Iepco

What Iepco does

Iepco AG is a Swiss family-owned manufacturer of microblasting equipment, blasting media, and surface-treatment services, founded in 1970 and now led by the second and third generation of the Faude family from its Leuggern (Canton Aargau) headquarters. The company designs and produces three proprietary equipment lines — the PEENMATIC injector microblasting series, the MICROPEEN pressure-blasting (softblasting) series, and the POLISHPEEN polishing-blasting series — ranging from bench-top laboratory units to large automated robotic systems with integrated filtration. Underlying technology centers on a dry, chemistry-free microfinishing process that uses precisely defined blasting media (grain size, hardness, geometry) to control surface micro-topography in the micrometer range; signature processes include the 1983 2-step microblasting technology and the 2015 PolishPeen with proprietary DiaPolish granulate.

The business operates three Swiss locations: production and warehousing in Leuggern (6,400 m², built 2005), sales/R&D/demonstration in Höri (660 m², since 1988), and a job-shop service center in Gippingen that delivers IEPCOFINISH contract surface treatments including HARDALLOY-W and SLIDEALLOY galvanic coatings. Revenue is generated through four streams: equipment manufacturing and global sales, in-house production and trade of IEPCONORM blasting media and additives, contract surface-treatment services, and distribution of ERBA mass finishing systems and IHG magnetic clamping technology. Approximately 50 employees produce more than 400 microblasting systems annually, sold through a direct Swiss sales force and a partner network covering more than 20 countries across Europe, East Asia, and the Americas.

Customer focus is split across form and tool making (the foundational segment, with more than 50 years of expertise in EDM surface treatment, demolding optimization, and coating preparation), medical and pharmaceutical device manufacturing (implants, stents, bone screws), automotive and aerospace components, drive technology, and — most recently — additive manufacturing post-processing. The company sells primarily via trade shows (Fakuma, AMB, SIAMS), direct technical consultation, and its long-tenured distribution partner network.

Name

Iepco

Legal name

iepco ag

Website

https://iepco.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Iepco AG is a Swiss family-owned manufacturer of microblasting equipment, proprietary blasting media, and contract surface-treatment services serving mold and tool makers, medical device manufacturers, automotive, aerospace, and additive-manufacturing customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Surface Treatment Equipment

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Surface Preparation & Abrasive Blasting (Sand/Grit/Shot/Waterjet) (IMAIAKAC), Surface Treatment & Finishing Equipment (Coating, Plating, Deburring, Shot Blasting) (IMAHADAJ)

Keywords

• Microblasting equipment
• Industrial surface treatment
• Blasting media manufacturing
• Contract surface finishing
• Mass finishing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Leuggern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Microblasting equipment manufacturing and sales: Design, production, and worldwide sale of proprietary microblasting equipment product lines PEENMATIC®, MICROPEEN®, and PolishPeen®, including standard machines, special/custom machines, and automated systems. Manufacturing fully located in Switzerland at Leuggern site. Product lines span from compact bench-top units to large production-scale systems with robotic automation. Sales to mold and tool-making, medical/pharma, automotive, aerospace, and 3D printing industries.
2. Blasting agent (Strahlmittel) production and trade: In-house production of application-specific blasting agent mixtures with defined grain size and geometry. Production at Leuggern site with large warehouse stock ensuring high availability. Also distributes additives and raw materials (boron carbide nozzles, boron nitride, zirconium, CBN, ceramics, silicon) for surface treatment.
3. Surface treatment job-shop services: Contract manufacturing services at the Gippingen service center covering all blasting, polishing, and mass finishing processes. Includes wear-resistant hard coating (Hardalloy-W), galvanic coatings (HARDALLOY, SLIDEALLOY), microblasting, softblasting, polishing blasting, structuring, deburring, and shot peening. Short lead times and flexible order processing for repairs and express work.
4. Mass finishing equipment and consumables distribution: Resale of ERBA mass finishing machines, grinding bodies (abrasives), and process compounds for defined surface finishing. Started in 1999 as a new product line.
5. Clamping technology distribution: Resale of IHG magnetic clamping systems including permanent-magnet, electro-magnet, and electro-permanent-magnet clamping plates, chucks, and angles; plus lifting magnets, magnetic measuring stands, sorting magnets, and organization magnets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Iepco designs, manufactures, and globally distributes microblasting equipment (PEENMATIC, MICROPEEN, and PolishPeen series), produces proprietary IEPCONORM blasting agents and DiaPolish polishing granulate, and operates the IEPCOFINISH contract surface treatment service. The portfolio covers precision processes such as structuring to VDI 3400, shot peening, soft (abrasive-free) blasting, and Hardalloy-W hard coating, complemented by distribution of ERBA mass finishing systems and IHG magnetic clamping technology.

