13 May 2025
Interview: Inside CWS Cleanrooms’ full-service approach
Wanted: Textiles, consumables, cleaning, and training from a single source
Cleanrooms are the invisible workbenches of many high-tech industries, from pharmaceuticals to semiconductor production. Until now, companies however had to rely on various providers for their cleanroom needs, sourcing textiles, consumables, and cleaning services separately. Haniel's portfolio company CWS Cleanrooms has closed this gap through several business expansions and has established itself as a full-service provider, at the latest since acquiring STAXS®. Customers now have the option to choose a specific part of the offering or to obtain everything from a single source.
In our interview, Jon van der Weide and Johan-Detlef Dubbelboer reveal the specific demands companies in this field have, why Burghausen is the ideal location for a new, state-of-the-art laundry facility, and what future growth opportunities the market holds.
Jon, you have been in the textile and laundry business for over three decades, including six years at CWS Cleanrooms. Johan-Detlef, you also have 25 years of experience in the industry. What specific requirements do customers in cleanroom production have?
Jon van der Weide: CWS has a long tradition in textile services and serves companies from a wide range of industries. The cleanroom sector is unique in that workwear here is primarily meant to protect the product—unlike in other environments, where it typically protects employees in hazardous settings. It’s a reversed approach.
How so?
Johan-Detlef Dubbelboer: Cleanroom users are mostly found in the life sciences—such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and so on—or in semiconductor manufacturing. In all these fields, it is absolutely critical that processes run without any contamination. In the worst case, contamination could not only destroy a product like a medication but also pose a risk to patients.
Jon: That’s why our clothing is designed to, for example, contain human skin particles inside. Additionally, our laundries must operate in a particle- and germ-free environment as well to ensure that the garments we deliver to our customers are fully cleanroom-compatible.
Your collaboration began when CWS Cleanrooms acquired STAXS® in May 2022. How did this partnership come about?
Jon: Through our textile and laundry services, we had already built close relationships with numerous cleanroom customers at CWS and positioned ourselves as experts in this service segment. Over time, companies started asking if we could also provide additional services and products. That was the starting point of our initiative to develop CWS Cleanrooms into a full-service provider, which also led us to STAXS®, a specialist in consumables.
Johan-Detlef: Consumables, by the way, include all products needed for cleanroom operations beyond textiles—ranging from gloves and hairnets to wipes, mops and disinfectants.
Consumable products are naturally designed for single use. How do you feel about that from a sustainability standpoint?
Johan-Detlef: In this industry, there is no way around single-use products. Customers want to eliminate even the slightest risk of contamination. Nevertheless, six years ago at STAXS®, we made the decision to make our products and processes more sustainable. Today, we are very proud to be among the few companies awarded a Platinum rating by EcoVadis. Achieving this has required—and still requires—many small steps. Recycling, for instance, brought us to the question of how we can design materials in a way that allows their raw components to be reintegrated into the circular economy. But sustainability is also about our facilities, where we now operate CO₂-neutral. Additionally, we have revised our company car policy to further reduce our environmental footprint.
Before partnering with STAXS®, CWS Cleanrooms had already made other acquisitions. For example, you acquired SSE an Irish cleaning specialist, as well as the German company profi-con, which, in addition to cleanroom cleaning, also offers in-person and online training. How has CWS Cleanrooms' positioning changed as a result of these acquisitions?
Jon: This gives us a truly unique selling point in the market. We can provide the best overall solution, whether customers need rental textiles, consumables, cleanroom cleaning, or employee training. As Johan-Detlef mentioned earlier, we have essentially become a facility manager for a very specific production environment.
Johan-Detlef: That’s right. This creates real added value for our customers. They can focus on their core processes while we, as experts, take care of everything else.
CWS Cleanrooms invested in the construction of a state-of-the-art laundry facility in Burghausen in the spring of 2022. Since 2024, it has been in operation, providing services for cleanroom textiles and accessories. How difficult was this step given the challenging overall economic climate, and what led to the decision to choose a location in Southeast Bavaria?
Jon: Our cleanroom textile business has grown steadily over the past five years, and with that, the demand for laundry capacity. Even before Burghausen, we had already developed a new laundry facility in Lauterbach—between Frankfurt and Kassel—during the COVID lockdown, making use of an existing building. With these two new laundries, we were able to more or less double our capacity for the DACH region. So, in a positive sense, this was a necessary step. Why Burghausen? Because its proximity to the border makes it an excellent location—not only to serve customers in Germany but also in Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic or further East European countries.
At the new laundry facility in Burghausen, CWS Cleanrooms relies not only on digitalized processes but also on sustainable building technology. A total of 448 photovoltaic modules on the facility's roof generate approximately 180,000 kilowatt-peak (kWp), reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 83 tons per year. The installed rapid steam generators require significantly less energy compared to conventional large water boilers. Additionally, the cooling system outside the facility supplies the ventilation system while also providing highly useful waste heat, which is used to preheat process water.
What advantages does the new laundry facility offer aside from the favorable location?
Jon: The facility’s technological standard is a huge asset for our daily operations. Thanks to digital track & trace, we know exactly where each individual item is, how often it has been worn, and which processes it has undergone. What we particularly appreciate are the investments in the laundry’s sustainable operation. In the long run, this also gives us a significant competitive advantage.
Despite all this modern technology, why are so many manual steps still necessary?
Jon: That comes down to the unique nature of a cleanroom. It’s nearly impossible to fully automate this environment because machines inevitably generate particles that have no place in such a setting. Additionally, there is a high degree of product variety, which further complicates automation.
What is a Cleanroom?
A cleanroom is a controlled environment where airborne particles such as dust, microorganisms, and chemical vapors are minimized to meet strict cleanliness standards. Cleanrooms are essential for industries that require contamination-free manufacturing of sensitive products.
Key features
Air Filtration
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) and ultra-low penetration air (ULPA) filters remove airborne contaminants.
Airflow Control
Laminar airflow (unidirectional flow) minimizes turbulence and prevents particle accumulation.
Cleanroom are classified by international standards such as ISO 14644-1. Depending on the classification, only a specific number of particles per cubic meter of air are permitted. An ISO 1 cleanroom has the highest level of air purity, while an ISO 9 cleanroom is similar to normal indoor air. In the pharmaceutical industry, additional GMP cleanroom classifications are used, ranging from Grade A to D.
Applications
Cleanrooms are critical in multiple high-tech and life sciences industries, including:
Let's look ahead a few years. CWS Cleanrooms serves customers in a segment that is generally not well known. Where do you see potential for further growth?
Jon: Many people are familiar with end products like tablets or medications, but the environment in which they are produced is more of a niche topic. However, that shouldn’t obscure the fact that cleanroom production is already critically important today. The massive increase in vaccine production during the COVID-19 pandemic made that very clear. Additionally, new segments are emerging, such as battery production for automobiles. In these industries, companies rely on our products and services.
Johan-Detlef: Just look at the developments in the pharmaceutical industry around personalized medicine, or cell and gene therapy. These innovations increase the chances of successfully treating patients with severe illnesses. We are proud that we can contribute to this progress.
Thank you for the interview!
