THE TRIBOS® STORY
If you have come to this page, it is fair to assume that you are at least mildly interested in the history of Tribos Coatings. The story of Tribos is one that spans decades, industries and some of the world’s most demanding environments. Early in our journey, we described Tribos as being “born in the world’s harshest environments, used on aircraft and super yachts the world over” — and we meant every word of it.
“EVERY DAY TRIBOS®
PRODUCTS ARE PITTED AGAINST IN THE WORLD’S HARSHEST ENVIRONMENTS. THEY ALWAYS DELIVER!”
Russell Young
Tribos traces its origins to the early 1990s, when it began as a modest service company called Hielaman, specialising in scaffolding for outer-hull maintenance and protective coatings for yachts—particularly superyachts and megayachts. At a time when these extraordinary vessels could command values of USD 50 million and beyond, maintaining them to the highest possible standard was paramount. Every few years, they would be brought ashore and placed on the “hard” for comprehensive maintenance. This process involved everything from replacing zinc anodes and removing marine fouling from the lower hull to repainting the upper hull and carrying out essential structural and cosmetic work. The objective was simple: to restore each vessel to a condition as close to “as new” as possible.
The marine environment is among the most demanding conditions for any surface coating. Vessels can travel through extreme climates, from icy waters to intense tropical heat, while constant exposure to seawater, sunlight, wind, and humidity gradually takes its toll on the finish. For superyachts and megayachts, maintaining that finish is no small undertaking. Depending on the size of the vessel, an above-waterline repaint can take days or even weeks, involve multiple teams of coating specialists, and cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands to more than a million dollars. Even when a finish appears perfectly uniform up close, subtle variations can become visible from a distance. Changes in temperature, humidity, wind, and other environmental conditions during application can affect curing rates and the colour density of the coating. At best, a conventional coating might provide four to five years of service before significant maintenance is required.
In the early 1990s, the team recognised an opportunity to address this challenge: to develop a solution that could create a more consistent finish, extend its durability, and ultimately reduce the long-term cost of maintaining these exceptional vessels.
Approaching a major coatings manufacturer, the team acquired a formula that would become Tribos Coatings®—a soft polymer coating designed to bond to the existing painted surface, extending the durability of the underlying finish while creating a more uniform appearance, even when viewed from a distance. After coating, the interval between major maintenance could be extended by approximately five to six years. This proved to be a major advantage for yacht owners, and Tribos Paint Coating was born.
Feedback from yacht owners also highlighted another concern: sea water adhering to the glass surfaces of vessels, particularly during rough weather and heavy seas. The team examined various products and found that while many could repel water, their effectiveness on glass was short-lived—typically lasting up to two weeks and, at most, around one month. We therefore decided to rethink the chemistry of glass protection and developed Better View™, a hydrophobic coating specifically engineered to bond to glass and create an optically flat, exceptionally smooth surface—so smooth that even ants would struggle to walk across it—while remaining effective for at least 6 months.
Thus, the two signature products—Tribos Coatings® and Better View™—came into being, and Tribos Coatings International was established as a specialised coatings company. The Tribos Paint Coating was subsequently tested and approved for use by Boeing and Dassault Aviation and has been used to coat aircrafts.
Tribos continued to expand, with the technology later tested on automobiles and found to be highly effective on both paint and glass, leading to its global launch.
In March 2023, Tribos was acquired, with its headquarters relocating from the United Kingdom to Singapore. The company was subsequently relaunched as Tribos Coatings (International) Pte. Ltd., positioning the business to better serve the global market. With R&D operations established in India, manufacturing facilities were later set up in both India and Singapore in 2024.
With our R&D in full swing, Tribos will be rolling out even more specialized products in the future. Stay tuned for more….
