H.J.Unkel Group

What H.J.Unkel Group does

H.J. Unkel Group (翁开尔集团) is a privately-held, family-owned B2B distribution and agency group founded in 1925 in Shanghai, now headquartered in Hong Kong with primary operating entity 翁开尔（上海）国际贸易有限公司 (H.J. Unkel (Shanghai) International Trading Co., Ltd.) and branches in Beijing, Guangdong, and Shandong, plus a subsidiary in Malaysia. The group operates as the exclusive or authorized agent/distributor for over 20 international principals — including Q-LAB (USA, weathering/aging test chambers), Anseros (Germany, ozone equipment), Ceronas and Euroceras (Germany/Poland, micronized and PE/polyester waxes), Levaco (Germany, agrochemical surfactants), SITA (Germany, surface tension), VMA-Getzmann (Germany, dispersers), Rhopoint (UK, appearance measurement including the TAMS co-developed with Volkswagen/Audi), Konica Minolta (Japan, color measurement), Coatmaster (Switzerland, non-contact coating thickness), Labman (UK, automated fineness analyzers), TQC sheen (Netherlands/UK, coating QC), Industrial Physics/Ray-Ran (UK, physical testing), Orontec (Germany, liquid film color), Mageleka (UK, NMR analyzers), Leneta (USA, test charts), CHT (Germany, specialty chemicals), Indulor (Germany, acrylic polymers), OERTEN and LAU (Germany, automotive paint testing) — supplying imported testing instruments and chemical raw materials (wax emulsions, dispersants, defoamers, rheology modifiers, wetting agents) to Chinese industrial customers in coatings, inks, plastics/rubber, agrochemicals, and automotive OEM segments.

The business runs on a direct B2B field-sales model with regional sales coverage, a 2019-established in-house laboratory and technology center in Shanghai for formulation development, performance testing, and after-sales repair/maintenance, and a customer experience center at its Minhang District headquarters. Marketing is executed through annual participation in major industry exhibitions (CHINACOAT, CHINAPLAS, CAC, European Coatings Show), technical seminars, a WeChat public account, and a 24-hour inquiry response system. Revenue is generated via quote-based, multi-year negotiated contracts on instrument sales and chemical material supply, supplemented by professional services revenue from the laboratory testing center; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The group celebrated its 100th anniversary in November 2025 and is led by Group CEO Andrea Unkel, with General Manager Jimmy Bei (贝杰) and a dedicated sales and instrumentation technology leadership team in Shanghai.

Name

H.J.Unkel Group

Legal name

翁开尔（上海）国际贸易有限公司 (H.J. Unkel (Shanghai) International Trading Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://hjunkel-china.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

H.J. Unkel Group is a 100-year-old, family-owned B2B distribution and agency group headquartered in Hong Kong with a Shanghai operating base, representing over 20 international manufacturers of testing instruments and chemical raw materials for Chinese coatings, inks, plastics, agrochemical, and automotive customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals and Testing Instruments Distribution

NAICS

Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Test, Measurement & Lab Equipment Retail (CRACAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Industrial chemical distribution
• Testing instrument agency
• Coatings additives supply
• Specialty chemical import
• Laboratory equipment distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing & Technical Services: H.J. Unkel operates a laboratory and technology center in Shanghai (established 2019) providing formulation development, product performance evaluation, and testing services to customers in coatings, inks, plastics, and agrochemical sectors.
2. Distribution and Agency of Imported Instruments and Chemical Raw Materials: As an authorized distributor/agent of multiple international brands (Q-LAB, Anseros, Ceronas, Euroceras, Levaco, SITA, VMA, Rhopoint, Konica Minolta, RK, Coatmaster, Labman, TQC sheen, Industrial Physics, Orontec, Mageleka, Leneta, and others), the company earns revenue through the sale of imported testing instruments and chemical additives to Chinese industrial customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

H.J. Unkel Group operates as an authorized distributor and agent for over 20 international brands of testing instruments and chemical raw materials (wax emulsions, micronized waxes, dispersants, defoamers, rheology additives, agrochemical surfactants). The company supplies Chinese manufacturers in the coatings, inks, plastics, rubber, and agrochemical industries, and provides laboratory testing services, technical consultation, after-sales repair, and product solutions through its Shanghai laboratory and technology center.

