LHY, a manufacturer of hydraulic drive systems, has been using the Click.it system developed by KNOLL Maschinenbau since 2025 to digitally map all material requests and internal transport processes across assembly and logistics. The benefits: less manual coordination, reduced time spent searching, and tighter control over logistics workflows. What's more, a solid data foundation is now in place, enabling processes to be further analysed and refined.

LHY Powertrain, formerly Linde Hydraulics, is a sought-after technology partner for high-pressure hydraulics and modular drive systems. Part of the Weichai Power group since 2012, the company manufactures hydraulic pumps, motors, and valves, electronic controls, and peripheral devices, and also supplies complete system solutions. Around 800 employees work at the company's headquarters in Aschaffenburg. "This is our central hub, housing all departments - development, production, controlling, purchasing, and sales," says Andreas Schmitt, who has headed the Industrial Engineering Assembly department since 2018 and also oversees test stands, the paint shop, and intralogistics. "Digitalization is a top priority across the entire company. For our assembly and logistics operations in particular, we had been on the lookout for a suitable system for years."

These efforts gained fresh momentum following an analysis of the information flow in assembly - from order receipt right through to the finished unit. The finding: communication between individual stations and logistics urgently needed modernizing. At the time, it was largely handled via paper lists, shouted instructions, and phone calls. Andreas Schmitt explains: "There were numerous breaks in the information chain that could lead to problems and delays. We wanted to deploy a transparent, end-to-end digital system to bring communication up to the latest standard and optimize the entire workflow."

A digital solution for a seamless flow of information

The team found exactly what they were looking for at KNOLL Maschinenbau. The Bad Saulgau-based company is recognized as a leading provider of conveyor and filtration systems, along with pumps that transport and separate chips and cooling lubricants, within the metalworking industry. "In our production, we already use a large number of chip conveyors and cooling lubricant pumps from KNOLL," Andreas Schmitt points out. It was through the responsible KNOLL sales representative that he learned the company also offers products of real interest for assembly and intralogistics - for instance, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and, with the Click.it product family, compact automation components capable of triggering standardized processes. "The Click.it system won me over right from the start because it's so straightforward and intuitive," says Schmitt. "My team quickly saw that we could use it to streamline a host of processes in assembly and logistics and eliminate waste."

Before any purchase decision was made, however, a thorough benchmarking process was carried out by Marco Politz, a member of the Industrial Engineering Assembly team. He explains: "We drew up a shortlist of six systems, and I compared them against a range of criteria; performance, price, and the effort involved in installation and tailoring them to our specific requirements. In the end, we were in no doubt that Click.it would get us to the desired outcome faster and more efficiently than any of the alternatives."

How does Click.it work?

At its core, Click.it consists of input units and a server. The server is a straightforward computer connected to the intranet, which can also be set up as a virtual machine, as LHY has done. For input, KNOLL supplies three distinct hardware options (Click.it One / Pro / Connect), alongside a purely web-based software interface for system overview and control. These input units connect to the server via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The server then processes the incoming signals and triggers the corresponding actions. In other words, depending on the trigger, messages are sent, processes are launched, or order-related data is logged.

Any PC, tablet, or smartphone connected to the intranet, as well as peripheral devices such as printers and scanners, can communicate with the Click.it server, provided the appropriate permissions have been granted. Markus Zinser, Product Manager for Automation at KNOLL, explains: "We placed a rigorous focus on standardization across both hardware and software, so that the system runs reliably and any changes or new developments can be rolled out quickly. After all, we are continuously developing Click.it."

A perfect fit for intralogistics processes

The brief for LHY's assembly department was clear: the primary goal was to digitalize the logistics side of operations. Andreas Schmitt offers an example: "An operator on the assembly line notices that the O-rings in the storage bin are running low and a new box needs to be ordered from logistics. In the past, this was done using a paper slip system. It worked in principle, but it was error-prone and lacked the necessary transparency. With Click.it, we wanted to give everyone involved a clear, at-a-glance view of where each request is and what status it currently holds."

LHY opted to roll out the system with an initial 20 Click.it online licenses. "This purely software-based solution is a perfect match for our existing environment, since every workstation already has a computer," says Marco Politz, who is responsible for integrating and maintaining the new software. "Using our existing IT infrastructure, the PCs, web interfaces, and scanners, we can map all the new processes orchestrated by Click.it without having to invest in any additional specialized hardware."

According to Marco Politz, the installation and rollout effort was very manageable compared to conventional production IT projects. He also has high praise for the collaboration with the KNOLL team: "We work together on an equal footing and have competent, approachable contacts who take our needs seriously. Whenever new requirements come up, we sit down together and find a workable solution."

Staff benefit from a whole new level of transparency

Alongside the supplied base configuration, Click.it is a system that also allows for customer-side programming. "We make full use of this capability, designing the input screens together with the operators to meet their actual needs," says Marco Politz, who handles all of the programming work. "After just a few online training sessions, I was able to create and adapt our own workflows, user interfaces, and process logics."

The employees, who had been involved in the digitalization plans right from the start, were quick to appreciate the benefits that came their way. After all, the screen form programmed by Politz makes placing replenishment orders remarkably easy: they simply select the required small parts from a list and submit the order with a single click.

With virtually no delay, the order arrives in logistics, where a printer instantly generates a label containing all the relevant information. Behind the scenes, this is driven by a flow, once again defined by Politz, running on the Click.it server. "A flow is essentially a process sequence made up of various functional building blocks, for example, the command to print the label," explains Click.it expert Markus Zinser.

The printed label then acts as the starting signal for the logistics operator to get the requested material ready. That step is completed with a quick scan of the QR code on the label. The transport team in the logistics department then receives the order to deliver the material straight to the assembly station. A final scan at the station closes out the job.

The order status (created, staged, and delivered) can be tracked at any time on screen via a simple colour code. "Thanks to digitalization, we've eliminated a huge number of paper lists that used to have to be manually maintained, circulated, and kept up to date," says a pleased Andreas Schmitt. "Today, there is one digital process that works the same for everyone involved. All the information is available in one central place."

An open system that opens up a wealth of possibilities

Marco Politz is particularly enthusiastic about the sheer flexibility Click.it offers: "It lets us map an incredibly diverse range of processes. And the longer we work with Click.it, the more ideas we come up with for additional ways to use it." Right now, for instance, he is extending the system to cover the provision of packaging materials. At the same time, the transport of fully assembled hydraulic components to the test stands is also being optimized using Click.it.

Andreas Schmitt has already ordered an additional 30 licenses to cover these new tasks. “We can see many more potential applications, such as monitoring staging areas or heavy-duty racking, deploying flexible transport systems, sending information via email or Teams, and evaluating process times and availability. Going forward, Click.it will serve as a flexible process platform bridging production, assembly, logistics, and our IT systems.”
 

A provider of complete drive solutions

LHY Powertrain (formerly Linde Hydraulics) develops, manufactures, and distributes modular drive systems combining hydraulics, electrical engineering, and electronics worldwide. Ninety percent owned by the Chinese Weichai Power group since 2012, the company serves as a development partner and supplier to leading manufacturers of mobile machinery, including construction, mining, agricultural, forestry, and municipal machines, as well as industrial equipment manufacturers. LHY Powertrain employs around 1,400 people worldwide, operating across three production sites in Germany, a further facility in China, an assembly plant in the USA, and subsidiaries in Europe, the USA, South America, and China. LHY is represented by a dense network of more than 80 sales and service partners across over 50 countries. 

LHY Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG
Wailandtstrasse 13
63741 Aschaffenburg
Tel.: +49 6021 150 00
info(at)lhy.com
www.lhy.com