Surventis has launched as an independent automotive coatings and surface treatment company, completing the carve-out of the former BASF Coatings business.
The company is majority-owned by funds managed by Carlyle in partnership with Qatar Investment Authority, while BASF retains a 40% stake. Surventis begins operations with around €3.9bn in annual sales, approximately 10,700 employees, more than 42,000 customers, and activity across more than 140 countries.
The business will continue to develop, produce, and market coatings and surface treatment solutions for industrial, automotive, and refinish customers. Its portfolio includes established brands such as Chemetall, Glasurit, and R-M, while its headquarters in Münster, Germany, anchors a network of more than 30 production and development sites.
BASF completed the wider coatings transaction with Carlyle on 30 June 2026 at an enterprise value of €7.7bn, receiving around €5.8bn in pre-tax cash proceeds. The company’s retained 40% stake gives BASF continued exposure to the coatings business while Surventis operates as a standalone company.
Jens Luehring, chief executive officer of Surventis, said: “Today marks an exciting new chapter for Surventis and for all of our employees around the world. I want to thank the entire team whose dedication and hard work have brought us to this milestone. We are building on more than 130 years of coatings expertise and some of the most trusted brands in the industry as we begin our journey as an independent company.”
He added: “Our customers will benefit from a faster, more focused partner, with our full attention on the surfaces they make and sell. Their success is our success. We are already a leader in this industry, and our ambition is clear: to become the leading coatings technology company.”
Surventis enters the market as one of the largest specialist coatings and surface treatment suppliers serving automotive and industrial customers. Coatings influence far more than appearance. They affect corrosion protection, process efficiency, durability, repairability, emissions control, plant layout, energy use, and quality performance across vehicle production and industrial manufacturing.
The automotive sector is moving through major changes in production geography, electrification, materials, and competitive pressure. Electric vehicles do not reduce the need for advanced coatings; they change the substrates, structures, and manufacturing economics that coatings suppliers must support. Battery enclosures, aluminium bodies, mixed-material assemblies, lightweight components, and new joining methods all affect surface treatment and coating performance.
Coatings also remain central to plant efficiency. Paint shops are among the most energy-intensive areas of vehicle production, with ovens, ventilation, robotics, treatment stages, waste handling, and environmental controls all affecting cost and carbon performance. Any improvement in coating chemistry, process time, cure temperature, transfer efficiency, or rework rates can influence factory economics.
Refinish is another major part of the new company’s portfolio. Vehicle repair networks need coatings systems that match OEM finishes, support productivity, comply with environmental requirements, and help bodyshops manage increasingly complex colours, materials, and repair procedures. Digital colour matching, training, process consistency, and reliable supply all shape the economics of repair.
As a standalone company, Surventis is expected to operate with more focused management and investment priorities. Carlyle has experience in industrial carve-outs, while BASF’s retained stake gives continuity to the ownership structure. Customers will be watching for stability across products, technical teams, service levels, and supply agreements because coatings systems are qualified deeply into production and repair processes.
Continuity is especially important in automotive manufacturing, where changes to coatings or surface treatment can affect adhesion, corrosion resistance, appearance, emissions, defects, and warranty performance. Surventis has said its products, technologies, brands, and technical teams remain in place, reducing immediate disruption as the company begins operating under its new identity.
The launch reflects a wider restructuring in European chemicals, where large groups are separating specialist businesses to release capital and create more focused industrial platforms. Surventis begins with scale, established brands, technical depth, and a long coatings inheritance. Its next phase will depend on how effectively that heritage is turned into faster product development, stronger customer support, and manufacturing performance in a changing automotive market.
