What ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH does

ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH, headquartered in Berlin (Wolfener Straße 32-34, 12681 Berlin), is the German operating subsidiary of Swiss parent ECS AG (Pfäffikon, Switzerland), together forming a privately-held specialty cleaning-products manufacturer founded in 1982 by Ernst Ruch. The company produces cleaning cards for automated cash-handling and self-service equipment — notably ATMs, banknote acceptors, POS terminals, ticket vending machines, transit fare gates, parking paystations, and fuel-station payment points — and complements them with technical sprays (OXID-OFF, CONTACT CLEANER, ISOPROPANOL, FLUX-OFF, SPRAYWASH, ELECTRO DEGREASER, PCB-Cleaner Ultrasonic, compressed gas dusters), cleaning fluids (magnetic head cleaner, multimedia/screen cleaner, roller cleaner, glasses cleaner), specialty cloths and swabs, and the proprietary ECS URETHANE RED single-component polyurethane insulating varnish. Manufacturing integrates proprietary chemical formulations with in-house nonwoven and individually wrapped wipe production across two ISO 9001- and ISO 14001-certified facilities in Switzerland and Germany.

The company sells primarily to enterprise and institutional buyers in Banking, Retail/POS, Transportation & Ticketing, Parking & Paystations, Gaming, and Petroleum through a hybrid go-to-market consisting of its own e-commerce shop (ECS AG storefront plus ElixClean sub-brand), in-house sales teams covering Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Turkey, and a global network of authorized distributors and OEM/private-label channels reaching more than 45 countries. Three asset acquisitions — Clean Card Systems UK (2016), CPS GmbH Germany (2022), and Riotex AG Switzerland (2024) — have been integrated into the Berlin and Pfäffikon facilities to add nonwoven cleaning-card technology, promotional/marketing wipes production, and individually wrapped wipes capacity. Gunnar Kleinmann has owned and led the company since 2015.

Revenue mechanics are predominantly one-time B2B product sales priced per unit (e.g., cleaning cards €6.20–€23.95, technical sprays €10.05–€11.60 per 250–400 ml, PCB-Cleaner Ultrasonic 5L €105.00), with a parallel private-label/OEM manufacturing stream for cleaning cards and wipes under customer packaging, generating modest licensing-like economics. With approximately 35 employees across two production sites, the company operates in a niche industrial consumables category dominated by repeat maintenance orders from fleet operators and equipment OEMs.

Name

ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH

Legal name

ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH

Website

https://ecsag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH and its Swiss parent ECS AG manufacture specialized cleaning cards, technical sprays, and cleaning fluids for ATMs, POS terminals, vending machines, and electronic equipment, selling to industrial and infrastructure operators in over 45 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Industrial Cleaning Products

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing (325612)

SIC

Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842)

akta.pro primary industry

Hard Surface & Multi-Purpose Cleaners (All-purpose, Floor, Bathroom, Kitchen) (CRADAKAG)

Keywords

• Specialty cleaning products
• Cleaning cards manufacturing
• Technical cleaning sprays
• Vending machine maintenance
• Electronics cleaning solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (B2B): ECS generates revenue through direct sales of proprietary and branded cleaning products (liquids, wipes, sprays, cards) via its e-commerce shop, and through a global distributor/partner network. Revenue is primarily one-time product purchase, with some repeat ordering from established B2B customers.
2. Private Label / OEM: ECS manufactures cleaning cards and products under customer private label packaging in addition to its own ECS and Elix brands, creating an additional revenue stream through custom manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH and its Swiss affiliate ECS AG manufacture and sell specialty cleaning products for automated machines and electronic equipment. Core offerings include cleaning cards for ATMs, POS terminals, vending machines and transport ticketing systems, along with technical sprays (contact cleaners, PCB cleaners, isopropanol), electronics cleaning cloths, magnetic head cleaners, roller cleaners, and Elix hand cleaning wipes. Products are sold under own brands (ECS, Elix, ElixClean, Miller-Stephenson) and via private label/OEM manufacturing.

Product overview

ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH (Germany) and ECS AG (Switzerland) are affiliated companies specializing in professional cleaning solutions for automated machines, electronics, and industrial applications. Founded in 1982, the company has grown to become one of the world's largest manufacturers of special cleaning cards. The product portfolio centers on core offerings including cleaning cards for ATMs, banknote acceptors, POS terminals, and vending machines, complemented by specialized cleaning fluids (magnetic head cleaners, roller cleaners, electronics cleaners, screen cleaners), technical sprays (OXYD-OFF, CONTACT CLEANER, ISOPROPANOL, FLUX-OFF, SPRAYWASH, ELECTRO DEGREASER, PCB-Cleaner Ultrasonic), and cleaning wipes/cloths. The company also offers specialty products like the ECS URETHANE RED insulating varnish and Elix brand hand cleaning products. Recent acquisitions (Clean Card Systems UK 2016, CPS GmbH Germany 2022, Riotex AG Switzerland 2024) have expanded capabilities in nonwoven cleaning cards, individually wrapped wipes, and cleaning sprays. The company operates manufacturing facilities in both Germany and Switzerland, employs approximately 35 people, and sells products in over 45 countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elix: Hand cleaning products and surface cleaning solutions
• ElixClean
• Miller-Stephenson

