Arkema and Alqio, a company of the ARMOR GROUP, present the progress of their collaboration in the field of printed electronics materials and devices. This synergy combines the piezoelectric and ferroelectric polymers developed by Arkema, through its subsidiary Piezotech®, with the industrial expertise of Alqio, a specialist in the design and industrial-scale manufacturing of functional surfaces.
Through this strategic collaboration, Arkema and Alqio are strengthening France’s advanced materials sector. Their combined expertise in materials, processes, and industrialization will accelerate the market launch of next-generation printed electronic devices, intended for numerous growth sectors such as Healthcare, Defense, Sports, and Industry.
Arkema and ARMOR GROUP have long maintained a rich and constructive partnership; the emergence of Alqio, ARMOR GROUP’s newest subsidiary, marks a new key milestone, designed to accelerate the development of innovative solutions based on cutting-edge materials. ”
Arkema and our Group have been collaborating for many years across several of our subsidiaries. As a French manufacturer with an international reach, just like us, we have built a relationship of trust and excellence with Arkema over time. Together, we share a vision of industrial precision, guiding an idea from its inception through to its industrial and commercial realization. ”
A French alliance to accelerate innovation in printed electronics
The industrial collaboration between Arkema and Alqio is based on strategic complementarity.
Arkema’s subsidiary, Piezotech®, designs piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and ferroelectric polymers used in sensors, actuators, haptic devices, and other consumer applications. The use of these printed polymers enables the development of flexible, lightweight devices positioned as a high-performance alternative to traditional ceramic-based solutions.
Leveraging its expertise in formulation, coating, and precision printing (screen printing), Alqio designs and manufactures functionalized surface components—such as films, membranes, and sensors—on an industrial scale for a wide range of applications. These include piezoelectric films made from polymers supplied by Piezotech®. To achieve this, Alqio relies on a team of about fifteen employees and a fully equipped industrial facility. Located in La Chevrolière, near Nantes, the facility features an ISO 8-compliant cleanroom, a formulation laboratory, and a wide range of coating and screen-printing equipment, giving it a production capacity of several million square meters of coated materials and several million screen-printed sensors per year.
Applications already on the market and new prospects
Ultra-thin sensors for measuring dynamic pressures in industry enable predictive maintenance or the measurement of impacts sustained by protective equipment. In healthcare, sensors can be found in electronic stethoscopes or connected wristbands to measure vital signs, while haptic systems for virtual reality provide 4D vibrational feedback. Many solutions resulting from this collaboration between Alqio and Piezotech® are already in production.
At the same time, new projects are under development, such as ultra-thin, flexible speakers for public spaces and museums, electrocaloric solutions for innovative cooling systems, and advanced testing in connected sports and smart textiles.
Some of these developments are also supported by long-term collaborations with French and European academic partners.
About Alqio
Alqio supports its industrial clients in their functional surface development projects (films, sensors, membranes, formulations) by designing, manufacturing, and marketing innovative, high-tech solutions born from the synergy of its expertise. These solutions are designed to meet specific and innovative industrial needs while benefiting both people and the environment. Alqio is a company of the ARMOR GROUP, a mid-sized enterprise—an “ETI”—specializing in ink formulation, thin-film coating, and the circular economy. The group is the world leader in the design and manufacture of thermal transfer ribbons dedicated to printing variable traceability data on labels and flexible packaging. With an international presence, ARMOR GROUP has nearly 2,450 employees across some twenty countries on four continents. The group generated revenue of €427 million in 2025.
About Arkema
With unique expertise in materials science, Arkema possesses a portfolio of leading-edge technologies to meet the accelerating demand for new and more sustainable materials. With the ambition of becoming a global leader in Specialty Materials, Arkema is organized around three complementary, resilient, and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials—Adhesives, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions—which accounted for 85% of the Group’s revenue in 2025, and a Primary Materials segment comprising well-positioned industrial activities on a global scale. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to address the challenges of new energy sources, access to water, recycling, urbanization, and mobility, and is committed to ongoing dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group generated revenue of approximately €9.1 billion in 2025 and operates in nearly 55 countries with 20,700 employees.