We help manufacturing and maintenance companies improve their industrial cleaning processes, reduce cost per part and improve their environmental footprint.
Every train that runs depends on clean parts. The kind of cleanliness that determines whether a bogie inspection passes first time, whether a bearing seats correctly, whether a driveline component survives its next service interval.
DST-CHEMICALS has been solving industrial parts cleaning challenges since 1987. We specialise in high-performance, water-based cleaning chemistry for precision metal components, and we work with some of the most demanding maintenance operations in the world. Rail is one of them.
The problem with “good enough” cleaning
In rail maintenance workshops, the contamination profile is unforgiving. Oils, greases, brake dust, particulate residues, complex geometries. Many operations manage this with high temperatures, frequent bath changes, and a chemistry bill that rarely gets questioned. It just gets paid.
We question it. Every time.
Our approach is built around Total Cost of Ownership, not product price. Because the cost of a cleaning chemical is rarely the most expensive thing about a cleaning process. Energy consumption, water usage, bath lifetime, downtime, wastewater disposal, and workplace safety all carry real costs that most suppliers never put in front of you. We do.
What this looks like in practice
Hamburger Hochbahn AG runs one of Germany’s most sustainable urban rail networks. When their bogie cleaning process in the Barmbek workshop needed rethinking, the goal was clear: lower energy consumption, without compromising cleanliness standards.
By switching to DST-DEGREEZ/9E, a biodegradable, water-based cleaner, the wash bath temperature dropped from 60°C to 45°C. The result was 45% less energy consumption, significantly reduced water usage, a bath life exceeding six months, and improved workplace safety.
That is Pure Performance. Not a tagline. A proven concept.
Rail is ready for a better conversation about parts cleaning
The rail industry has made enormous strides in sustainability, from zero-emission fleets to green energy procurement. The maintenance workshop is often the last place that conversation reaches. It shouldn’t be.
Water-based cleaning chemistry has carried an unfair reputation in heavy industrial settings for decades. The assumption that you need solvents to shift serious contamination is one we have been disproving for nearly 40 years, across metalworking, automotive, aerospace, and rail.
If you maintain rolling stock and bogies, manufacture components for drivelines or engines, or manage a workshop where cleanliness is process-critical, we would like to start a conversation.
Find out more
Download our Hamburger Hochbahn business case, watch the case film, and explore our Pure Performance approach at dstchemicals.com.
Key DST-CHEMICALS Products
- DST-DEGREEZ/9E
- DST-GEL/2
- EP Graffiti Removal
