AGC

What AGC does

AGC Plasma Technology Solutions is the industrial vacuum coating equipment business unit of AGC Group (TYO: 5201, formerly Asahi Glass), a Japanese diversified conglomerate. The unit, headquartered in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, designs, manufactures, and commissions custom-built thin-film deposition equipment based on PVD (magnetron sputtering) and PECVD processes, supported by proprietary technologies including PlasmaMAX™ Hollow Cathode PECVD, iOSMB magnet bar for sub-0.3% coating uniformity, HiPIMS, and ECR ion beam implantation. Its three core equipment platforms are Sheet-to-Sheet coaters, Roll-to-Roll coaters, and Custom-Built systems, complemented by the New Expert System (NES) software for inline quality control.

The company serves seven primary verticals: architectural and automotive glass (including in-house FeelInGlass® automotive cockpit solutions), astronomical mirrors (e.g., the 798-segment ELT primary mirror for the European Southern Observatory), display and LiDAR cover screens, textiles (PFAS-free water repellency, metallization), polymer films, battery technology (silicon anodes with GDI, solid-state electrolytes with BTRY, lithium metal with ABEE), and solar thermal/electrolyzer components. Demonstration centers in Germany, Belgium, and the USA allow customers to prototype and validate coatings before equipment purchase.

AGC Plasma monetizes through custom turnkey equipment sales (one-time license / multi-year EPC projects), prototyping and toll-coating services at its demonstration centers, and recurring after-sales SLAs, training, and software subscriptions. Go-to-market is consultative enterprise field sales supported by regional business development managers across Europe, North America, and rest of world. The unit leverages 40+ years of in-house production experience from AGC's architectural glass operations as a key competitive differentiator.

Name

AGC

Legal name

AGC Glass Europe S.A.

Website

https://agc-plasma.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

AGC Plasma Technology Solutions, a business unit of AGC Group, designs and manufactures custom industrial vacuum thin-film coating equipment (PVD and PECVD) for architectural/automotive glass, battery technology, textiles, astronomical mirrors, and green hydrogen applications, serving enterprise and research customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Vacuum Coating Equipment

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Coating, Painting & Plating (Powder Coat, Anodizing, Electroplating, PVD/CVD) (IMAAAGAI)

Keywords

• Industrial vacuum coating
• Thin film deposition
• PVD sputtering equipment
• PECVD coating systems
• Roll-to-roll coaters

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. Industrial Vacuum Coating Equipment Sales: Design, manufacture, and installation of custom industrial vacuum coating equipment (PVD and PECVD systems). Revenue generated from equipment sales, engineering services, and turnkey project delivery including EPC services.
2. Coating Services and Prototyping: Demonstration centers offer toll coating and prototyping services where customers can develop and validate coatings before investing in own equipment.
3. After-Sales Services and Upgrades: Lifetime service, maintenance, upgrades, and remote support for installed equipment including Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AGC Plasma Technology Solutions designs, manufactures, and installs custom industrial vacuum coating equipment based on Physical Vapor Deposition (magnetron sputtering) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD). Offerings cover Sheet-to-Sheet, Roll-to-Roll, and Custom-Built coater platforms, supplemented by demonstration-center toll coating, prototyping, EPC turnkey project delivery, and lifetime service-level agreements.

Product overview

AGC Plasma Technology Solutions offers a comprehensive portfolio of industrial vacuum thin-film coating equipment and technologies. The product lineup consists of three core equipment platforms: (1) Sheet-to-Sheet Coaters for batch processing suitable for R&D and low-volume production; (2) Roll-to-Roll Coaters including semi-industrial lines for flexible substrates; and (3) Custom Built Equipment for specialized applications. Supporting the equipment are key technology platforms including Magnetron Sputtering (PVD), PECVD (PlasmaMAX™), Ion Beam Implantation Systems, and HiPIMS. The New Expert System (NES) software provides quality control and calibration, while iOSMB technology ensures coating uniformity. AGC serves industries including architectural/automotive glass, astronomical mirrors, displays/LiDAR, textiles, battery technology, and solar/energy applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• S2S High-Throughput Mass Production Line Linear inline Sheet-to-Sheet system for high-throughput mass production coating with advanced automation and process control. Substrates move through connected chambers on carriers with automated loading and unloading, delivering lowest total cost of ownership for industrial flat-glass and ophthalmic lens coating.
• R2R Semi-Industrial Line for Small Series Production Pre-industrial Roll-to-Roll platform for coating flexible substrates combining rotatable and planar magnetrons with PECVD sources. Used for pilot coating or small-scale manufacturing of Low-E films, conductive ITO, battery materials, and flexible circuits.
• Custom Built Equipment Tailored vacuum coating systems with customized vacuum chambers, deposition sources, and substrate handling mechanisms optimized for specialized applications and unique product property requirements. AGC Plasma's flagship offering for unique industrial coating challenges.
• Sheet-to-Sheet Coaters Batch coating systems for processing substrates in discrete groups, suitable for R&D, prototyping, and high-mix low-volume production runs of architectural, automotive, and ophthalmic glass.
• Roll-to-Roll Coaters Continuous coating systems for flexible substrates, enabling high-volume production of coated films and textiles with consistent quality. Includes the semi-industrial R2R line and is used for PFAS-free textile finishes, battery materials, and flexible circuits.
• New Expert System (NES) Software platform for quality control and calibration of coater applications, featuring inline optical measurement processing, dynamic visualization, and real-time uniformity monitoring with countermeasure recommendations for installed vacuum coating equipment.
• Proof of Concept and Prototyping Services Toll coating and prototyping services at demonstration centers in Lauenförde (Germany), Sacramento (USA), and the AGC Technovation Centre in Gosselies (Belgium) for inventors, universities, research institutes, and industrial product developers to scale up and validate plasma coating processes.
• Engineering and EPC Turnkey Project Delivery Custom engineering, procurement, and construction services for industrial coating installations, including piping, civil, mechanical, structural, electrical, and instrumentation disciplines, delivered as turnkey projects from concept to commissioning.
• After-Sales Service Level Agreements Lifetime service, maintenance, upgrades, operator training, and remote support including smart-glass assisted troubleshooting for installed AGC Plasma coating equipment under Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Quantifiable outcome

