Kleen Performance Products

What Kleen Performance Products does

Kleen Performance Products, operating commercially as Safety-Kleen and branded under its KLEEN+ sub-brand, is a North American environmental and industrial services platform headquartered in Richardson, United States. The company self-describes as the largest re-refiner of used oil and the largest provider of parts cleaning services in North America, operating with 5,001-10,000 employees. Its activities span the full circular value chain: collection of used oil and industrial waste, re-refining into Group II+ base oils, distribution of finished lubricants and parts cleaning equipment, and downstream waste management, vacuum, and emergency response services.

The company's core technology is its proprietary re-refining process, which converts collected used oil into KLEEN+ base oils classified as Group II+ quality and positioned as a sustainable alternative to virgin base oils. The product portfolio is organized into three interconnected pillars: (1) KLEEN+ re-refined base oils sold to lubricant manufacturers, (2) parts cleaning services and equipment — aqueous, solvent, paint shop, and coolant filtration — delivered largely through recurring service subscriptions, and (3) industrial supply products including finished motor oils, driveline and hydraulic fluids, gear oils, greases, absorbents, wipers, cleaning chemicals, antifreeze, and storage accessories. Supporting programs include OilPlus® for used oil collection, SumpKleen® for vacuum truck service, CleanPerc™ for solvent replacement, and Total Storm Response for environmental emergency response, alongside compliance training, SDS programs, and total project management.

Kleen Performance Products generates revenue through a blended model combining one-time product sales (base oils, finished lubricants, absorbents, storage equipment), recurring parts cleaning subscriptions, and transactional fees for waste services and vacuum truck work. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting three primary verticals — automotive (dealerships, recreational and machinery dealerships, trucking and transportation, utilities), industrial manufacturing (fabricated metals, primary metals, food and beverage, non-metal, printing, machine manufacturing), and specialty markets (healthcare facilities, agriculture, construction, government and military) — supplemented by an SMB-oriented e-commerce storefront and a dedicated enterprise customer portal. The company distributes across North America, does not claim a global footprint, and routes customer account access through the Clean Harbors enterprise authentication domain, indicating operational or corporate integration with the broader Clean Harbors environmental services platform.

Name

Kleen Performance Products

Legal name

Safety-Kleen Systems

Website

https://kleenperformance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Kleen Performance Products, operating as Safety-Kleen, is North America's largest re-refiner of used oil and parts cleaning service provider, selling KLEEN+ Group II+ re-refined base oils, finished lubricants, parts cleaning equipment, and waste management services to automotive, industrial, and specialty market customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Lubricants

NAICS

Petroleum Lubricating Oil and Grease Manufacturing (324191), Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (324)

SIC

Wholesale-Petroleum & Petroleum Products (No Bulk Stations) (5172), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Used Oil Collection, Re-refining & Circularity (Waste Oil, Recycled Base Oils) (EUALAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Base Oil Production & Supply (Group I–V, Re-refined) (EUALAJAA), Lubricant Formulation & Blending (Finished Lubricants) (EUALAJAC), Greases & Specialty Lubricants (Greases, Pastes, Chain Oils, Silicone/Fluoro) (EUALAJAJ), Lubricants, Fluids & Chemical Products Distribution (Oils, Coolants, AdBlue/DEF, Cleaners) (TLAKAOAL)

Keywords

• Re-refined base oils
• Industrial lubricants
• Parts cleaning services
• Used oil collection
• Industrial waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Richardson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. KLEEN+ Base Oil Sales: Sale of re-refined Group II+ base oils to lubricant manufacturers and industrial customers. The company collects used oil, re-refines it, and sells the resulting base oils as KLEEN+ products.
2. Parts Cleaning Services: Provider of parts cleaning services including aqueous, solvent, paint shop, and coolant filtration services throughout North America.
3. Oils & Lubricants Products: Sale of finished lubricant products including motor oils, driveline fluids, gear oils, hydraulic fluids, industrial fluids, and greases.
4. Waste Services: Collection and disposal services including fuel blending, landfill, incineration, waste water, and universal waste services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kleen Performance Products (operating as Safety-Kleen) is North America's largest re-refiner of used oil, producing KLEEN+ premium Group II+ re-refined base oils for lubricant manufacturers, alongside finished lubricants (motor oils, driveline fluids, gear oils, hydraulic fluids, industrial fluids, greases). The company also operates parts cleaning services (aqueous, solvent, paint shop, coolant filtration), used-oil collection and recycling programs, vacuum truck services, and industrial waste management (fuel blending, landfill, incineration, wastewater) for automotive, industrial, and specialty-market customers.

