Develops and produces specialty coatings for automotive plastics, headlamps, carbon fibres, wood and cosmetics packaging.
Fujichem Sonneborn Limited
Hainault (Essex), UK · Chesterfield (Holmewood), UK · Illertissen, DE · Villebon sur Yvette, FRNew on Amplifa
About Fujichem Sonneborn
Fujichem Sonneborn Limited (FCS) is a British manufacturer of specialty coatings and coating systems founded in 1899, originally established under the name Sonneborn & Rieck as a producer of French Polish for the piano industry. The company develops and produces Thermal, UV, PVD and Dual-Cure coating technologies for plastics in automotive engineering, headlamps (Forward Lighting), carbon fibres and composites, wood and cosmetics packaging. Products include Chrome-Effect-Coatings (UVeChrome), High-Gloss-Monocoats 1K/2K, UV Hardcoats, In-Mold-Coatings, Conductive Primers, Haptic Finishes and water-based systems. FCS supplies over 200 manufacturers in more than 30 countries on 4 continents and is part of the Fujikura Kasei Global Network (FGN) with partners in Japan (Fujikura Kasei) and the USA (Red Spot Paint & Varnish). The head office with R&D Centre and Application Centre is located in Hainault, Essex; the production plant is in Holmewood, Chesterfield (Derbyshire), complemented by Customer-Service and Distribution units in Illertissen (Germany) and Villebon sur Yvette (France).
- Site
- IG6 3XH Hainault, Essex
- Processes
- High Gloss Systems / High-gloss Monocoats 1K/2K, UV Hardcoats / UV Curable Finishes / Dual Cure Coatings, Scratch resistant coatings for headlamps, In-Mold Coatings 1K/2K, Coatings for carbon fibre (High-build Systems), Wood coatings (Kitchen & Furniture Wood, Monocoats 1K/2K, Waterborne Coatings), Functional Coatings / Electro-Conductive Coatings / Conductive Primers, Haptic Finishes / Laser Etch Coatings / Adhesion Promoters
- Materials
- Plastics (automotive plastics), Carbon Fibre, Composites, SMC, Wood, Thermal Curing, UV-Curing Systems, PVD Coatings
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 14001:2015, Ecovadis Rating
- Founded
- 1899
- Industries
- Automotive interior and exterior, Automotive Lighting / Headlamps, Heavy Trucks, Cosmetics Packaging, Kitchen and furniture industry, Composites / Carbon fibre
- 01
Colour and effect development (Colour Design)
- 02
Product development / R&D
- 03
Formulation & production (Chesterfield)
- 04
Product testing & analytics
- 05
Technical support / Application Centre
- 06
Customer service, sales & logistics (DE/FR/UK)
Coating Technologies & Substrates
Thermal Curing
Solvent- and water-based systems for automotive plastics, incl. low-cure, pop-free primer technologies for SMC.
UV-Curing Systems
UV Curable Finishes and UV Hardcoats, including scratch-resistant coatings for headlamps and UV Coatings for Metallization.
PVD Coatings
Coatings for metallization applications on plastic components.
Dual-Cure Systems
Combined curing mechanisms for automotive applications and carbon fibre.
Chrome Effect Coatings
Single- and two-layer chrome effect systems as an alternative to multi-layer builds.
High-Gloss-Monocoats & In-Mold-Coatings
High-gloss systems and In-Mould-Coatings 1K/2K for plastic and wood substrates.
Water-Based Coatings
Water-based systems, among others for kitchen and furniture wood, with a reduced ecological footprint.
Functional Coatings
Electrically conductive coatings, Conductive Primers, Haptic Finishes, Laser Etch Coatings and Adhesion Promoters.
Automotive Plastics
Main substrate for interior, exterior and headlamp coatings.
Carbon Fibre & Composites (SMC)
High-build systems for carbon fibre as well as primers for SMC.
