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Essex CM6 1XN
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"I am very satisfied with the system. It is simple, robust and reliable. This is very important for me", says Reiner Klitzsch, Managing Director Management at the international haulage company Spedition & Logistik GmbH Glauchau-Trans. The words of praise about the great cleaning power of the MaxiWash Vario are no coincidence, but are the verdict after about 16 months of the most reliable commercial vehicle washing operation. "I estimate we wash about 40 to 50 of our own vehicles a week. If I add in the other vehicles, we'll certainly get up to 70 to 80," says Reiner Klitzsch, assessing the capacity utilisation of the MaxiWash Vario. Extrapolated over the year, the portal washed more than 5,000 times. "Touch wood, the system has been running smoothly since commissioning in October 2017," the managing director confirms its high reliability.
The internationally and nationally active haulage contractor with almost 100 employees needs trouble-free commercial vehicle washing and the great cleaning power of the material and technology of the WashTec gantry. The company philosophy is that all vehicles in use on the roads are always clean. After all, Glauchau-Trans carries out 'just-in-time' and 'just-in-sequence' shipments for the automotive industry in domestic long-distance traffic. The haulier certainly benefits from the fact that the large Volkswagen plant just outside Zwickau is only six kilometres away. Reiner Klitzsch also says that the company fulfils 'just-in-sequence' orders for Porsche in Leipzig. Since Glauchau-based haulage company also has a car transporter, they also deliver new and used cars to France, the Benelux countries and Eastern European countries on behalf of Mosolf, the largest European technology and logistics service provider for the international automotive industry. Reiner Klitzsch also reveals that he has around 5,000 square metres of storage space available for handling goods, that his vehicles are on the road for the packaging industry and that up to 24 Glauchau-Trans swap bodies are available to customers in Germany for the fast and efficient transport of goods.
A bold trio with a great entrepreneurial spirit founded the haulage company Glauchau-Trans on 1 November 1991 out of the history of a municipal road transport company. "Today, the majority of our vehicles are mega trailers and jumbo trailers, which can also be used as swap bodies as required. The US truck Peterbilt 377 has also been part of the Glauchau-Trans fleet for 20 years. The "American" drove on the highways between Michigan and Canada's border until the classic vehicle was shipped over to Glauchau, where it was lovingly restored. Many other 'vintage vehicles' fill a large shelf in the conference room. We are talking about historical typewriters that Reiner Klitzsch was able to save. An "Optima", the last electric typewriter from GDR production, is just as old as the wash bay building. "And the washing system, which washed the vehicles for many years back then, came from French production", Reiner Klitzsch still remembers exactly. "We knew it had to be replaced at some point."
The good partnership with Zwickau-based haulage company Weck+Poller enabled the managing director to take a close look at the company's own commercial vehicle wash, a MaxiWash Vario, in real washing operation. "My first impression was that everything fits at WashTec. So I got in touch with Augsburg, had various offers submitted to me, arranged an on-site appointment on our company premises with the WashTec sales representative responsible for my patch. He took measurements and listened to all my requests," Reiner Klitzsch summarises the essential points. One of the reasons the managing director knows that he made a good decision is that he regularly visits the International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles in Hanover. During his visits to the fair, he was very interested in getting a good informative overview of the market that manufactures and sells commercial vehicle washing systems. His impressions of Zwickau at Weck+Poller and, above all, the information he received at the WashTec stand in Hanover in 2016 finally led him to decide with a clear conscience in favour of the world market leader for vehicle washing systems.
Before the MaxiWash Vario is delivered to Glauchau, "I had the water pipes renewed and the inside of the wash bay building renovated." Reiner Klitzsch opts for a commercial vehicle gantry with basic equipment. "I wanted the normal standard gantry, no additional high-pressure washing and no underbody washing – robust, powerful and with no frills. The vehicles should be washed properly, the water should be of good quality." – The MaxiWash Vario washes in the heated wash bay with both fresh water and rainwater. The latter, "if available. We collect the rainwater from the roof area in two 4,000 litre tanks, which we had installed at the end of 2017. This worked well and paid for itself until the beautiful summer of 2018. The tanks were never more than a quarter full during the hot spell. I would say we washed with 95% fresh water." – Nobody needs to worry about the water the gantry washes with. "When the rainwater tanks are empty, the washer will detect that and automatically switch to fresh water mode." The managing director of Glauchau-Trans has in the meantime requested an offer for a water conditioning plant. "I've been thinking about this for a long time. The investment has yet to be made and approved."
The MaxiWash Vario washes without a contract washer, but not without a man on site. "We have a "valet", a permanent employee who runs the wash bay in one shift from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m." He has a washing card on which several wash programmes have been activated. "This allows us to wash our trucks with the large dimensions and buses as well as vans and motorhomes. With a washing time of seven and a half minutes, the MaxiWash Vario is much more effective than its predecessor". The valet takes good care of it and cleans it at regular intervals with a high-pressure cleaner. "If that weren't the case, and no one looked after it, a decent truck wash won't work either. If something breaks, nobody did it. And if mirrors get damaged or an aerial breaks, external users of the wash claim compensation. That's why we need him just as much as we need optimum washing results with WashTec's MaxiWash Vario in the shortest possible time."
Text/ Pictures: Bernd Fiehöfer
