Bekaert’s diamond-like carbon coatings business develops and markets thin coatings offering the combination of very low frictional resistance and extreme hardness. The coatings are used to reduce wear and friction in a wide range of industrial applications, such as machine parts, automotive components, and molds for plastics and metals.

Sulzer Metco is a leading global supplier of services and products for surface solutions covering both thermal spray and thin coating technologies. The intended acquisition will further strengthen Sulzer Metco’s position in the thin coatings market. The current businesses combined with the acquired DLC activities would build a strong base for accelerated profitable growth in the future. The DLC coatings will complement Sulzer Metco’s current portfolio of advanced coating systems and services in the area of PVD (physical vapour deposition) and PHT (plasma heat treatment) as well as a combination thereof, offering customers the full range of benefits from low friction and extreme hardness to high corrosion and wear resistance. The addition of this business will also strengthen Sulzer Metco’s existing thin coating activities for automotive and plastic-processing applications and add new markets, like racing and semiconductors,
while enhancing its service network in Europe and the USA.

The intended transaction covers all six production plants in Belgium, France, Germany, and the USA with 164 employees in total and is subject to regulatory approvals.