Products and services

• Cleaning Cards (Reinigungskarten) Specialized cleaning cards for automated machines including ATMs, banknote acceptors, POS terminals, parking machines, public transport ticketing systems, and petrol station payment points. ECS is one of the world's largest manufacturers of these specialty cleaning cards.
• Magnetic Head Cleaner (Magnetkopf-Reiniger) Cleaning fluid designed for magnetic heads in audio/video equipment and data storage devices, available in multiple sizes for professional and industrial maintenance.
• Multimedia Cleaner ElixClean 260 Screen and multimedia cleaner for LCD/TFT displays, laptops, scanners, and optical surfaces. Available in 150ml and 1-liter sizes.
• Roller Cleaner (Walzenreiniger) Professional roller cleaner for printers, card readers, POS terminals, and transport rollers. Removes dust, toner residue, grease, and production residues. Available in 150ml, 250ml, and 1-liter sizes.
• Elektroniktuch 448 (Electronics Cloth 448) Lint-free, antistatic cleaning cloth made from homogeneous, high-density special nonwoven textile fiber for sensitive surfaces in microelectronics, optics, fiber optics, cleanroom environments, and precision instruments. Dimensions 18x18cm.
• ECS URETHANE RED Insulating Varnish High-performance single-component polyurethane insulating varnish with 72 kV/mm dielectric strength, temperature resistant from -40°C to +130°C. Air-drying coating for long-term protection of coils, motor windings, transformers, and electrical components.
• CONTACT CLEANER Universal cleaner for electrical and electronic systems. Based on high-quality, effective solvents that evaporate quickly and completely residue-free. Versatile application for contacts and electronic devices.
• OXYD-OFF Contact Cleaner Highly effective oxide and sulfide-dissolving contact cleaner. Removes oxide and sulfide layers from metallic contact surfaces while providing long-term anti-friction and corrosion protection.
• ISOPROPANOL Cleaner Mild, universal cleaner with >99.9% purity. Removes both grease and ionic contaminants. Evaporates completely residue-free and does not attack common materials.
• FLUX-OFF Cleaner Mild but effective cleaner for removing solder flux residues from printed circuit boards. Works on both rosin-based and water-soluble fluxes. Colorless and evaporates without residue.
• SPRAYWASH Cleaner Highly effective cleaner for dirty contacts and components. Special solvent combination removes dirt, grease deposits, and oxide layers with good creeping and flow properties.
• ELECTRO DEGREASER Highly effective cleaner specifically for removing greasy and oily dirt from electrical devices and components. Effectively removes wax and heavy dirt while repelling moisture and water.
• PCB-Cleaner Ultrasonic Water-based, non-flammable, biodegradable cleaning solution for PCB cleaning. Ideal for removing stubborn flux residues. Contains corrosion inhibitor, low odour, easy to rinse. Available in 1-liter and 5-liter sizes.
• Screen and Universal Cleaning Wipes (Bildschirm- und Universalreinigungstücher) Wet cleaning wipes for modern office equipment including keyboards, phones, mice, printers, and copiers. Pleasant fresh scent, available in practical dispenser box with 100 wipes per box, 12 boxes per carton.
• Glasses Cleaner (Brillenreiniger) Cleaning fluid for eyeglasses and optical lenses. Available in 35ml display (15 pieces) and 100ml sizes.
• Display Cleaning Cloths (Display Reinigungstücher) Wet and dry cleaning cloths for LCD/TFT/Touch-screen displays, laptops, scanners, lenses, screen filters and all glass surfaces. Available in various sizes and formats including tear-open pouches.
• Microfiber Cloths (Mikrofasertücher) High-quality microfiber cleaning cloths for various cleaning applications. Available in 20x20cm blue and 40x40cm blue sizes.
• Cleaning Swabs (Reinigungs-Stäbchen) Cleaning swabs for automated machines and devices in electronic and technical areas. Available in cotton wool, PU foam, and flock technology variants for cleaning hard-to-reach spaces.
• Cleaning Sets (Reinigungssets) Pre-configured cleaning kits for specific applications including PC cleaning sets (single-use and reusable), cockpit cleaning sets, public transport/ticketing cleaning sets, and parking/fuel station cleaning kits.
• Elix Hand Cleaning Products Hand cleaning wipes and products for professional use. Suitable for surfaces and tool cleaning. Includes stainless steel cleaning cloths with special liquid formula and anti-graffiti wipes with citrus-based formula.
• Miller-Stephenson Cleaning Products Miller-Stephenson chemical cleaning products including foam cleaners (MS.260) and liquid cleaners (MS.262L.150) for plastic, glass, and metal surfaces.
• Compressed Gas Sprays Pressurized gas sprays for dust removal from sensitive equipment. Includes HIGH PRESSURE ELIX CLEAN variants and extension hoses/accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complaint rate near zero for decades
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Riotex AG (Switzerland) - Asset AcquisitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ECS acquired the assets of Riotex AG in Switzerland in 2024, gaining a customer base in the individually wrapped wipes market plus additional production machines for single-wrap wipes, integrated into ECS AG facilities.
