Every two years, the VAK, the trade association of the work equipment and municipal vehicle industry, presents an innovation award to recognise technologies that maintain quality of life and drive progress. In 2024, the ZOELLER subsidiary SCANTEC received the award for its first place in the assembly, component and control technology category.

The SCANTEC colleagues were delighted. “After all, the award shows that our technology really is one of the best solutions on the market. It is also a special kind of reward for the great commitment of everyone involved,” says SCANTEC Managing Director Ulrich Helfmeier. After all, he and his team have been working on the SmartScan technology for around two and a half years. “Some employees were even involved in the topic before that. Overall, we have been working on scanning waste for around five years,” says Helfmeier.

SmartScan is a recyclables scanner in the refuse collection vehicle that uses artificial intelligence to recognise incorrect waste. SmartScan analyses and assesses image data of the waste in the refuse collection vehicle fully automatically in real time without extending the duration of the tour. The image of the emptied waste is analysed for ten waste fractions with the help of artificial intelligence. The analysis is carried out both on the vehicle and via the ScanSuite results portal. The idea behind it: Increase recycling rates, reduce costs and increase sustainability. In addition, greater ability to act through data transparency – both on tours directly on the vehicle and in long-term dialogue with citizens. “The main beneficiaries of the technology will be citizens, who will have the opportunity to receive direct feedback on the composition of their bins in near real time. This means that separation information can be provided quickly, in a modern and fully automated way,” says Ulrich Helfmeier. And Thomas Schmitz, CEO of the ZOELLER GROUP, adds: “AI is only being used very hesitantly in waste management – but the possibilities are enormous and offer huge potential.”

Innovations for the future

The prize is intended to reward technical or organisational-structural innovations in the areas of waste disposal, street and sewer cleaning that help to solve the growing tasks of the industry more efficiently. “The health and safety of people and the conservation of resources are always at the forefront of new developments”, says the VAK e.V., as the industry is driven by ongoing innovative concepts and new technology. The VAK would like to highlight and honour special achievements in this area with the Innovation Award and thus contribute to securing the future. Products and technology are honoured in the categories of vehicle and device as well as assembly, component and control technology.

The winners were presented and chosen at IFAT 2024 in May. This is the second award for SCANTEC this year. At the beginning of May, the SmartScan technology was recognised by the TÜV AUSTRIA Group was the first AI solution in the circular economy in the DACH region to be certified with the TRUSTED AI Application test mark for its functional trustworthiness. This is a milestone in the industry and underlines SCANTEC’s technological leadership in the field of green tech.

You can find out more about SCANTEC solutions here.

The MAGNUM series has a new addition. The offspring combines the best of all families. As robust and powerful as a MAGNUM and a true child of the X-Family at heart – from the hydraulic concept to the electronics. Powerful in the disposal of bulky, industrial and commercial waste. May we introduce? The MAGNUM X1.

Drilling thin boards is easy, as the German saying goes. Breaking thin boards is, contrary to what it seems at first, more difficult. At least when it comes to cabinet back panels, battens and the like in the hydraulic press. Jammed and wedged, they always cause disruptions in the operating process. The MAGNUM X1 puts an end to this. “Thin bulky goods are pre-crushed with longitudinal ribs on the carrier plate. Nothing gets stuck between the carrier plate and the scraper. The risk of the gap between the two getting bigger and bigger over time, of thin bulky goods simply pushing through and damaging internal components in the rear section is also eliminated,” explains Jürgen Kowalke, Head of Sales and Service Germany. The stair-shaped scraper also prevents the load from slipping into the collection tray. In the bulky waste vehicle version, the X1 has a robust crushing edge that ensures virtually splinter-free operation. However, it can also be combined with all lifters in the MEGA series.

Modern design, higher payload

It weighs less than its brother, the MAGNUM XXL. In addition, a 10-degree steeper rear section ensures a higher collection volume – between 18 and 30 cubic metres, depending on the wheelbase – and the loading density can also be increased via convenient fraction preselection on the control terminal. So much for the exterior values. Inside, special premium cylinders do their job, explains Kowalke. “Hollow-bored piston rods, in the bore of which the hydraulic fluid now runs. The advantage: there are significantly fewer hydraulic hoses hanging freely in the loading mechanism. A very tidy rear section interior. In addition, the piston rods have been mechanically raised, thus minimising the risk of damage from the load.” In addition, there is plenty of family connection: all the main features of the X-Family have been adopted. This means: hydraulic concept, control system and mechanical components, which in turn enables a fully circumferential tailgate seal and adjustable claw lock for a tight positive fit. An additional plus: training and instruction for loaders and workshop personnel will be much easier in future. This is because participants can now attend training courses for the X1 and X4 together, for example.