Wood
Wood coatings for kitchen and furniture applications, Monocoats 1K/2K.
Locations
Hainault (Jaxa Works)
GBHead office, R&D Centre, Application Centre, Colour Design, administration
- Materials
- Plastics, Carbon/Composites, Wood
- R&D laboratories
- Testing laboratories
- Colour & Design Studio
- Application Centre
- Analytical laboratory (GC-MS, FTIR, UV-Vis)
- Lecture Room
Chesterfield (Holmewood)
GBProduction plant: production, quality control, distribution, customer service
- Materials
- Thermal, UV and automotive coatings
- Production hall for automotive and UV coatings (2012)
- Quality control laboratory
Illertissen
DECustomer service, sales, warehouse, distribution (Europe)
Villebon sur Yvette
FRCustomer Service & Distribution Unit
Coated Parts & Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Carbon fibre/composites, Wood, SMC |
| Surface | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| High Gloss Systems / High-gloss Monocoats 1K/2KSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Wood |
| UV Hardcoats / UV Curable Finishes / Dual Cure CoatingsSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics (headlamps/forward lighting), Carbon fibre |
| Scratch resistant coatings for headlampsSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| In-Mold Coatings 1K/2KSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| Coatings for carbon fibre (High-build Systems)Surface | – | – | – | – | Carbon fibre/composites |
| Wood coatings (Kitchen & Furniture Wood, Monocoats 1K/2K, Waterborne Coatings)Surface | – | – | – | – | Wood |
| Functional Coatings / Electro-Conductive Coatings / Conductive PrimersSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| Haptic Finishes / Laser Etch Coatings / Adhesion PromotersSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| Low-cure, pop-free primer technologies for SMCSurface | – | – | – | – | Plastics, SMC |
| Colour Design (colour and effect development)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Wood |
| Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Application Centre (reproduction of production and curing methods, Application Testing)Surface | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Wood |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and development centre (R&D Laboratories, Testing, Colour Design) | – | – | – | 2013 | Hainault, Essex, UK |
| Production plant / Manufacturing Plant | – | – | – | – | Holmewood, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK |
| Application Centre | – | – | – | 2017 | Hainault, Essex, UK |
Additional services
Quality & Certification
FCS is certified to ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 14001:2015 (BSI) and implements the 5S methodology in production. The in-house test laboratory covers physical tests (Gravelometer, Taber Abrasion, Xenon-Weathering and others), chemical tests as well as analytical investigations (GC-MS, FTIR, layer thickness and defect analysis) in accordance with European automotive specifications.
| Evidence | Hainault (Jaxa Works) | Chesterfield (Holmewood) |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | ||
| IATF 16949:2016 | ||
| ISO 14001:2015 |
History
- 1899
Founded as Sonneborn & Rieck Limited by Gus Sonneborn and the Rieck family; production of French Polish for the piano and furniture industry.
- 1900–1930er
Introduction of high-gloss coatings for furniture and radio cabinets.
- 1930–1960er
Stable polyester systems for TV cabinets; growth in the wood coating market.
- 1970–1980er
Coatings for automotive plastics and teletronics; launch of In-Mould-Coatings for automotive applications.
- 1990er
Introduction of scratch-resistant coatings for headlamps (Forward Lighting).
- 2000
Global alliance with Fujikura Kasei Co., Ltd. and Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co. Inc.
- 2008
Opening of the Customer Service Unit in France; Fujikura Kasei acquires Red Spot Paint.
- 2010
Acquisition by Fujikura Kasei Co., Ltd. (100% shareholder).
- 2011
Renaming to Fujichem Sonneborn Limited; exit from the powder coating business.
- 2012
New production hall for automotive and UV coatings in Chesterfield; Customer Service Unit opened in Germany.
- 2013
Opening of the R&D Centre in Hainault, Essex.
- 2017
Renovation of the Hainault head office; opening of the Application Centre and Lecture Room in Hainault.