Order for new DB facility in Cottbus

Construction of Deutsche Bahn’s Most Advanced Maintenance Facility

Deutsche Bahn is currently building a state-of-the-art ICE maintenance facility in Cottbus. SLF Oberflächentechnik GmbH has been awarded the contract to equip the paint booth track in Hall 1, which is currently under construction.

At the new Cottbus site, DB will maintain its entire ICE 4 fleet. Hall 1 is being designed to also accommodate future generations of ICE trains, making the new plant a key element in driving the mobility transition in Germany and supporting climate protection goals.

To ensure efficient maintenance of its ICE fleet, DB is expanding its existing site in Cottbus with two new halls. Hall 2, the smaller of the two, featuring two maintenance tracks, has been operational since January 2024. Hall 1, scheduled for completion by 2026, will include maintenance and commissioning tracks, as well as a dedicated paint booth track for individual train cars.

Deutsche Bahn has been a long-standing customer of SLF Oberflächentechnik GmbH. The Emsdetten-based mechanical engineering company develops and manufactures customized blasting and painting systems as well as conveyor technology tailored to industrial surface treatment of large components. SLF systems are in use worldwide across various industries, with rail vehicle maintenance being one of the company’s key sectors. Several SLF installations are already in operation at other DB maintenance locations.

SLF has been tasked with delivering the complete system technology for the paint booth track in Hall 1. In the SLF booths, individual ICE cars will be pre-sanded automatically and repainted using high-performance painting robots in combined spray and drying booths (KST booths). For this project, SLF is partnering with FANUC Deutschland GmbH, integrating its advanced automation solutions into the sanding and painting process.

The booths will also be equipped with specially designed access platforms tailored to each stage of the process, ensuring DB employees can safely and efficiently access all surfaces during manual tasks such as preparation, painting, and finishing.

“We have developed an innovative, highly automated system in close coordination with Deutsche Bahn AG and FANUC Deutschland GmbH – a system unlike anything currently available on the market,” explains Jan den Hartog, Sales Engineer at SLF Oberflächentechnik GmbH. “This project sets new standards for both efficiency and quality.”

This contract represents the largest single order in SLF Oberflächentechnik GmbH’s history. Nevertheless, the company’s headquarters in Emsdetten is well equipped to handle projects of this size and complexity. SLF regularly designs and manufactures complete surface treatment centers for large-scale components used by global market leaders in the rail and commercial vehicle industries, wind energy sector, and structural steel construction.

“We are very proud to be part of such a major and prestigious project as the construction of DB’s new maintenance facility in Cottbus,” says Michael Bahlinghorst, Technical Managing Director at SLF Oberflächentechnik GmbH. “We sincerely thank Deutsche Bahn AG for placing their trust in us and look forward to delivering this exceptional project in the months ahead.”