1. Partnership with Zeppelin Oil Lab
In April 2024, Sven Blanke, Service and Warranty Manager at klarx, started an initial test phase together with Zeppelin Oil Lab (ZOD) to make maintenance of construction machines in klarx's own logistics centers more efficient, cost-effective, and above all more sustainable.
During this test phase of the partnership with Zeppelin Oil Lab, hydraulic oil from all Yanmar construction machines in the Munich logistics center was analyzed. Samples were taken from each machine, labeled, and sent to the oil lab. Since 1997, Zeppelin has analyzed engine, transmission, axle, and hydraulic oil as well as coolant and fuel samples in its own oil lab - and the volume has grown steadily. Today, approximately 140,000 samples are analyzed annually. Thanks to their comprehensive database, Zeppelin experts can tell from an oil sample when the oil needs to be changed. The results of the oil analysis follow a traffic light system that provides information about contamination, oil condition, oil cleanliness, and oil viscosity.
Quote: "We work with incredible precision. Wear elements, additives, and contaminants are all measured in the non-visible range and reported in ppm (parts per million)," says Dagmar Welzl, Head of ZOD.
2. First hydraulic oil tests
During this initial test phase, which took place this spring, klarx had hydraulic oil from 64 Yanmar construction machines tested. Each of these machines requires between 35 and 100 liters of hydraulic oil. The oil analyses from Zeppelin Lab showed that the hydraulic oil from all these machines was in the green range and therefore did not need to be changed. "This way, we saved 5,028 liters of hydraulic oil and reduced the environmental impact from topping up new oil and disposal. Additionally, the partnership with Zeppelin Oil Lab is very efficient—we had the test results within 48 hours," says Sven Blanke, Service and Warranty Manager at klarx.
Beyond reducing environmental impact, oil analysis at the Zeppelin Oil Lab offers additional advantages. The klarx logistics centers team can monitor the condition of each construction machine and prevent damage before it occurs. Oil diagnostics also provide insights into wear and tear. This way, not only can repair costs be saved, but it also ensures that all machines are fully functional for our customers' job sites, supporting them in meeting their project deadlines.
"klarx has committed to not only digitizing the construction industry, but also making it more sustainable. We do this through our 5,100+ partner stations throughout Germany, enabling our customers to source their machines locally and reduce the transport kilometers of construction equipment to the job site. We're excited about the opportunity to launch another initiative with our partner Zeppelin that makes our logistics centers even more sustainable," says Florian Handschuh, Managing Director and co-founder of klarx.
The hydraulic oil tests for Yammer construction machines in klarx's own Munich logistics center were an initial test. Following the successful completion of this first test phase, the klarx team is already planning to conduct oil tests for other fluids from various construction machines across all three logistics centers.
Image credits: "Extract from an oil sample" - ZOD
