Hexis

Hexis is a French manufacturer specializing in self-adhesive vinyl films and related graphic-surface materials. The company was established in 1989 by Michel Mateu and is headquartered in Frontignan, in southern France. Its products are used primarily in commercial signage, vehicle and surface decoration, visual communication, and as media for large-format inkjet printing. Rather than operating as a general plastics producer, Hexis has built its identity around the coating and conversion of thin plastic films with pressure-sensitive adhesives. A central part of the company’s technical positioning is its work with cast vinyl films. Hexis developed its own process for producing cast films, a category valued in graphics applications because the material can conform to shaped or contoured surfaces. The company’s manufacturing expertise combines film production or conversion with adhesive coating, finishing, and preparation for printing or application. This places Hexis between the specialty-materials and professional visual-communications sectors, serving sign makers, printers, installers, distributors, and other business customers. The company’s portfolio is associated with self-adhesive PVC and vinyl films used for commercial signs and large-format digital printing. These materials can function as printable substrates or as colored and decorative films for branding and surface transformation. The available reference material also identifies an antimicrobial adhesive film patented by Hexis in 2008, showing an attempt to extend adhesive-film technology into surface-protection applications. The reference material does not establish the product’s present commercial status or the markets in which it remains sold. Hexis received recognition for growth and innovation in 2007. It was jointly awarded the Prix de l’Ambition by Banque Palatine, La Tribune, and HEC School of Management, while Michel Mateu received the Mediterranean-region Innovation Award from Ernst & Young and L’Entreprise. The company was also described as having an ISO 9001:2000-certified quality-management system in the reference period. Hexis has operated through an international distribution and affiliated-company network. The documented network includes entities or operations in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, and Guadeloupe. In the United Kingdom, Hexis products were represented by exclusive distributor Hexis UK Ltd, based in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The Hexis name and logo have also been used under licence by affiliated companies in several European markets. The available sources do not provide reliable current ownership, revenue, employee, or production-capacity figures, so those details are omitted. Hexis is best characterized as a specialist business-to-business materials brand whose value proposition rests on adhesive-film engineering, printable media, cast-vinyl technology, and support for professional graphics applications.

Hexis was founded in France in 1989 by Michel Mateu, who was identified as the company’s president in the reference material. From its base in Frontignan, the company developed a specialist position in self-adhesive vinyl and other thin-film materials used in professional graphics. Its business model centers on pressure-sensitive adhesive coating: plastic films are prepared with adhesive systems so they can be applied to signs, surfaces, or printing substrates. The company’s technical differentiation has been associated with cast vinyl. Hexis pioneered an internally developed process for producing cast vinyl films, giving it a foundation in a material category used for demanding graphic applications and applications involving shaped surfaces. Its films have been described as serving commercial signage and large-format inkjet printing, linking the company to sign makers, digital printers, installers, distributors, and visual-communication businesses. Hexis expanded its technical scope beyond conventional signage materials. In 2008 it patented an antimicrobial adhesive film intended to help protect surfaces from microbes. The available source does not establish whether this technology became a continuing core product line, but the patent demonstrates the company’s interest in adapting adhesive-film technology to functional surface applications. In 2007 the company received the Prix de l’Ambition, jointly presented by Banque Palatine, La Tribune, and HEC School of Management. The award recognized Hexis’s growth performance. In the same year, Michel Mateu received an Innovation Award for the Mediterranean region from Ernst & Young and L’Entreprise. The reference material also states that Hexis held ISO 9001:2000 certification for its quality-management system during the period covered. The brand developed an international commercial structure through subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and distributors. The documented network includes Hexis FWI in Guadeloupe; Hexis GmbH in Germany; Hexis Graphics España in Spain; Hexis Graphics Sverige in Sweden; Hexis Italia in Italy; Hexis USA in California; and Hexis Swiss in Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, Hexis was represented by exclusive distributor Hexis UK Ltd, founded in 1994 and based in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Some affiliated companies used the Hexis trademark under licence, with the trademark and associated logo identified as licensed by Mark Holding Europe BV in the reference material. Hexis is therefore best understood as a specialist business-to-business brand rather than a consumer-facing finished-goods label. Its historical identity is built on adhesive coating, cast-vinyl production, printable film media, and the supply of materials for professional signage and surface graphics. Publicly available reference material supplied for this entry does not provide dependable current figures for ownership, sales, workforce, or manufacturing output.

1. 2008Antimicrobial adhesive-film patent

   Hexis patented an adhesive film intended for antimicrobial surface protection.

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2. 2007Growth and innovation awards

   Hexis received the Prix de l’Ambition, while Michel Mateu received a Mediterranean-region Innovation Award.

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3. 1994Hexis UK distributor is established

   Hexis UK Ltd was founded in Lichfield, Staffordshire, to represent Hexis products in the United Kingdom.

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4. 1989Hexis is founded in France

   Michel Mateu founded Hexis, which later developed into a specialist manufacturer of self-adhesive vinyl and graphic-film materials.

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A specialist French materials manufacturer focused on pressure-sensitive adhesive coating, cast-vinyl technology, printable media, and professional signage applications.

• Self-adhesive vinyl filmsAdhesive films

  Hexis’s core product category consists of thin vinyl or PVC films coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive. These materials are used for commercial signage, visual communication, surface decoration, and related professional graphics work. They are supplied as application materials rather than as consumer products, supporting sign makers, installers, printers, and distributors.

• Cast vinyl filmsGraphic films

  Cast vinyl is a major technical area associated with Hexis. The company pioneered its own process for producing cast vinyl films, which are used in graphic applications where film conformability and dimensional performance are important. The available sources do not identify individual current product-series names, specifications, or a complete present-day catalogue.

• Large-format digital printing mediaPrintable media

  Hexis manufactures self-adhesive vinyl media intended for large-format inkjet printing. These films provide a printable surface for commercial graphics and signage, after which the printed material can be applied to suitable surfaces. The reference material does not specify printer compatibility, ink systems, or current product names.

• Antimicrobial adhesive filmFunctional adhesive film2008

  In 2008 Hexis patented an adhesive film intended to provide antimicrobial protection for surfaces. The patent represents an extension of the company’s pressure-sensitive-film expertise into a functional surface-protection application. The available references do not confirm the product’s launch, commercial scale, or current availability.

• 2008Hexis patents antimicrobial adhesive film

  Hexis patented an adhesive film designed to provide antimicrobial protection for surfaces.

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• 2007Hexis receives the Prix de l’Ambition

  Hexis received the Prix de l’Ambition from Banque Palatine, La Tribune, and HEC School of Management in recognition of its growth performance.

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• 2007Michel Mateu receives Mediterranean Innovation Award

  Michel Mateu, Hexis’s president, received an Innovation Award for the Mediterranean region from Ernst & Young and L’Entreprise.

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1. Hexis S.A.
2. Hexis Group corporate website