Product overview

Iepco is a Swiss family-owned company (founded 1970, now in 2nd and 3rd generation) offering a comprehensive portfolio of surface treatment technologies. The core offering consists of three proprietary equipment lines manufactured in Switzerland: the PEENMATIC series (injector microblasting equipment), MICROPEEN series (pressure blasting for soft cleaning), and POLISHPEEN series (polish blasting). These are complemented by custom/special equipment, blasting agent production (IEPCONORM, DiaPolish), coatings services (Hardalloy-W, galvanic coatings via IEPCOFINISH), and distributed products (ERBA mass finishing systems, IHG magnetic clamping technology). The company also offers job work services at its Gippingen service center. Key technologies include 2-step microblasting, soft blasting, shot peening, structuring, deburring, and adhesion preparation, serving industries including mold/tool making, medical/pharmaceutical, automotive, aerospace, and additive manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEENMATIC: Microblasting equipment product line for surface treatment applications.
• MICROPEEN
• PolishPeen
• HARDALLOY
• SLIDEALLOY
• IEPCOFINISH
• DiaPolish

Products and services

• PEENMATIC Series Microblasting Equipment In-house manufactured line of microblasting machines for industrial customers needing precision surface treatment. Used across tool and mold making, medical technology, automotive, aerospace, drive technology, and additive manufacturing for structuring, cleaning, deburring, and shot peening applications.
• MICROPEEN Series Pressure Blasting Equipment Pressure-driven microblasting systems manufactured by Iepco for industrial surface treatment tasks that require higher blast intensity than suction-fed units, applied in serial production and R&D environments.
• PolishPeen Series Polishing Blasting Equipment Specialized blasting equipment designed by Iepco to run polish blasting processes using polishing granulate, delivering high-gloss and functional surface finishes on industrial parts.
• IEPCONORM Blasting Agents Iepco's own-brand range of blasting media (including aluminum oxide, glass bead, and specialty agents) supplied as consumables for use with Iepco and third-party blasting equipment in industrial surface treatment.
• DiaPolish Polishing Granulate Diamond-based polishing granulate sold by Iepco for high-end polishing blasting processes, typically used together with PolishPeen equipment to achieve fine surface finishes.
• IEPCOFINISH Contract Surface Treatment Service Outsourced surface treatment service operated by Iepco using its PEENMATIC, MICROPEEN, and PolishPeen equipment, enabling industrial customers to commission structuring, polishing, cleaning, deburring, or peening of their parts without buying equipment themselves.
• Hardalloy-W Tungsten-Based Hard Coating Tungsten-based galvanic hard coating service offered by Iepco to improve wear resistance and durability of tooling and precision industrial components.
• ERBA Mass Finishing Systems (Distribution) Third-party mass finishing equipment from ERBA distributed by Iepco, offering complementary deburring, smoothing, and surface finishing solutions to its microblasting customers.
• IHG Magnetic Clamping Systems (Distribution) IHG magnetic clamping systems distributed by Iepco, used to securely hold metal workpieces during microblasting and related surface treatment processes.
• Boron Carbide Nozzles Boron carbide nozzles sold by Iepco as wear-resistant consumable components for microblasting systems, used where standard nozzles would have insufficient service life.

Quantifiable outcome

• Surface roughness reduced from Ra 1.1 to Ra <0.2 through PolishPeen polishing blasting
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, standard, research and industry.