Product overview

Kleen Performance Products (operating as Safety-Kleen) is a platform of environmental and industrial services with KLEEN+ Base Oils as its flagship product line. The company is North America's largest re-refiner of used oil, transforming recovered oil into premium Group II+ base oils under the KLEEN+ sub-brand. The product portfolio comprises three interconnected pillars: (1) KLEEN+ Base Oils as the core re-refined petroleum product sold to lubricant manufacturers, (2) a comprehensive suite of parts cleaning services including aqueous and solvent parts washers, coolant filtration, and paint shop equipment, and (3) industrial supply products including oils, lubricants, absorbents, cleaning chemicals, antifreeze, and storage accessories. Supporting these products are collection and recycling services for used oil and filters, vacuum truck services for industrial waste, and waste management solutions (fuel blending, landfill, incineration, wastewater). The company also provides compliance training and emergency response services. The KLEEN+ brand represents the company's sustainability positioning—delivering virgin-quality base oils with a reduced carbon footprint from re-refining rather than new crude oil processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KLEEN+: Premium re-refined base oils that are tested, proven and trusted. KLEEN+ base oils are classified as Group II+ quality and offer a measurable reduction in carbon footprint.
• Aqueous
• Solvent
• OilPlus
• SumpKleen
• CleanPerc

Products and services

• KLEEN+ Base Oils Premium Group II+ re-refined base oils produced through Safety-Kleen's used-oil collection and re-refining operations, sold to lubricant manufacturers and industrial customers as a sustainable alternative to virgin base oil with measurable reduction in carbon footprint.
• Parts Washers Equipment and chemistries for cleaning mechanical parts, offered in aqueous, solvent, paint shop, and coolant filtration configurations, available with associated solvents and chemistries.
• Oil Collection Services Collection and recycling of used oil, including used-oil collection, oil re-refining, and oil filter recycling programs (OilPlus).
• Vacuum Truck Services Industrial vacuum services for oil-water separators, sumps (SumpKleen), and trenching applications.
• Waste Services Comprehensive waste management including fuel blending, landfill, incineration, wastewater treatment, and universal waste handling.
• Compliance Services Regulatory compliance support including training, seminars, and SDS programs for hazardous waste management.
• Total Project Management Integrated project services including field services, technical services, and environmental remediation.
• Emergency Response Rapid response services for environmental emergencies and spill incidents, including Total Storm Response.
• Oils & Lubricants Finished petroleum products including motor oils, driveline fluids, gear oils, hydraulic fluids, industrial fluids, and greases.
• Absorbents & Wipers

Quantifiable outcome

• Measurable reduction in carbon footprint when using KLEEN+ base oils

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heritage-Crystal Clean: Heritage-Crystal Clean is the most directly comparable peer: a North American used oil re-refiner and provider of parts cleaning and waste services to automotive and industrial customers. Operates a similar closed-loop model with base oil sales and recurring parts washer subscriptions.
• Vertex Energy: Vertex Energy operates used oil collection and re-refining into Group II base oils, with a strategic focus on sustainable lubricant feedstocks. Competes head-to-head in the re-refined base oil market and benefits from the same ESG-driven demand for circular petroleum products.
• Valvoline Inc. Valvoline is a major North American finished lubricants manufacturer and quick-lube operator, overlapping with Kleen's finished motor oils, driveline fluids, and gear oils product lines, and competing in automotive dealership and fleet service channels.
• Pilot Thomas Logistics: Pilot Thomas Logistics is a North American distributor of lubricants, base oils, and related fluids serving industrial, automotive, and energy customers. Competes directly in wholesale lubricants and base oil distribution channels alongside Kleen's distribution operations.

Broad incumbents

• Quaker Houghton: Quaker Houghton is a global leader in industrial process fluids and specialty lubricants serving metalworking, primary metals, and heavy manufacturing — directly comparable end markets to Kleen's industrial manufacturing segments, though with a broader specialty chemicals portfolio.
• Castrol (BP): Castrol is BP's global lubricants brand, a major producer and blender of finished motor oils, gear oils, and industrial fluids. Overlaps with Kleen's finished lubricants portfolio and competes for the same automotive and industrial OEM/aftermarket customers.
• Shell Lubricants: Shell is one of the world's largest producers of virgin base oils (Group II/III) and a global lubricants brand, competing with KLEEN+ in the base oil supply market while offering finished lubricants across automotive, industrial, and OEM channels.
• ExxonMobil Product Solutions: ExxonMobil is a major virgin base oil (Group II/III) producer and global lubricants marketer through its Mobil brand. Competes with KLEEN+ re-refined base oils in the lubricants manufacturer supply market and offers finished lubricants in overlapping end markets.
• Fuchs Petrolub: Fuchs is a major global specialty lubricants manufacturer with strong presence in industrial, automotive, and food-grade lubricants. Competes with Kleen's finished lubricant portfolio in industrial and specialty customer segments and pursues similar sustainability-driven product strategies.

Others

• Clean Harbors Environmental Services: Clean Harbors is North America's largest provider of environmental and industrial services, including hazardous waste management, and appears to operate Safety-Kleen's customer portal infrastructure. Highly relevant as a corporate parent or affiliated operator rather than a direct market competitor in base oils.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kleenperform
• Facebookfacebook.com/safetykleen1
• LinkedInin.linkedin.com/company/safety-kleen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kleen Performance Products