Could it be a little more robust?

“The XXL is good and indestructible, but it’s also very heavy,” says Jürgen Kowalke. This is unfavourable in conjunction with a transfer system. Another advantage of the X1 is therefore its lighter construction. But of course, durability and robustness are also guaranteed in this version. “We test our vehicles in an endurance test. A complete life cycle of the product is mapped or simulated. This gives us the certainty that the product can be safely launched on the market.”

Successful debut

13 May 2024 was the premiere of the MAGNUM X1 at IFAT. Stage fright? Not at all. After all, the ZOELLER engineers and mechatronics technicians, sales, service and management had been fine-tuning every detail of the debutant for around five years. Valuable suggestions also came from ZOELLER customers with their experiences from daily practice. The X-Family was launched in 2016. “The idea for the X1 was born around 2018 and is the logical and consistent continuation of the X-Family concept,” says Sven Walter, Head of Internal Sales. The MAGNUM X1 is the result of a group-wide development with the development expertise at ZOELLER TECH. The X1 certainly received plenty of positive reactions at IFAT 2024: lots of applause, oohs and ahhs from wipers to details and optics to cylinders. But we think: No wonder, with such a well-behaved offspring.

Buying a municipal vehicle is a bit like buying a conventional car: checking out the demonstrator, exploring the optional extras, taking a test drive. But then again, many things are quite different. Björn Meyne, Technical Customer Support at Zöller-Kipper, talks about the differences and similarities.

Come in, get in, drive round – it’s not quite as uncomplicated as in a car dealership. How does the prospective customer get a test drive?

As a rule, the customer, or potential customer, makes an enquiry. The sales department then asks me what we have in the way of demonstrators. There are always three to four vehicles in the yard, X4, X2, one with a crane, one with Epsilon on it and one with hydrogen fuel cell technology. Of course, the vehicles are also sold, but then new ones arrive. Most of the vehicles we have available for demonstrations are standardised. But that doesn’t mean, of course, that we don’t look closely at the customers’ needs. From the tender, we already know pretty much exactly what is needed, whether for the city centre or the countryside, manoeuvrability, payload and so on.
And if our sales department has been on site, they have already seen what the customer drives – the previous models, which containers, which fractions, which routes. We then select the perfect vehicle to match.
One example: New development areas are always densely built-up: The X4 H extension 21.5m³, short wheelbase with Econic is ideal here, you’ve already won in tight areas! With the H variant, of course, you have to pay a little attention to the route because of bridges and other height restrictions.

And then?

Let’s go for a spin. No, seriously: as a rule, this is followed by a week-long test on site with the vehicle of choice or the most suitable vehicle. This is then delivered to the customer – either by a haulage company or I drive it myself. On the Monday after arrival, there is a demonstration with the management, safety officer and drivers, and from Tuesday it’s off on the road. In the morning, I’m usually still behind the wheel, especially with special vehicles, and then the customer’s drivers. I’m still involved, of course, and also drive on the running board with the loaders, from whom we also get questions, suggestions and requests. We then see what we can implement.

What are the top three loader requests?

Popular and often requested are a hand-wash facility, grip heating and – a bottle holder …

And where do you ride?

We drive the normal tours on which the van is to be used. After all, we want to show what it can do. For example, saving labour, saving fuel, making work more comfortable or enabling more effective route planning. To do this, I create a demonstration report: start and end times, hydrogen or fuel consumption, tonnage transported and many more details. The sales department receives this for a personal meeting, i.e. the follow-up, where the vehicle is then customised for the order, so to speak.

But if a vehicle is so convincing during the demonstration that the customer says “I want it”, that’s also clear. It’s really like in a car dealership, where no salesperson would say: “No, you can’t have that car!”

How do you actually become a municipal vehicle demonstrator?

Technical customer service / demonstrations is the official name here … As far as I know, there’s no set path. I responded to a newspaper advert 20 years ago, as a classic career changer. Zwo weeks after the interview the company at the time said: “Welcome!” I then worked in production for a whole year and got to know everything before switching to the driver’s seat.