• MST Microstrahltechnik GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1990Trading and service company founded in DE-Reutlingen in 1990 as an additional location in the EU market. Acts as distribution partner for iepco products in Germany and as iepco's collaboration partner in the Fraunhofer IPA research project on 3D printing post-processing (2022).
• IHG Spann- und Anwendungstechnik Vertrieb GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman manufacturer of magnetic clamping systems (permanent-magnet, electro-magnet, electro-permanent-magnet). iepco serves as exclusive Swiss distribution partner for IHG products including clamping plates, chucks, angles, lifting magnets, and accessories.
• Seckler AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss automation specialist. Co-developed the PEENMATIC 1000 ZRA – robosandero robot microblasting system and PEENMATIC 950 ZIDA-Sat Sandero automated system. Partnership for several years for complex automation and robot system integration.
• Plastron CorporationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapan-based trading partner. Started selling PEENMATIC microblasting equipment in Japan in 1993 under Mr. Tanito. Key Asia-Pacific distribution partner.
• Zotec Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChina-based distribution partner for iepco products. Represents iepco in mainland China with sales and support capabilities.
• ERBA systemstandardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManufacturer of mass finishing equipment. iepco distributes ERBA systems (mass finishing machines, grinding bodies, compounds) as a product line, starting from 1999.
• Fraunhofer IPA (Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation)researchStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with iepco's distribution partner MST Microstrahltechnik GmbH (Reutlingen) on a scientific study (2022) determining optimal blast media and process parameters for post-processing additively manufactured plastic and metal parts. Center for Additive Production (ZAP) at Fraunhofer IPA conducted the experimental work.
• SwissMEMindustryOthersSwiss Association of the Tech Industry. iepco is a member, supporting innovation, preservation of a strong Swiss industrial base, and a healthy European industry.
• SwissgalvanicindustryOthersAssociation of Galvanic Businesses of Switzerland. iepco is a member, contributing to industry standards and advocacy.
• VDWF (Verband Deutscher Werkzeug- und Formenbau)industryOthersGerman tool and mold-making association. iepco participates in advocacy for the European tool-making industry.
• Zürcher Handelskammer (Zurich Chamber of Commerce)industryOthersZurich Chamber of Commerce. iepco is a member supporting trade and industry interests.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wheelabrator Group (Surface Preparation): Global incumbent in shot blasting, peening, and surface preparation equipment for heavy industrial applications. Far larger scale; competes more in heavy industrial surface prep than in iepco's precision microblasting niche.
• Rösler Oberflächentechnik: Global leader in mass finishing (vibratory finishing, shot blasting, drag finishing) with a much broader product portfolio and far larger scale than iepco. Competes in overlapping surface treatment use cases but with a wider, less specialized offering.
• Sintokogio Ltd. Japanese industrial conglomerate with a large surface treatment equipment division (shot blasting, shot peening). Broader scope and scale; relevant Asia-Pacific comparable to iepco's PEENMATIC offering.

Direct peers

• Goff Inc. US manufacturer of airless and air-blast shot blast cleaning equipment for industrial surface preparation, including automated systems. Overlaps with iepco's automated conveyor and rotary blasting systems for industrial parts finishing.
• Viman Manufacturing / Vaniman: Manufacturer of precision micro-abrasive blasting and dust collection equipment, primarily for dental laboratories, jewelry, and small-part industrial finishing. Overlaps with iepco in compact/bench-top microblasting equipment.
• AGTOS GmbH: German manufacturer of shot blasting and wheel blasting equipment for surface preparation and finishing. Direct peer in industrial blasting machinery, serving overlapping mold/metalworking end markets in Europe.
• Comco Inc. California-based manufacturer of micro-abrasive blasting equipment used for precision deburring, surface finishing, and cleaning in electronics, medical device, and tooling applications. Closest direct competitor to iepco in the precision microblasting niche.
• Crystal Mark Inc. US manufacturer of micro abrasive blasting (SWAM-Blast) and dry honing equipment for precision surface treatment of small parts, including medical and electronic components. Direct peer in micro-scale abrasive blasting technology.

Others

• Erba Maschinenfabrik: German manufacturer of mass finishing equipment whose products iepco distributes in Switzerland. Not a direct competitor but an adjacent / channel-relationship peer; useful for benchmarking the mass finishing segment.

Emerging players

• Guyson Group: UK-based manufacturer of industrial blast cleaning, shot peening, and surface finishing equipment, including bench-top and automated systems. Niche overlap with iepco in precision blast cabinets and automated finishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iepco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Iepco