P2i Limited, the world
leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, has acquired 100 per cent
of the share capital of Surface Innovations Ltd, a UK-based technology company
with a wide range of functional nano-coating patents. The terms of the deal
were not disclosed.
The acquisition expands P2i’s product portfolio beyond its market-leading
technologies for liquid repellency, adding “functional” coating
technologies with applications including anti-bacterial resistance, liquid attracting
(super wettable), and many others.
Surface Innovations is a research and development company with 17 patent families
that focus on functional nano-coatings obtained using plasma enhanced chemical
vapor deposition. It was founded in 2001 by Professor Jas Pal Badyal as a spin-out
of Durham University. Professor Badyal will sit on a new Technical Advisory
Panel to provide ongoing scientific advice to P2i, as well as developing new
patents and applications for the company.
The acquisition of Surface Innovations comes as P2i gains commercial traction
in all five of its core markets: Electronics, Lifestyle, Energy and Filtration,
Life Sciences and Military/Institutional. In the past year, P2i has tripled
its employees to 75 and scaled up its operations, which are now located across
Europe, North America and Asia (China, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia).
Carl Francis, Chief Executive of P2i, said:
“P2i has excelled in commercializing its liquid repellent nano-coating
technology, proving beyond doubt that plasma processing is a viable, cost effective
industrial process. As our customer base expands and their requirements broaden,
the technology we have acquired will enable us to commercialize new functional
coatings that further enhance the performance of products ranging from consumer
electronics to military clothing.
Dr Stephen Coulson, P2i’s Chief Technical Officer, said:
“Bringing Surface Innovations into P2i accelerates our expansion into
functional nano-coatings beyond liquid repellency. Its clear lead in areas such
as anti-microbial, super wettable fabrics and protein resistance gives us a
great springboard into the world of functional nano-coatings and allows us to
respond timely to numerous customer requirements.
Prof Jas Pal Badyal, previously majority shareholder of Surface Innovations,
commented:
“I’m delighted that my research and patents are now with P2i, which
has a proven capability in commercializing plasma technology. It is the perfect
vehicle to deploy these various technologies into global markets. We have highly
complementary skills sets and this acquisition will see many exciting new inventions
launched into P2i’s primary markets.”
P2i is the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology. We make
good products great by applying innovative science. Our revolutionary technology
enables our customers to improve the performance of their products and protect
them from the effects of water and all other liquids. This builds value by commanding
premium prices and/or reducing costs.
P2i Ltd was established in 2004 to commercialize liquid-repellent treatments
developed by the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Now on a commercial scale,
P2i’s patented process has been successfully applied to a wide range of
products in a wide range of markets including lifestyle, electronics, military
and institutional, life sciences, energy and filtration.
In consumer sectors, the presence of P2i’s technology is indicated either
by ion-mask™, its brand for footwear, outdoor clothing and accessories,
or Aridion™, its brand for electronics.