"Our cooperation began in the late 90ies, when we were selling Recheis automatic lubricant dispensers containing our lubricants. In the course of the years, our partnership has intensified", recalls Helmut Voglmaier, Technical Sales Coordinator at Klüber Lubrication Austria, who initially advised the company on tribological matters and assisted them with the selection of lubricants in the late 90ies.
When you look at KL's history with this customer, you can see how much was achieved due to the regular exchange between Recheis and the lubrication experts. Klüber Lubrication conducted the changeover to NSF-registered H1 products at the Recheis plant, in line with the requirements of the IFS audit, in the early noughties.
This changeover included the generation of a plant lubrication chart for all systems along the production chain, showing lubrication points, lubrication tasks, a time schedule and the products to be used. "We generated the lubrication chart together with the maintenance team and also succeeded in reducing the variety of lubricants used. We also provided training for all maintenance staff to ensure Recheis was well prepared for IFS audits", Helmut Voglmaier sums up. An energy efficiency project for gears was carried out alongside with the lubricant changeover, so energy savings were a further positive result.
In this cooperation with Klüber Lubrication, the customer benefits not only from high-quality, NSF-registered H1 lubricants, but also from expert consulting and a continuously optimised lubrication chart enhancing machine availability. The lower number of different lubricants used contributes to operational reliability. The reduced lubricant quantity is a significant boost to sustainability.
Klüber Lubrication continuously monitors the operation of the lubricants used in cooperation with Recheis. Product innovations contribute to a further optimisation of the equipment. "It is our goal to keep the number of different lubricants at Recheis low. This applies also to new systems. It also enabled us in cooperation with Recheis to obtain an approval from a well-known machine OEM. The customer convinced the OEM to include the lubricant we recommended into the maintenance documents of the system", Helmut Voglmaier explains.
Klüber Lubrication, however, also benefits from the continued exchange. As Peter Sieberer from Recheis reports: "During an audit, one of the lubricants used met with objection as its NSF registration referred to the meat and fish-processing industries only. We found that the NSF statement was somewhat vague in this respect. After all, the same lubricant with another viscosity was registered for use in the food-processing industry in general. In cooperation with Klüber Lubrication, a revision was initiated with the NSF organisation in the USA. Upon its completion, we informed the IFS auditor of the change made."
This cooperation example shows that besides the selection of the right lubricant concept it is also the comprehensive package of collaboration, service and consulting which ensures that the end customer will obtain a high-quality product.