Product overview

H.J. Unkel Group是一家创立于1925年的专业化工原料和检测仪器代理商，总部位于香港，在上海设有中国总部（翁开尔上海），在北京、广东、山东设有分公司和办事处。公司代理数十家海外供应商的检测仪器和化工原料，主要服务于涂料、油墨、塑料、橡胶、农化、电池等行业。仪器产品包括：老化试验箱（QUV、Q-SUN、Q-FOG系列）、粘度计（DV2500锥板粘度计）、涂层测厚仪（Coatmaster涂魔师）、色彩色差仪（Konica Minolta、ORONTEC LCM）、表面张力仪（SITA）、表面清洁度仪（SITA CleanoSpector）、臭氧设备（Anseros）、磨耗试验机（Taber）、高速分散机（VMA）、涂布打样机（TQC sheen、RK）、喷涂设备（Oerter）、细度分析仪（Labman TIDAS）、Rhopoint TAMS全外观测量系统、Mageleka NMR分析仪等。化工原料包括：水性蜡乳液（ULTRALUBE系列）、微粉蜡（Ceronas mju:wax系列）、聚乙烯蜡/聚酯蜡（Euroceras CERALENE系列）、润湿分散剂（Levaco Lucramul系列）、消泡剂、增稠剂等助剂，以及Indulor丙烯酸树脂/乳液。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces coating production cycle from 5-24 hours to under 1 hour through ORONTEC LCM liquid color measurement system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Q-LAB Corporation (USA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorH.J. Unkel Shanghai is the designated agent for Q-LAB Corporation (USA), representing Q-LAB's weathering and aging test equipment including QUV ultraviolet accelerated aging testers, Q-SUN xenon arc weatherometers, and Q-FOG cyclic corrosion salt spray testers. The partnership has lasted nearly 40 years, with the Shanghai team receiving the tripleHatTrick Annual Award in 2023 and the Malaysia team receiving the 30-Year Outstanding Achievement Award.
• ANSEROS (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorH.J. Unkel Shanghai is the authorized agent for German ANSEROS company, which specializes in ozone technology and produces ozone analyzers, ozone aging test chambers, ozone generators, and related products. ANSEROS technology is applied in rubber aging testing, semiconductor wafer processing, water treatment, and textile bleaching. ANSEROS ozone analyzers and aging chambers hold world-leading technology positions.
• CERONAS GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCERONAS, headquartered in Kirchberg, Germany, is a manufacturer and developer of micronized wax additives. The company sells mju:wax® micronized waxes, VISCOCER® oxidized waxes and polymers, and ADDIMER® functionalized wax mixtures. Products are widely used in coatings, powder coatings, printing inks, paints, plastics, masterbatch, release agents, and more. CERONAS and its sister company Euroceras are long-term partners of H.J. Unkel.
• Euroceras Sp. z o.o. (Poland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuroceras, located in southern Poland, is a manufacturer of CERALENE® brand synthetic waxes with over 55 years of experience producing various wax products. The company produces non-polar LDPE, HDPE, PP waxes, oxidized PE waxes, polar copolymer waxes, and patented functional polyester waxes. Its products are mainly applied in masterbatch dispersion, PVC processing, and engineering plastic flow improvement. Euroceras and CERONAS are sister companies and both long-term partners of H.J. Unkel.
• LEVACO Chemicals GmbH (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLEVACO Chemicals, headquartered in Leverkusen's Chempark, Germany (part of D&S Group), is an industry-leading manufacturer of dispersants, emulsifiers, wetting agents, and anti-foaming agents with over 50 years of experience. Products serve agricultural formulations, fiber manufacturing, and paints/coatings industries. LEVACO established a Shanghai laboratory in 2020 to provide faster technical services to Chinese customers. H.J. Unkel is a long-term agent for LEVACO.
• SITA Messtechnik GmbH (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSITA, founded in 1996 in Dresden, Germany, specializes in bubble pressure method dynamic surface tension testing and fluorescence-based contamination detection instruments. With over 1,000 global users, SITA products are used in cleaning monitoring, coating pretreatment, and quality control applications.
• VMA-Getzmann GmbH (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVMA-Getzmann is a German manufacturer of high-quality dispersing systems including DISPERMAT® high-speed dispersers and basket mills. H.J. Unkel is the VMA China agent, operating a VMA demo center in Shanghai where customers can test battery slurry and other samples.
• Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. (UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRhopoint Instruments, a UK-based manufacturer specializing in material appearance quality testing and analysis, is a subsidiary of Rhopoint Group. Founded in 1986, Rhopoint develops instruments for orange peel (DOI), gloss, visual gloss, adhesion quantification, polish scratch analysis, haze, waviness, texture analysis, and effect coating measurement. Its flagship TAMS (Total Appearance Measurement System) was jointly developed with Volkswagen and Audi over 6 years.
• Konica Minolta (Japan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKonica Minolta, formed by the 2003 merger of Konica and Minolta, provides color measurement equipment and color management solutions for plastics, coatings, textiles, printing, and automotive industries. H.J. Unkel Shanghai is the authorized regional agent for Konica Minolta's color measurement instruments including CR-10, CR-10 Plus, CM-5, CM-26d, CM-36d series, and CM-17d/CM-16d spectrophotometers.
• Coatmaster / Winterthur Instruments AG (Switzerland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoatmaster (Winterthur Instruments AG), based in Winterthur, Switzerland, develops and sells rapid, non-contact, non-destructive coating thickness measurement systems for industrial coatings. The award-winning, patented technology enables coating thickness measurement early in the production process. The system is deployed in over 50 highly automated production lines in Europe and Asia. H.J. Unkel Shanghai is the China agent for Coatmaster.
• Labman Automation Ltd. (UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLabman, a UK-based company specializing in laboratory automation measurement systems, provides fully customized automated measurement instruments for coatings and plating industries. Their TIDAS fineness analyzer enables automated fineness measurement, and the company operates on a project-based model with bespoke system development.
• TQC sheen (Netherlands/UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTQC sheen combines TQC (Netherlands) and SHEEN Instruments (UK), offering comprehensive quality control equipment for paints and coatings including viscosity meters, automatic applicators, scrub resistance testers, scratch testers, gloss meters, colorimeters, coating thickness gauges, and drying time testers.
• Industrial Physics (USA/UK)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustrial Physics is a global leader in material and physical testing instruments. Through its subsidiary Ray-Ran (UK), Industrial Physics supplies melt flow indexers, density gradient instruments, falling dart impact testers, pendulum impact testers, and hot deformation/Vicat testers to polymer, packaging, and manufacturing industries. H.J. Unkel represents Industrial Physics/Ray-Ran products in China.
• Orontec GmbH (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrontec specializes in wet film color measurement systems for coatings, offering the Q-Chain LCM liquid color measurement system that enables color measurement and matching of liquid coatings without drying, reducing the color matching process from 5-24 hours to under 1 hour and improving production efficiency by 50%. H.J. Unkel is the long-term China agent for Orontec.
• Mageleka Ltd. (UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMageleka, a UK-based company, provides measurement instruments based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology for analyzing particle dispersibility and stability in coatings. The MagnoMeter XRS low-field NMR analyzer enables non-destructive measurement of fine particle dispersion without the limitations of traditional DLS/ELS methods. H.J. Unkel Shanghai is the China regional agent for Mageleka.
• CHT Germany GmbH (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHT Group, headquartered in Tübingen, Germany, is a global specialty chemicals company covering development, production, and sales. CHT products include rheology additives, leveling agents, wetting and dispersing additives, defoamers, film-forming agents, surface modifiers, and hydrophobic agents for architectural coatings, concrete, industrial coatings, and printing coatings.
• INDULOR GmbH (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorINDULOR, founded in 1978 in Ankum, Germany, is a large-scale polymer manufacturer with over 30 years of experience in emulsion synthesis, polymer solutions, and solid polymer production. INDULOR specializes in developing various polymer products including acrylic emulsions and solid acrylic resins for water-based systems, serving paints, inks, and coatings industries. H.J. Unkel Shanghai is the China general agent for INDULOR.
• OERTEN Anstalt (Germany)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOERTEN is a German laboratory spray painting equipment manufacturer committed to meeting high customer demands for quality and reliability. The company provides high-tech, high-stability spray testing equipment including the APL2.3 and APL3.3 automatic spray machines, with products applicable to repair paint and OEM paint testing and development.
• LAU GmbH (Germany)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLAU GmbH, founded 25 years ago, specializes in developing surface protection testing equipment and providing comprehensive technical service support. Products include high-speed oscillation machines for pigment analysis and portable stone impact testers developed with Volkswagen for evaluating automotive coating resistance to mechanical pressure, stone impact, and scratching.
• Leneta Company (USA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeneta Company (USA) is a manufacturer of black and white test chart papers and testing substrates used in coatings, inks, and printing quality control applications. H.J. Unkel distributes Leneta products in China.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SGS SA: Global testing, inspection, and certification giant with major China operations; adjacent to H.J. Unkel's in-house lab and technical-services layer rather than its distribution core, but competes for industrial testing mindshare.
• Intertek Group: Global TIC (testing, inspection, certification) company with substantial China presence in industrial and coatings-related testing; comparable as an adjacent testing-services peer for H.J. Unkel's laboratory service line.

