I manage procurement for a mid-sized aggregates operation, and I've spent the last 6 years tracking every invoice, warranty claim, and downtime log for our mobile equipment fleet. When I'm evaluating a new piece of gear—like a Kleemann screen plant—the sticker price is just the starting line. This checklist is what I wish every buyer had before they sign a PO. It's built around Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and it applies whether you're looking at a brand-new MOBISCREEN or a used unit.

Here's the thing: Most procurement teams I talk to look at the purchase price and the delivery date. They check the specs against their material type and move on. But the real cost of that machine isn't what you pay to get it on your site. It's what you pay to keep it running, moving, and earning for you over the next 5 to 7 years. This checklist has 5 steps. Miss one, and you're probably leaving money on the table—or worse, getting stuck with a machine that doesn't fit your workflow.

Step 1: Deconstruct the Base Price vs. Delivered Cost

This sounds obvious, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen a PO signed based on a quote that said "€450,000" and then the buyer was shocked by the final invoice. The base machine price is never the total cost to get it operational on your yard.

What to check:

  • Is the price EXW (Ex Works) or DAP (Delivered at Place)? EXW means you're paying for all the loading, shipping, insurance, and customs clearance. For a mobile screen plant coming from Germany—Kleemann is based near Stuttgart—freight to a port in North America or Asia can add €15,000 to €30,000. Get a separate, itemized freight quote.
  • What about site preparation? Does the quote include a commissioning engineer? Some vendors bundle 2-3 days of on-site setup and operator training. Others charge €1,200 per day plus travel expenses.
  • Are standard wear parts included? A few years back, I compared quotes for a similar class of plant. Vendor A quoted €385,000. Vendor B quoted €392,000. I almost went with A until I dug into the details. Vendor A's price didn't include the first set of screen media or conveyor belts. Vendor B's did. That's a difference of roughly €12,000 in parts. The 'cheaper' option cost more from day one.

From the outside, it looks like you're comparing apples to apples. The reality is that one quote includes a full commissioning kit and standard wear items, and the other leaves you scrambling before the first week of production is done.

Step 2: Calculate Consumables and Wear Life (Per Tonne)

This is where the cost controller in me gets really granular. The purchase price is a one-time hit. The cost of screen media, belt scrapers, hydraulic filters, hoses, and crusher wear parts (if the plant has an integrated crusher) is a recurring cost that directly hits your P&L every quarter.

Your checklist here:

  • Screen media costs. What type of screening surface is standard? Polyurethane, rubber, woven wire? Each has a different lifespan and price point. A Kleemann plant is often set up for quick media changes, but the media itself isn't cheap. Get a price per panel and an estimated life in operating hours for your material type (e.g., granite vs. limestone vs. recycled concrete).
  • Hydraulic system maintenance. Mobile plants are hydraulic-intensive. What is the recommended oil change interval? What filters are needed? Are they proprietary or standard? Proprietary filters from the OEM typically cost 30-60% more than generic equivalents—and sometimes you have no choice but to buy the branded ones to keep the warranty valid.
  • Track pad wear. If the unit is track-mounted and you're moving it between pits regularly, the undercarriage is a significant cost item. Track pad life on these machines is often 1,500 to 3,000 hours depending on terrain. Replacing a full set of tracks on a mobile screen plant can cost €15,000 to €25,000.

Looking back, I should have included a line item for 'consumables per 1,000 operating hours' in our initial equipment evaluation template. At the time, I was focused on the initial quote. Now, I build a simple spreadsheet. Take the estimated cost per set of wear items, divide by the predicted life in tonnes processed, and you get a euro-per-tonne figure. That's the number that matters. A plant with a higher purchase price but lower cost per tonne can be the better buy over 5 years of heavy use.

Step 3: Map Out the Full Downtime Cost

This is the biggest hidden cost in mobile equipment, and most procurement processes don't quantify it at all. They look at MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) specs from the manufacturer, but they don't calculate the financial impact of an unexpected breakdown.