In 20 years, you really get around. Surely there were some very special experiences?

I once had a mega breathtaking experience at a company in Austria, where I demonstrated a side loader. We drove it up into the mountains to a vineyard that was famous in the area for its snacks. You could just help yourself and take it out of a barrel like this. So we drove up into the mountains with snow chains – it was snowing and then we had to drive down the whole steep mountain again. My heart was really in my mouth, but the driver just laughed.
And the landscape was simply marvellous, the mountain panorama and then our side loader and this steep slope in front of me … I’ll never forget it! I’ve never put on snow chains for a demonstration before. When have you ever done that …

Just the same in green? Not with us. What ZOELLER has recently achieved in terms of sustainability and what else has moved the Group, from the new MINI series to its website.

City of Zurich: Well calculated
Switzerland joins the EU’s Green Deal. The largest fleet of electric waste collection vehicles in the country will soon be on the road in Zurich.

Red card for waste disposal errors
RegioEntsorgung in Eschweiler relies on DeepScan technology – with extremely pleasing results.

The new MINIs are pretty big
One of the highlights at IFAT 2024 was the presentation of the revised MINI series. A successful combination of familiar and new features.

ZOELLER TECH is worth the journey
Postponed for four years and now finally realised: at the Annual General Meeting of the Association of the Verband der Arbeitsgeräte- und Kommunalfahrzeug-Industrie (VAK) in Rekowo Górne, Poland.

Also visually in pole position
Background information on ZOELLER’s new corporate design and what this has to do with solidarity and team spirit within the Group.

Good prospects: Expansion of the portfolio
Interview with ZOELLER CEO Thomas Schmitz on the latest addition to the Group from the Netherlands.

Click here for the digital magazine: K>Mobil Summer Edition 2024

Have fun reading!

ZOELLER GROUP expands product portfolio following takeover of Geesink Norba
You might be surprised at first: High-quality products, recognised in the market and by customers, and yet insolvent. ZÖLLER-KIPPER CEO Thomas Schmitz explains the reasons for this with a lack of focus on service: “The main focus was on a volume strategy rather than a customer value strategy. In order to achieve these volumes, prices on the market were far too low.”

Closing a gap in the product portfolio
The insolvency of Geesink Norba puts a considerable fleet of refuse collection vehicles on the market at risk for customers of the ZOELLER GROUP in terms of service, repair and spare parts supply. “The acquisition of Geesink Norba’s assets will ensure the safe and long-term continued operation of these vehicles for customers,” says Thomas Schmitz. In terms of Geesink Norba’s product range, the GPM IV refuse collection vehicle represents a functional, very well-equipped basis for commercial and industrial waste collection. And the MF-2 two-chamber vehicle is very variable and can be equipped with all possible combinations of ZOELLER lifters. All in all, a good and important addition to the product range. Furthermore, the MF-4 four-chamber vehicle is a patented new development from Geesink Norba, which is in great demand in Scandinavia and also fills a gap in the ZOELLER GROUP’s product portfolio

High quality products HALLER brand
Geesink Norba will be incorporated into the group of companies under the HALLER brand. According to CEO Thomas Schmitz, the integration has gone very satisfactorily so far: “The HALLER brand has been known throughout Europe for many decades for very consistent, top-quality products. With all the actions that have been decided and initiated so far, Geesink Norba is living up to this market claim. And we are very pleased that the employees of the Geesink Norba Group are facing up to the new challenges with joy, motivation and great commitment.”

The New Year is just around the corner and if you’re still looking for the right reading for the festive season, you’ve come to the right place. Because the new issue of K>Mobil is finally here!

What challenges did 2023 hold in store for ZOELLER and what news is not to be missed?

From page 48 you will find all the news about the ZOELLER Group:

• Viennese stories: The Viennese fleet relies on hydrogen
• Big plans for the future: ZOELLER Systems strives for global cost leadership
• One of us: All-rounder Gerhard Weiss-Magura swaps his desk for a kayak
• Excellent trade fair appearance: ZOELLER subsidiary EKOCEL shines at the POLECO trade fair in Poland
• The new members of the team: Robot colleague – ZOELLER TECH successfully focusses on robots and automation
• To be continued: First-class teamwork across national borders

Want to find out more?

Click here for the new issue: K>Mobil-61-DE-Web

Enjoy reading!