• Material utilization improved from 30-40% to 80%+ using rotary sputtering targets
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• GDI (Global Battery Innovation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2023Comprehensive Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to industrialize 100% silicon anode battery technology using AGC's PlasmaMAX™ PECVD platform. AGC provides process development, customized industrial coating equipment, and EPC services. Successfully demonstrated Roll-to-Roll production process for silicon anodes. Planning 100 MWh manufacturing plant.
• ABEEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration as part of EU-funded Horizon STELLAR project for thermal evaporation to produce ultra-thin lithium metal layers without contamination, with integrated protective coatings via magnetron sputtering in a single pass.
• BTRYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for development of solid-state LiPON electrolytes using DC sputtering from doped LiPON targets, enabling industrial scalability instead of traditional RF sputtering.
• CentexbelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration for development of silicon polymer-based hydrophobic coatings for textiles.
• HAWK (Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaft und Kunst)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop roll-to-roll lab coater for creating barrier and hydrophobic layers on paper substrates as sustainable packaging alternative.
• FeelInGlass®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGC Plasma upscaled FeelInGlass® operations by installing thin-film coating line at AGC Roccasecca, Italy. Successful completion of Final Acceptance Test for multi-stack optical coatings on thin glass sheets.
• Schlenk MetallfolienminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Silicon Anode Alliance coordinated marketing activities alongside AGC and GDI.
• STELLAR Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative for next-generation solid-state batteries including partners: AVESTA, CIDETEC, CSEM, Comau, Fraunhofer ITWM, ZEISS Group, ZEISS Spectroscopy, Università degli Studi di Torino, Politecnico di Milano, IKERLAN, Belenos Clean Power Holding Ltd, HSSMI, LiPLANET, INOVA+, Ceit Research Center.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IHI Hauzer Techno Coating: Netherlands-based manufacturer of industrial PVD and PACVD coating systems for automotive, decorative and tooling applications; comparable large-area industrial coating equipment offerings to AGC Plasma.
• Satisloh: Swiss supplier of optical coating equipment and lens manufacturing systems, including PVD for ophthalmic and precision optics; comparable custom vacuum coater business serving similar optical-grade customers.
• CemeCon: German manufacturer of PVD and HiPIMS coating equipment for precision tools and components; comparable proprietary HiPIMS technology and custom industrial coating system deliveries.
• Singulus Technologies: German vacuum coating equipment maker serving solar, semiconductor, optical disc and decorative coatings; similar custom industrial PVD/PECVD tool deliveries with comparable end markets to AGC Plasma.
• Evatec: Swiss manufacturer of thin-film deposition equipment (PVD, PECVD, ALD) serving optics, semiconductor, photonics and display customers; directly comparable technology stack and similar project-based custom equipment model.
• Optorun: Japanese supplier of optical thin-film coating equipment (sputtering, evaporation) for smartphone covers, AR/VR lenses and automotive optics; overlapping technology stack with AGC Plasma's display, LiDAR and ophthalmic business.
• Von Ardenne: German industrial vacuum coating equipment maker specializing in large-area PVD and PECVD systems for architectural glass, automotive, batteries and solar — almost identical product portfolio and customer base to AGC Plasma.
• Bühler Leybold Optics: Bühler Group's Leybold Optics division produces vacuum coating systems for ophthalmic lenses, architectural glass and automotive — directly overlapping with AGC Plasma's ophthalmic, architectural and automotive glass coating business.

Broad incumbents

• Applied Materials: Global semiconductor and display equipment giant whose Display & Flexible Technology group sells large-area PVD/PECVD coaters for flat-panel and flexible substrates — much larger and broader portfolio, but overlapping technologies and customer segments with AGC Plasma.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/agc-plasma-technology-solutions

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 AGC