AUTO K HERPE SAS

What AUTO K HERPE SAS does

Auto-K Herpé S.A.S. is the French sales and distribution subsidiary of Peter Kwasny GmbH, a 100% family-owned German manufacturer of aerosol spray paints for automotive paint repair. The entity is registered at 100 route de Forbach, Spicheren, France, with 13 employees, and serves as the French market contact point for the Auto-K brand portfolio. The underlying business manufactures and markets pre-filled aerosol cans containing automotive paints, primers, clear coats, rust converters, and specialty coatings, organized around two main product groups: Lackiervorbereitung (painting preparation — derusting, repair resins, putties, sanding) and Lacksprays (spray paints, segmented into Basic, Special, Universal, Effect, Tuning, Original and additional sub-brands Multona, SprayTEC, Racing, Spraila, and Fill In System).

Core technology centers on 1-coat (1K nitro combination resin) and 2-coat (2K acrylic resin with clear lacquer) aerosol paint systems, supported by an OEM color-matching library of approximately 650 original manufacturer colors delivered in 150 ml spray sets and 9 ml touch-up pencils. Proprietary mechanical elements include the Kwasny nozzle set and spray hand grip. The Fill In System offers refillable cans (400 ml cans filled with 100 ml of paint using Kwasny filling equipment). The portfolio is tiered by channel: Auto-K ORIGINAL targets color-accurate OEM repairs, Universal/Effect address standard DIY, Racing/Spraila serve entry-level retail tiers, and SprayTEC covers technical aerosols (brake cleaner, rust solvent, underbody protection).

The revenue model is straightforward product sale of branded consumables through brand retailers, automotive specialty stores, DIY/home improvement chains, and the company's own e-commerce sites (auto-k.de, kwasny.com, kwasny.fr). Customer segments split between individual DIY car owners (primary) and professional auto repair shops (secondary). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. There is no AI, no API, no software product, and no disclosed enterprise contract layer; the company is a pure consumer/SMB specialty chemicals distributor with brand, formulation, and channel as the principal assets.

Name

AUTO K HERPE SAS

Legal name

Auto-K Herpé S.A.S.

Website

https://auto-k.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Auto-K Herpé S.A.S. is the French subsidiary of Peter Kwasny GmbH, distributing the family's Auto-K brand of aerosol spray paints, primers, clear coats, and specialty coatings to DIY car owners and professional auto repair shops across France via retailers and its own e-commerce sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gundelsheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aerosol spray paint products: Sale of pre-filled aerosol spray cans containing automotive paints, primers, clear coats, and specialty coatings for vehicle repair and customization

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Auto-K Herpé S.A.S. distributes and sells the Auto-K brand of aerosol spray paints and paint preparation products for automotive repair, touch-up, and customization. The portfolio spans original manufacturer color tones (approximately 650 spray colors and ~300 touch-up pencil colors), primers, clear coats, specialty sprays (heat-resistant, wheel, plastic), effect finishes, peelable Liquid Gum coatings, technical aerosols and underbody protection, plus accessories.

Product overview

Auto-K is a spray paint and paint preparation product company founded by Peter Kwasny, operating as a 100% family-owned business (now in second generation) under Peter Kwasny GmbH. The product portfolio is organized around two main categories: (1) Lackiervorbereitung (Painting Preparation) — derusting, repairing, filling/spachteln, and sanding products; and (2) Lacksprays (Spray Paints) organized into six sub-brands: BASIC (primers and clear coats), SPECIAL (heat-resistant and specialty sprays), UNIVERSAL (standard automotive colors), EFFECT (chrome, gold, copper, neon, metallic finishes), TUNING (Liquid Gum peelable film), and ORIGINAL (original factory color tones in spray sets and touch-up pencils with ~650 spray colors and ~300 touch-up pencil colors). Additional sub-brands include MULTONA (approximate color shade system), SprayTEC (technical aerosols and underbody protection), Racing (entry-level), Spraila (price-introduction), and Fill In System (refillable cans). Accessories include nozzle sets and spray hand grips. The company also provides digital color tone search tools, safety data sheets, product catalogs, and painting tips/tricks resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Multona: An approximate colour shade system for simple, fast and inexpensive paint repairs on cars.
• SprayTEC
• Racing
• Spraila
• Fill In System