Direct peers

• Biesterfeld Spezialchemie: German specialty chemicals distributor with Asia operations focused on coatings, plastics, and agrochemical additives; comparable as a European-origin agency representing principals into Asian industrial end-markets.
• DKSH Holding: Swiss-listed Market Expansion Services group with deep Asia-Pacific operations; brings international specialty chemicals, instruments, and consumer goods to Asian industrial customers — the closest analogue to H.J. Unkel's agency/distribution model across multiple verticals.
• Caldic: Dutch specialty ingredients and chemicals distributor with growing Asia footprint serving industrial formulation customers; closely comparable in offering combined ingredients plus application/technical support.
• IMCD N.V. Dutch specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor with strong presence in coatings, plastics, and agrochemical formulation across Asia; comparable in matching European principals with Asian industrial customers and providing technical sales support.
• Azelis Group: Belgian specialty chemicals distributor serving coatings, plastics, personal care, and agrochemical markets in Asia-Pacific; comparable principal-agency structure and lab-backed technical service model.

Broad incumbents

• Univar Solutions: North-American-headquartered global chemical and ingredients distributor with Asia-Pacific operations serving coatings, plastics, and industrial customers; broader portfolio but overlapping agency-style distribution into specialty end-markets.
• Brenntag SE: World's largest chemical distribution group with extensive China operations across industrial and specialty chemicals; overlaps with H.J. Unkel's chemical-additives business but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Regional players

• Connell Brothers (a Wilbur-Ellis company): Asia-Pacific-focused specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor serving coatings, plastics, and personal-care formulators; highly comparable in regional specialization and principal-agency model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h-j-unkel-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 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 H.J.Unkel Group