Do this math:

  • Revenue per operating hour. If your plant processes 300 tonnes per hour and your margin is €2.50 per tonne, that's €750 of potential revenue per hour of runtime. If the plant goes down for 4 hours waiting for a part, that's €3,000 in lost margin—not even counting the cost of the repair itself.
  • Part availability. Where is the closest dealer warehouse? Kleemann has a strong global network through its parent company, but the reality is that a specialized gearbox or HMI screen might take 5 days to arrive if it's not stocked locally. Ask the dealer: "What's your fill rate for emergency orders within 24 hours?" I keep a spreadsheet of emergency orders over the past 3 years. The average cost of a part express-shipped overnight is about 40% of the part value in freight alone. That adds up fast.
  • Operator and service technician competence. Does your crew have experience with this specific hydraulic system? A familiar machine means faster troubleshooting. A new-to-you brand might mean a steeper learning curve. And if the dealer's service contract is only available during normal business hours, a 7 PM breakdown means 14 hours of downtime minimum.

A friend of mine in a sister company bought a non-Kleemann plant in 2019. The price was fantastic. The first year, he had 3 major hydraulic failures. Each required a specialist from the regional dealer who was 4 hours away and charged €200/hour plus travel. The 'savings' on the purchase price were wiped out in the first 18 months. (Should mention: this is exactly the kind of scenario that made me build this checklist in the first place.)

Step 4: Don't Ignore the Support Infrastructure and Resale Value

Support infrastructure and resale value are two sides of the same coin. A brand that has a strong local dealer network and good parts availability will hold its value better. A niche product with limited support will depreciate faster.

Check these:

  • Dealer proximity. How far is the nearest authorized dealer with a service truck and a stock of common parts? For Kleemann, this varies hugely by region. In Central Europe, support is dense. In parts of the US or Australia, it might be a 200-300 km drive. If you're in a remote area, factor in the cost of a mobile service van visit—typically €150-€200 per hour including travel time.
  • Warranty terms and exclusions. Most OEM warranties are for 12 months or 2,000 hours, whichever comes first. But what's excluded? Wear items, vandalism, operator misuse—those are standard. But some warranties also exclude downtime at a specific hourly rate, or they require you to use only OEM-certified parts and fluids. Read the fine print carefully. I once had a warranty claim rejected because we'd used a non-OEM hydraulic filter for 50 hours during a critical production week. The filter cost €40 to replace. The hydraulic pump repair cost €3,200.
  • Depreciation curve. Ask the dealer for examples of 3-year-old and 5-year-old units that have sold. What's the residual value? A well-maintained Kleemann screen plant with good service history can retain 55-65% of its purchase price after 5 years, depending on condition and market demand. That's a real financial recovery when you upgrade. A less established brand might be at 35-45%. Over a €400,000 purchase, that's a difference of €80,000.

From the outside, it looks like the resale value is just a bonus. The reality is that a strong residual value effectively lowers your annual cost of ownership by 10-15% compared to a comparable machine that depreciates faster. I've built this into our internal ROI models, and it changes the decision more often than you'd think.

Step 5: Add a Contingency Line for the Unexpected (The 20% Buffer)

No matter how careful your planning, a new-to-you piece of equipment always has surprises. Maybe it's a software bug in the control system that takes 3 visits to resolve. Maybe it's a set of screen decks that were specified for a slightly different feed size than what you actually produce. Maybe your crew finds a specific operational quirk that reduces throughput by 10% for the first month while they adjust.

Here's what I do: Add a budget line item for "ramp-up and contingency" equal to 20% of the purchase price for the first year of operation. This covers:

  • Extra parts that you discover you need on short notice.
  • Specialized training sessions beyond the standard commissioning.
  • Minor modifications to the plant to better fit your existing workflow (e.g., conveyor extension, different chute angles).
  • Tooling and diagnostic equipment that you didn't realize you needed for the new hydraulic system.

If you don't spend it, great—it goes back to the equipment maintenance reserve fund. If you do spend it, you're not panicking about an unbudgeted €20,000 cost in month two.

Final Word: Why This Checklist Works

A Kleemann screen plant is a significant investment—often €300,000 to €600,000 depending on configuration and options. The price shown on the spec sheet is just the entry fee. The real decision comes down to total cost of ownership: delivery, consumables, downtime risk, support, and resale value.

I've used this checklist for the last 4 years to evaluate 7 different mobile plant purchases (screens and crushers). It's saved me from making at least one expensive mistake. Oh, and one more thing: get three quotes from different dealers if possible. The variance in bundled support and true delivered price can be 10-15% even for the same model from the same manufacturer. That's thousands of euros that you can either save or spend on better wear parts.

Look, I'm not saying every low-priced plant is a trap. I'm saying you need to dig deeper than the bottom line of the initial quote. Use this checklist, and you'll go from a price buyer to a cost-aware buyer. And that's the difference between a good deal and a great investment.