OC Oerlikon Corporation AG, Pfäffikon

Oerlikon is a Swiss industrial technology company whose roots, according to its corporate history, date to 1876, when Peter Emil Huber-Werdmüller founded the Werkzeug- und Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. The company’s long history includes activity across several industrial fields and multiple changes in corporate identity. Its official history describes an evolution from textile machinery and surface coatings to a portfolio centered on materials and manufacturing technologies. Today, Oerlikon presents itself as a global provider of surface technologies and advanced materials. Its offering combines advanced materials, coating equipment and services, and component manufacturing. The company says its technologies are intended to improve product durability and performance while reducing waste, and that it supports customers through a global network of engineers and local operations. Its brand portfolio includes Oerlikon Balzers, which develops surface technologies, equipment, and services for precision components and tools; Oerlikon Metco, a materials and surface-solutions provider with materials, thermal-spray application equipment, and coating service centers; and Oerlikon Additive Manufacturing, which provides customized additive-manufacturing solutions. The broader portfolio also includes Oerlikon HRSflow, which develops hot-runner systems for plastics processing. Oerlikon describes applications in demanding industries, including aerospace, semiconductors, and underwater equipment. Its cited aerospace work includes coatings, superalloy components, and 3D-printed parts; its semiconductor-related offering includes coatings, thermal interface materials, and 3D-printed components. The company’s official history says that, following the announced divestment of Barmag in 2025, Oerlikon completed its transformation into a pure-play company focused on coatings, high-tech materials, components, and additive manufacturing. The company website identifies Prof. Dr. Michael Suess as Executive Chairman.

Oerlikon’s official history traces the company’s industrial roots to 1876, when Peter Emil Huber-Werdmüller founded the Werkzeug- und Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. The factory was renamed Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, or MFO, in 1886. The history also records the founding of the Swiss Machine Tool Factory Oerlikon in 1906, identified as a direct predecessor of Oerlikon-Bührle AG. In 1933, Rea Axline founded the Metallizing Engineering Company in New Jersey; the business later became METCO. In 1946, Professor Max Auwärter founded Gerätebauanstalt Balzers with support from Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Swiss industrialist Emil Georg Bührle; Balzers AG joined the Oerlikon Group in 1976. The company’s identity and portfolio continued to change over time. Following a technology-centered restructuring, the company operated under the name Unaxis from 2000. Its modern portfolio brings together businesses and brands in surface technology, materials, and manufacturing. Oerlikon Balzers provides surface technologies, equipment, and services for precision components and tools. Oerlikon Metco supplies materials and surface solutions, thermal-spray application equipment, and coating services. Oerlikon Additive Manufacturing serves industrial applications with customized additive-manufacturing solutions, while Oerlikon HRSflow develops hot-runner systems for plastics processing. Oerlikon describes its current work as combining advanced materials, coating equipment and services, and component manufacturing. Its technologies are used in applications such as aerospace, semiconductors, and equipment exposed to deep-sea pressure, corrosion, and wear. The company’s history page identifies 2025 as a major portfolio turning point: following the announcement of the Barmag divestment, Oerlikon said it had completed its transformation into a pure-play company. Its stated future focus is coatings, high-tech materials, components, and additive manufacturing.

• 2025

  Barmag divestment announced; pure-play transformation completed

• 2015

  Transformation toward a focused company began

• 2000

  Company operated as Unaxis after restructuring

• 1976

  Balzers AG integrated into Oerlikon Group

• 1946

  Gerätebauanstalt Balzers founded

• 1933

  Metallizing Engineering Company founded

• 1906

  Swiss Machine Tool Factory Oerlikon founded

• 1886

  Renamed Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon

• 1876

  Werkzeug- und Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon founded

A global industrial technology provider combining surface technologies, advanced materials, coating equipment and services, component manufacturing, and additive manufacturing for demanding applications.

• Oerlikon Balzers

  Surface technologies, equipment, and services for precision components and tools, including applications in metal and polymer processing.

• Oerlikon Metco

  Materials and surface solutions, thermal-spray application equipment, and coating service centers.

• Oerlikon Additive Manufacturing

  Customized additive-manufacturing solutions for industrial applications, including metal powders for 3D printing.

• Oerlikon HRSflow

  Hot-runner systems for the plastics processing industry.

• Strategic focus after Barmag divestment announcementOther

1. 1Leader in surface technologies & advanced materials | Oerlikonoerlikon.com
2. 2History | Oerlikonoerlikon.com
3. 3Corporate Governance | Oerlikonoerlikon.com
4. 4Explore Oerlikon’s brands | Oerlikonoerlikon.com