• CPS GmbH (Germany) - Asset AcquisitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ECS acquired the assets of CPS GmbH in Germany in 2022, gaining a customer base in the promotional market plus machines for producing individually wrapped wipes, cleaning cards, and cleaning sprays, integrated into ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH facilities.
• Clean Card Systems (UK) - Asset AcquisitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ECS acquired the assets of Clean Card Systems in the UK in 2016, gaining a strong customer base and technology to produce nonwoven cleaning cards, integrated into ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH facilities in Berlin.
• JEA technologies Pty Ltd. (Australia)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for ECS products in Australia, handling sales and distribution across the Australian market.
• Electromech ECS Limited (UK/Ireland)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for ECS products in England and Ireland. Following the 2016 acquisition of Clean Card Systems UK assets, ECS integrated this partner into its UK distribution network.
• Lm Control (France/Belgium/Luxembourg)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for ECS products covering France, Belgium, and Luxembourg markets.
• Coin-Tech Services (HK) Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor covering Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, and China for ECS cleaning products.
• New Effort Limited (Hong Kong)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for ECS products covering banking and retail sectors in Hong Kong, China, Macau, and Taiwan.
• Miller-Stephenson Chemical Co., Inc. (USA)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for ECS products in the United States of America.
• InterNET SRL (Romania/Bulgaria)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for ECS products covering Romania and Bulgaria.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zestron: Germany-headquartered precision cleaning chemistry specialist serving electronics manufacturing (PCB cleaning, stencil cleaning, ESD control). Targets the same electronics cleanliness applications as ECS's technical sprays and PCB-Cleaner Ultrasonic, with a stronger direct presence in industrial electronics OEMs.
• Bestech Group: UK-based specialist producer of cleaning cards for ATMs, payment terminals, and self-service kiosks. Closest head-to-head peer on ECS's flagship cleaning card product — same end customers (banks, retail POS, transport ticketing), same regulatory-driven preventive maintenance use case.
• Electrolube: UK/Hong Kong-based (Element Solutions Inc.) manufacturer of specialty chemicals for electronics including contact cleaners, conformal coatings, resins and thermal management materials. Direct peer to ECS's URETHANE RED insulating varnish and technical spray portfolio, with broader scope into protective coatings and lubricants.
• Kyzen Corporation: US-based manufacturer of environmentally responsible cleaning chemistries for electronics manufacturing, aerospace and medical device applications. Closely comparable on aqueous and ultrasonic PCB cleaning chemistries, directly competing in the precision cleaning segment where ECS's PCB-Cleaner Ultrasonic participates.
• Miller-Stephenson Chemical Co. US-based specialty chemicals manufacturer of contact cleaners, flux removers, and ESD-safe coatings used in electronics manufacturing and maintenance. Already a partner/brand inside ECS's portfolio (sold under 'Miller-Stephenson' label), making it the most direct product-category peer to ECS's technical sprays.
• CRC Industries Europe (Kontakt Chemie): European leader in technical cleaning sprays and contact cleaners (Kontakt Chemie brand, now under CRC Industries). Directly competes with ECS's technical spray line — Contact Cleaner, OXID-OFF, FLUX-OFF, Sprüh-Waschmittel — in electronics and industrial maintenance channels.

Broad incumbents

• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): Diversified industrial manufacturer with automotive and electronics segments producing contact cleaners, specialty wipes, and ESD consumables. Overlaps with ECS's electronic equipment maintenance products at the segment level; not a focused competitor in vending-machine cleaning cards.
• Henkel (Adhesive Technologies): German multinational offering industrial cleaners, surface treatments, and specialty chemicals through its Adhesive Technologies division. Competes broadly with ECS in technical cleaning and electronics maintenance via Loctite and Bonderite brands, but does not focus on the cleaning-card-for-ATM niche.
• 3M Electronics Materials Solutions: Global diversified manufacturer whose Electronics division offers contact cleaners, ESD-safe wipes, and PCB cleaning chemistries. Competes with ECS in technical sprays and wipes, but as one product line within a vast portfolio rather than a focused specialist.

Emerging players

• UVIZ Group: Swiss/German specialist in cleaning cards and preventive-maintenance consumables for vending, payment and ticketing equipment. Same narrow niche and vertical-segment focus as ECS, scaling as a smaller competitor and potential future roll-up target.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecs-cleaning-solutions

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

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 ECS Cleaning Solutions GmbH