What Southern Polyurethanes does

Southern Polyurethanes, Inc. (SPI) is a second-generation, family-owned specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1998 and headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. The company formulates and produces premium polyurethane automotive coatings, including clearcoats, primers, basecoats, single-stage paints, reducers, and additives, with flagship products priced between $30 and $372 per unit. Its formulations are engineered to meet VOC-compliance standards, including California-specific environmental requirements, which is a gating capability for sale into the largest U.S. specialty coatings market.

The company's go-to-market is built around a network of authorized jobbers across the United States and Canada, supplemented by direct phone orders and international freight-forwarder arrangements for overseas customers. SPI cultivates brand credibility through results-driven placements such as Pebble Beach concours winners and SEMA Show features, and engages enthusiast and professional restoration audiences via events such as the Fort Wayne Rod & Custom Show. Named end users include specialist restoration shops such as RM Auto, Hulst Customs, and Gillis Performance, indicating a long-tail customer base of professional custom painters and serious enthusiasts rather than enterprise OEM accounts. The business model is straightforward unit-sale economics through distribution, with no disclosed subscription, licensing, or recurring-service component.

Name

Southern Polyurethanes

Legal name

Southern Polyurethanes, Inc.

Website

https://southernpolyurethanes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Polyurethanes is a family-owned specialty manufacturer of premium polyurethane automotive coatings, selling clears, primers, basecoats, and additives through a U.S. and Canadian jobber network to professional restoration shops and automotive enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Coatings

NAICS

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

Industrial Protective Coatings (IMADAKAB)

Keywords

• Automotive polyurethane coatings
• Automotive clearcoats
• Automotive primers
• Auto refinishing products
• Urethane basecoat paints

Headquarters

HQ city

Blairsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Clearcoat Sales: One-time sale of clearcoat products including Production Clear, Speed Clear, Euro Clear, and Universal Clear in various sizes (gallon, quart). Revenue generated per unit sold with no recurring component.
2. Primer Sales: Sales of various primer types: 2K primers (Standard, High Build, Turbo), Epoxy Primer, and 2K Sealer in multiple colors and sizes.
3. Reducers and Solvents: Sales of urethane reducers (Fast, Medium, Slow, Very Slow), Low VOC reducers, wax and grease removers, retarders, accelerators, and blending solvents.
4. Basecoat and Single Stage Paints: Sales of basecoat colors (White, Black, Red, Orange, Sandstone, Olive Drab, etc.) and single stage paints in various colors. Also includes Intercoat Clear for blending and flake work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southern Polyurethanes manufactures premium polyurethane automotive refinishing coatings in-house at its Blairsville, Georgia facility. Its product system spans clearcoats, 2K and epoxy primers, basecoats, single stage paints, urethane reducers, wax and grease removers, activators, and related solvents/additives. The company sells primarily through an authorized jobber/distributor network in the US and Canada, supplemented by direct phone orders and international export, targeting professional restorers, body shops, and serious automotive enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tropical Glitz: Custom colors and kustom paint offerings referenced on SPI website for special paint finishes

Products and services

• Production Clear 2.1 VOC Medium solids 2.1 VOC clear coat for automotive refinishing, activated with 2101-2104-4 activators; available in gallon or quart sizes for restoration and custom paint applications.
• Speed Clear 2.1 VOC Medium solids 2.1 VOC panel clear designed for fast production-shop cycle times, available in 3/4 gallon packaging.
• Universal Clearcoat (4.4 VOC) Highest solids restoration clear with high gloss and flexibility, designed to be easy to spray, hard to run, and easy to buff even months after application; used on Pebble Beach Concours winners.
• Universal Clearcoat 2.1 VOC California-compliant version of the highest solids restoration clear with the same high-gloss, easy-buff characteristics and 2.1 VOC formulation.
• Euro Clearcoat 2.1 VOC 2.1 VOC clearcoat formulated to replicate factory orange peel texture, popular for mobile repair, wheel refinishing, and woodworking.
• Euro Clear 2020 4.4 VOC clearcoat requiring urethane reducer, popular for mobile repair, wheel repair, woodworking, and heavy-flake applications.
• 2020 Premium Intercoat Clear Clear intercoat/basecoat used as a midcoat for blending and flake work, with flexible 1:1 to 1:3 reduction ratio.
• Turbo 2K Primer High build 2K primer available in Gray, Black, or White, providing 2-2.5 mils per coat with minimal shrinkage in the first three hours.
• 2K High Build Primer Two-component high-solids urethane primer designed to fill chips and cracks, available in Gray in gallon size.
• 2K Regular Primer Standard 2K primer in Gray or Black for general automotive refinishing use, available in gallon or quart sizes.
• 2K Sealer 2K sealer in Gray, White, or Black providing 15-30 minute sand time when used as a sealer coat.
• Epoxy Primer

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Doug Kennedy (Canadian Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoug Kennedy serves as the primary contact for all Canadian orders and distribution. He is responsible for managing the SPI product distribution network throughout Canada.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• USC (Ultimate Surface Coatings): Manufacturer of polyester putties, primers, and clearcoats serving the restoration and body shop market, with overlapping primer and clearcoat SKUs and similar independent-distributor go-to-market.
• Speedokote: Polyurethane clearcoat and primer brand (S-277, S-242) sold online and through jobbers to collision and restoration shops. Direct competitor on 2K clearcoat and primer SKUs at similar price points.
• House of Kolor: Premium custom and restoration coatings brand (Kolor-Savr, Show Clear, Shimrin basecoats) sold to custom painters and restoration shops. Closely comparable niche positioning to SPI in the show-car and restoration segment.
• Matrix System Automotive Finishes: Premium automotive refinish coatings brand offering primers, clears, basecoats, and toners aimed at custom painters and body shops. Comparable mid-size competitor with VOC-compliant product lines.

Broad incumbents

• PPG Industries (Automotive Refinish): Global coatings giant with a major automotive refinish business (PPG Refinish, including the Envirobase and Deltron lines) sold through warehouse distributors like FinishMaster. Competes with SPI across primers, clears, and basecoats but at vastly larger scale and broader market.
• Axalta Coating Systems: Major global automotive refinish coatings manufacturer (Cromax, Spies Hecker, Standox brands) sold through warehouse distribution. Overlaps with SPI on 2K primers, clears, and basecoats but targets collision shops at much higher volume.
• Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes: Sherwin-Williams' automotive refinish division (Ultra 7000, Dimension) supplies primers, clears, and basecoats to collision and fleet customers, overlapping with SPI's product range and US/Canada distribution model.
• BASF (Glasurit / R-M / Limco): BASF's Coatings division supplies premium refinish brands (Glasurit 90 Line, R-M Onyx HD) directly to body shops. Comparable premium product tier with similar polyurethane clearcoat and primer technologies.

Emerging players

• Eastwood: Direct-to-consumer retailer and private-label brand (Eastwood Automotive Finishes) targeting the same DIY restorer audience SPI serves, but using e-commerce rather than jobber distribution.
• DB Custom (Restoration Shop): Direct-to-consumer brand selling affordable single-stage and basecoat-clearcoat refinish kits to hobbyist restorers. Targets the same DIY enthusiast segment as SPI but via e-commerce rather than jobbers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/s_polyurethanes
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/144021590307
• Instagraminstagram.com/southernpolyurethanes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-urethane

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Southern Polyurethanes