L’americana Star Step acquisisce Daas ed entra nel mercato italiano

Star Step Performance Coatings Group (SSPCG), a diversified coatings platform, has announced the acquisition of Daas & Chemicals, a leading company in wood-based paint and packaging, headquartered in Pordenone with production facilities in Italy, the Philippines, and the United States. The transaction finalized on October 12, 2026, marks Star Step's first expansion beyond the United States, enabling the Group to consolidate a productive presence in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Star Step Performance Coatings Group (SSPCG) is a global coating platform operating in OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), industrial, architectural, concrete, and specialty applications markets. Through its portfolio of operating companies, it develops and produces liquid and powder coatings, industrial coatings, and flooring systems for wood, architectural paints, resin-based flooring systems, restoration materials, and custom-formulated solutions.

With production facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia, SSPCG combines specialized expertise in formulation, research and development, and technical support to serve customers across a wide range of industrial and commercial markets. Daas & Chemicals produces and markets paints, adhesives, pigment pastes, varnishes, and specialized chemical solutions tailored to the specific production and application needs of its customers.

With a well-established international presence and a commercial network developed over the years, Daas & Chemicals operates in over 60 countries, serving industrial clients and partners in diverse global markets. The two companies see significant opportunities to expand Daas's established position in the industrial wood paint market, leveraging SSPCG's commercial, technical, and production resources.

Daas's specialized expertise in formulation and research and development will also be made available to SSPCG's operating companies in the United States. Daas will continue to be led by co-founder Carlo Della Toffola as CEO, while co-founder Stefano Antoniazzi will remain as a strategic consultant. Edoardo Maggini, operating partner of Star Step Performance Coatings Group, notes that the acquisition strengthens Star Step's industrial and technological profile and solidifies its position as an internationally independent manufacturer of industrial paints.

Daas is a global leader in a highly specialized segment, where it has developed distinct competencies. With SSPCG's infrastructure, Daas can extend this expertise to broader markets beyond wood coatings. The company is paying close attention to the Italian market, which has a solid base of excellence in the paint sector, and has an active pipeline of additional acquisitions already underway.

"The entry into Star Step represents the natural evolution of a company we have built and grown over the past decade," Antoniazzi and Della Toffola emphasize. It offers Daas the infrastructure and resources needed to seize development opportunities that, independently, would have required years to achieve, while preserving relationships, working methods, and commitment to employees and customers that have always defined the company.

"With Daas, we bring to Star Step a company that has become a global reference in industrial wood paints from Pordenone with approximately €20 million in consolidated revenue - Maggini highlights. It is our first investment in Italy: with this operation, the Group surpasses $100 million in aggregated revenue and employs around 250 people.

All employees remain in the company, and there is full continuity with management, which will continue to guide Daas. The plan is to grow in adjacent specialized sectors of wood, providing Daas with the Group's structure and a strengthening program that includes new hires on the territory in the coming months. Italy has high-quality technical companies in our sector, and we are evaluating further acquisitions in the country."