Company History

  • 2023

    Strategic expansion of the powder coatings business

    KANSAI HELIOS becomes the new owner of CWS Lackfabrik GmbH (“CWS”) and its group companies in Germany, USA, Denmark and Poland. CWS is a well-known powder coatings and liquid as well as solid synthetic resins producer, with more than 150 years of tradition and its headquarters in Düren (Germany) with around 250 employees.

  • 2022

    Two new brands join the KANSAI HELIOS family

    HELIOS Srbija becomes the new owner of the brand Zorka Color.
    KANSAI HELIOS Group completes the acquisition of all assets, including all business activities, brands and employees, of Westdeutsche Farben GmbH (“wefa”) and names it´s new daughter in Essen, Germany, KANSAI HELIOS Wefa.

  • 2021

    We are the new KANSAI HELIOS Group

    With KANSAI PAINT, as one of the top paint & coatings manufacturers worldwide, and Helios Group as a specialist for paint & coatings, synthetic resins, adhesives and speciality chemicals in Europe, we are pooling our entire wealth of experience and combining our strengths in production, technology, research & development and environmental and sustainability management in Europe under the new corporate brand name “KANSAI HELIOS”.

  • 2017

    Helios, Member of a Global Coatings Group

    With the closing of transaction on 31 March 2017, Kansai Paint Co., Ltd. acquires the European Coatings Group Helios. Under the strategic owner KANSAI PAINT, Helios represents the European center of innovation, know-how and business development, and therefore further grows its importance in the European coatings industry.

  • 2014

    Slovene Helios group merged with Austrian group

    The Austrian RIH Group becomes a strategic partner and a new majority shareholder of the Slovene coatings group Helios. Two years of consolidation follow. The new, enlarged European Coatings Group Helios consist of companies and manufactures located in 18 countries worldwide and is an umbrella for many renowned brands. The group operates among the top 10 coatings companies in Europe and maintains the vision to become one of the greatest coating companies in Europe.

  • 2010

    The era of acquisitions for RIH

    Until 2010 RIH acquires and integrates important coating companies with long tradition: Iris Lacke in Austria (2007), Christ Lacke in Austria (2007), Fritze Lacke in Austria (2008), Ecopolifix in Italy (2009), Rembrandtin CZ in Czech (2009) and Farbexperte in Austria (2010).

  • 2007

    The era of acquisitions for Helios group

    From 2001 to 2007 Helios acquires big coating companies and therefore gained important market shares in ex-Yugoslavian markets and the CIS region: Chromos in Croatia (2001), Zvezda in Serbia (2003), Color Medvode in Slovenia (2004), Odilak in Russia (2006), Belinka in Slovenia (2007) and Avrora in Ukraine (2007).

  • 2006

    Austrian Rembrandtin joins RIH

    Austrian Rembrandtin is acquired by Ring International Holding (RIH), which marks the start for their second business pillar, the RIH Coatings Division.

  • 1995

    Helios becomes Joint Stock Company

    Helios registers in the Register of Companies and becomes a joint stock company. The first general meeting of shareholders of Helios was held on 26th June 1996.

  • 1971

    Focus on Synthetic Resins

    Helios prioritizes the expansion of its synthetic resins capacity with the associated infrastructure. The construction of a modern production facility for synthetic resins will simultaneously enable the construction of a building for the production of pigment coatings.

  • 1954

    The Name “Helios”

    After the company went through numerous status and organizational changes in after war period it finally became independent and changed its name to Helios, Tovarna lakov Domžale (Helios, The varnish factory Domžale).

More than 170 years of tradition in the coatings industry

  • 1937

    The Beginnings of Rembrandtin in Austria

    Julius Seidler acquires a small paint factory from the Dutch company Varossieau & Cie in Donaufelderstrass, which was renamed to Rembrandtin in 1947. The name was inspired by a label showing the famous painter, Rembrandt.

  • 1924

    The Beginnings of Helios in Slovenia

    Helios dates back to 1924 when the joint stock company Ljudevit Marx, Tovarna lakov Domžale was founded. This was the start of paints and lacquers production in for the time being advanced, industrial way, for the domestic and foreign market.

  • 1876

    The Beginnings of Fritze Lacke in Austria

    Otto Fritze opens his company "Hetzendorfer Lack-, Farben- und Firniß-Fabrik O. Fritze" not knowing to which fame the brand will make it in Austria.

  • 1864

    The Beginnings of CWS in Germany

    Conrad Wilhelm Schmidt founds CWS in Düsseldorf, Germany.