Company Profile

During the transition to a 100% employee owned company, Restek’s Performance Coatings or “RPC” division became an independent company led by Restek’s founder Paul Silvis and members of the Performance Coatings team. The new company, called SilcoTek™, will focus on developing new treatment technologies for the passivation, anticoking, automotive, corrosion, and ultra-high vacuum markets. The new organization will remain a key supplier to Restek and Restek will continue to offer Siltek®, Sulfinert®, and Silcosteel® treated products for chromatography markets.

In 1987, Silcosteel® was invented to serve as an alternative means of making fused silica capillary columns. The technology was further refined from 1987 to 2008 with several patents obtained to protect its unique properties. Restek’s MXT capillary columns, Siltek® inlet liners, injection ports, and many other chromatography products utilize Silcosteel® Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology. The first non-chromatography application was in portable bomb sniffers and instruments designed to detect low levels of explosives in airports and public spaces. Since then the technology has found its way into refining and petrochemical plants, industrial fittings and valves, analytical instrument flow paths, aerospace, and the automotive industry.

As Restek grew, it became apparent that this technology had to be separated into its own business to reach its full potential. Restek is a market driven business that focuses on creating products for the chromatography market. SilcoTek™ is a technology driven business that focuses on finding new and unique applications for our surface enhancing technologies. Channel conflicts, internal resource conflicts, and customer perceptions that Restek either competed or was only doing CVD coatings as a sideline business hampered the growth of this product line.

Separating SilcoTek™ into a new business will allow the team to focus on innovative treatment solutions for our chromatography customers and will allow us to offer previously unavailable technologies to new markets with material limitations.

The analytical market will remain a key component of SilcoTek’s business. If you have custom parts to treat, please contact SilcoTek™ at 814-353-1778 or go online to SilcoTek.com for more information. You will find the same Plus One customer service at SilcoTek™ that Restek is famous for!

Paul Silvis & The SilcoTek™ Team