Transformation to Data-Based Maintenance
Halle Westfalen (Germany), 19th February 2026. It is not only the production of items that is becoming increasingly digitalised, but also their recycling. Here, many plant operators have a focus on optimising the particularly time-consuming and labour-intensive maintenance management. Interzero, one of the innovation leaders in plastics recycling, has been using the ESA app from Eggersmann for over two years. The ESA app is a modular software solution for digital plant management and process optimisation, specifically for the recycling industry. Individual solutions can be put together from the modules Performance Monitoring, Maintenance Management, Anomaly Detection, Logbook and Document Storage. In the generally positive summary provided by the company, the experience with maintenance management – a central module of the ESA app – stood out in particular.
Increased system availability thanks to higher maintenance quality
Interzero has the largest sorting capacity for plastics recycling in Europe. The maintenance of the extensive technology in the sorting plants requires a high level of administrative planning, coordination, implementation and documentation. "The workload is enormous and even small simplifications have a big impact," says Stefan Leubner, Technical Manager at Interzero, explaining the situation. "The maintenance module of the ESA app has fundamentally changed our entire maintenance management." Not only does it provide a detailed status overview, but all processes are also managed centrally in the ESA app, which can also be used on mobile devices. This even enables immediate documentation of maintenance, including the addition of informative images directly at the machine. At the same time, maintenance errors can be avoided as precise and easy-to-understand step-by-step instructions are stored for each machine in various languages. According to Leubner, the higher maintenance quality has already had a significant impact on system availability. He summarises: "The ESA app has enabled us to significantly increase the efficiency of the entire system. In addition to the time savings for documentation and administration, the increased system availability is a decisive advantage. The optimised maintenance and early detection of faults are already resulting in fewer downtimes."
Maintenance Intervals Based on the Machine History
Leubner is expecting further major benefits from the switch to data-based maintenance: "We currently use maintenance intervals that have been optimised based on our experience. With the help of this documented experience, supplemented by automatic data collection, our maintenance intervals will be based specifically on the digitally maintained maintenance history of the machines.” The planned changeover therefore harbours "enormous potential for system availability".
Positive Experience with all Modules
As Interzero is also involved in the development of Eggersmann's software solution as a pilot customer, all modules of the ESA app, from performance monitoring to anomaly detection, the logbook, document storage and maintenance management are used in the pilot plants. "We know Eggersmann as a reliable plant manufacturer. The company has already realised several major projects for us as a general contractor, from planning to commissioning," explains Chief Technology Officer Thomas Herkert from Interzero. "Eggersmann then offered us a role as a pilot customer for the development of their ESA app. This was an excellent opportunity for us to incorporate our own requirements and ideas as co-creators in the development of a holistic digital solution." Looking back, Herkert also summarises the experience gained with the ESA app over the last two years in a positive light: "Thanks to the ESA app, we have a much better overview of the processes in our plants. We can monitor capacity utilisation live, specifically identify the causes of faults and improve product quality."
This press release is based on an interview between Stefan Leubner,
Thomas Herkert and Dr Robert Eggersmann.
Read the full interview here:
About Interzero
Interzero is one of the leading service providers in the field of closing product, material and logistics loops as well as an innovation leader in plastics recycling with the largest sorting capacity in Europe. Under the guiding principle of “zero waste solutions”, the company supports over 80,000 customers throughout Europe in the responsible handling of recyclable materials, thus helping them to improve their own sustainability performance and conserve primary resources. With about 2,000 employees, the company achieves a turnover of nearly one billion euros. According to Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Interzero’s recycling activities could save 1.04 million tonnes of greenhouse gases compared to primary production and 8.09 million tonnes of primary raw materials in 2024 alone.
