metal pre-treatment, cleaners, and lubricants). The company complements its product portfolio with logistics services (bulk/packaged storage at Cerano facility), R&D services (quality control and product development with international standards expertise), and technical support (standards compliance, regulatory guidance, training, and laboratory testing).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Automotive Fluids Engine coolants (Standard/inorganic, Heavy Duty, OAT, Si-OAT, and other hybrids), brake fluids (DOT 3 through DOT 5 LV Class 7, including Racing Fluid and LHM), and automotive detergents (car interiors, exteriors, engine cleaners, waxes, industrial cleaners). Sold primarily under customer brand to oil companies and chemical companies.
• Chemical Products Base chemicals, polymers, intermediates for resins and fibers, solvents, natural polymers for industrial applications, and chemicals for food, pharmaceutical, and animal feed applications. Supplied to industrial manufacturers.
• Flavors & Fragrances Raw materials for fragrance and flavor industry including synthetic products, natural products, essential oils, emulsifiers, and solubilizers. Subcategories include natural products, essential oils, flavor products, and fragrance products.
• Bonderite Surface Treatment Products Authorized distribution of Henkel's Bonderite brand for the metal industry, including cleaners (neutral, acidic, alkaline, solvent, maintenance), metal pre-treatment solutions (zinc phosphate, iron phosphate, manganese phosphate, chromating, NGC coatings), specialty products (preventing coatings, paint detack, functional coatings, paint strippers), and lubricants (forging, general purpose, metal removal, forming).
• Logistics Services Storage and logistics services for bulk and packaged products at the Cerano site, with over 10,000 pallet spaces and capacity to store more than 3,000 tons of bulk products. Includes customer-specific warehouse management, flow monitoring, and product rotation.
• Research and Development Services R&D services with state-of-the-art laboratories equipped for analyses required by international standards for brake liquids and cooling liquids. Technical staff of qualified chemists engaged in quality control and development of high-performance, innovative products, leveraging international expert knowledge in chemical liquids for the automotive industry.
• Technical Support Services Technical support covering products and technologies, standards (as member of ASTM, SAE Brake Fluid Standard Committee, and CUNA), product safety regulations (CLP, REACH), technical training to customer sales forces, and laboratory testing of product performance.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Henkel (Bonderite)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGicar is an authorized distributor of Bonderite products by Henkel for the metal industry, offering pre-painting treatments, metal cleaning, and nanotechnologies. Bonderite products include cleaners, metal pre-treatment solutions, specialty coatings, and lubricants for various industrial applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Castrol (BP): Castrol-branded lubricants and automotive fluids owned by BP, including coolant and brake fluid offerings — relevant because Gicar supplies similar product categories under private label to oil majors like BP's peers.
• BASF: Global chemical manufacturing incumbent producing base chemicals, intermediates, and performance additives that overlap with Gicar's chemicals portfolio — a potential upstream supplier, customer, and competitor in specialty chemical formulations.
• TotalEnergies Lubrifiants: Lubricants and automotive fluids division of TotalEnergies, selling coolants, brake fluids, and specialty chemicals globally — both a potential customer archetype for Gicar's private-label supply model and a competitive brand owner in finished goods.
• Fuchs Petrolub: German-listed global leader in industrial lubricants and automotive specialty fluids, operating across coolants, brake fluids, and metalworking chemicals — comparable product categories with a much broader geographic and channel footprint.

Direct peers

• Arteco: Belgian-based specialty coolant and heat-transfer fluid manufacturer, one of the closest direct competitors to Gicar in the European engine coolant and industrial fluid market, with similar OEM and oil-company customer overlap.
• Liqui Moly: German manufacturer of automotive and industrial chemicals including motor oils, additives, brake fluids, and coolants — directly comparable in product portfolio, with a stronger aftermarket/retail brand than Gicar's B2B model.

Others

• Henkel: Owner of the Bonderite brand that Gicar distributes under authorized partnership, and the prior owner of the Cerano industrial complex Gicar acquired in 2023 — directly tied to Gicar's surface treatment business and recent capacity expansion.

Emerging players

• Ralston (Smitty's Supply / Hot Shot's Secret): Manufacturer of automotive and industrial coolants, brake fluids, and specialty chemicals with European distribution — comparable in product mix and niche industrial-fluid focus, though with a more retail-leaning brand presence.
• Ergon Inc. US-based specialty refiner and chemical manufacturer producing process oils, base stocks, and specialty additives for industrial and automotive applications — comparable in specialty chemical positioning and private/family-controlled operating model.

Regional players

• Italmatch Chemicals: Italian-headquartered specialty chemicals group producing additives, polymers, and intermediates for industrial applications — comparable Italian origin and overlapping specialty chemical product lines with Gicar's chemical products division.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 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 Gicar