Products and services

• Lackiervorbereitung (Painting Preparation) Preparation products for automotive paint repair including derusting agents, fiberglass repair materials, polyester and epoxy resins, putty/filling products for different applications, and sanding sponges, blocks, wet and dry sanding paper. Targeted at DIY car owners and professional auto body shops performing vehicle paint repair.
• BASIC Spray Paints High-quality primers and clear coats for preparation before top coat painting, including anti-corrosion primer, spray filler, filler primer, plastics adhesion primer, aluminium primer, zinc dust spray, zinc-alu spray, rust converter, protection clear lacquer, and 2-coat clear lacquer. For DIY users and auto body professionals.
• SPECIAL Spray Paints Specialty spray paints for specific automotive applications including heat-resistant paints (300°C and 650°C), exhaust spray, wheel/rim spray, plastic spray paint, brake caliper paint, aluminium spray, transparent spray, and transparent remover. For DIYers and professional mechanics.
• UNIVERSAL Auto-Lackspray Universally applicable car paint sprays in the most common automotive sector colors. Fast drying with good leveling properties and high yield, designed for quick, cost-optimized paint repairs. For individual car owners and professionals.
• EFFECT Spray Paints Effect spray paints for decorative applications on metal, sheet metal, or plastics, including neon spray paint, chrome effect, gold effect, copper effect, and brilliant metallic finishes. Targeted at hobbyists, customizers, and tuning enthusiasts.
• Liquid Gum Peelable Coating Peelable sprayable elastomer film with grip effect for protection, decoration and design on vehicles and everyday objects. Available in black, white, colorless, brilliant blue, neon pink, neon green, and neon orange, and removable without residue after curing. For individual consumers and tuners.
• ORIGINAL Auto-K Spray-Set and Touch-up Pencils Original factory color tones for vehicles in 150ml spray sets (approximately 650 original manufacturer colors) and 9ml touch-up pencils (approximately 300 colors). Weather and light resistant with high color accuracy, available as 1-coat or 2-coat paint systems. For DIY car owners and professional body shops.
• MULTONA Approximate color shade system based on a finely graduated color spectrum for simple, fast and inexpensive paint repairs. Includes spray paint and 9ml touch-up pencils for small spot repairs. For individual car owners.
• SprayTEC Technical aerosols for repair, maintenance, value conservation and cleaning, including brake cleaner, electro protect, contact cleaner, copper spray, PTFE spray, rust solvent, foam cleaner, silicone spray, white grease, jumper spray, vaseline spray, plus underbody protection products (bitumen black, stone chip protection, cavity sealing). For professional workshops and DIYers.
• Racing Price entry-level spray paint brand for construction supply and DIY stores with a compact assortment including 2-coat clear lacquer, heat resistant paint 650°C, anti-corrosion primer, wheel spray, paint sprays, RAL colors, universal primer filler, zinc-alu spray, and chrome effect. For DIY consumers.
• Spraila Price introduction brand for specialized car parts shops offering a compact, fast-turning assortment for simple repairs at low price, including 2-coat clear lacquer, wheel spray, heat resistant paint 650°C, anti-corrosion primer, paint sprays, and universal primer filler. For automotive retail and DIY consumers.
• Fill In System Spray cans pre-filled with propellant gas and solvent for one-time filling with paints using Kwasny filling equipment; a 400ml can is typically filled with 100ml of paint. For professional refinishers and body shops needing custom colors.
• Kwasny Nozzle Set Nozzle set with 4 different nozzle types for small, medium and large surfaces; includes 6 nozzles total (Art. No. 746 203). For users of Auto-K spray cans needing application flexibility.
• Kwasny Spray Hand Grip Spray can handle for simple and familiar handling during painting (Art. No. 746 200 bulk, 746 202 blistered). For DIYers and professionals using aerosol cans.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Montana Colors (MTN): Spanish-based aerosol paint manufacturer with strong presence in automotive, customization, and DIY spray colors; competes directly with Auto-K across effect, base, and clear aerosols and shares a European specialty-channel go-to-market.
• MOTIP DUPLI Group: European aerosol coatings leader owning the Dupli-Color and MOTIP brands; directly competes with Auto-K in automotive spray-paint cans for repair and custom finishes and is Auto-K's closest large-scale specialist competitor.
• Rust-Oleum: Global specialty coatings brand with a sizable automotive touch-up and aerosol paint portfolio; overlaps with Auto-K in DIY spray color retail and is a comparable branded consumer coatings competitor.
• PlastiKote: Long-established aerosol paint brand with automotive touch-up and decorative sprays; comparable to Auto-K on retail-channel distribution and on DIY spray-can repair applications.

Others

• Würth: Europe's largest specialist supplier of automotive workshop consumables; adjacent because it bundles technical aerosols and repair chemistry into the same professional and DIY channels Auto-K targets.

Broad incumbents

• BASF Coatings: Global automotive OEM and refinish coatings supplier; comparable on automotive coating chemistry and color-matching systems, although not a direct DIY aerosol competitor.
• Krylon (Sherwin-Williams): Major North-American spray paint brand owned by a global coatings giant; competes broadly in the same DIY aerosol paint category as Auto-K and is the global-scale benchmark for branded spray paint economics.
• PPG Industries: Global coatings major with significant automotive refinish and consumer aerosol product lines; relevant as the upper-tier incumbent whose refinish and small-batch retail products bracket Auto-K's category.

Regional players

• Halfords: Leading UK automotive aftermarket retailer stocking its own private-label and branded aerosol touch-up paints; a regional channel/retail peer for Auto-K's automotive repair DIY products in adjacent European geographies.

Emerging players

• Spray.bike: Specialist aerosol paint brand built around bicycle (and broader custom) coatings with strong digital/community brand building; an emerging niche competitor to Auto-K's UNIVERSAL and EFFECT lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/auto-k-herpe-sas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 AUTO K HERPE SAS