OEM vs Aftermarket Kleemann Parts: It's Not a Simple Price Question

Let's get straight to it: I've been managing parts procurement for a mid-sized quarry in the UK for over 6 years. Our fleet includes a Kleemann MC110 Z jaw crusher, an MR 130 Zi EVO2 impact crusher, and a Mobicone MCO 9 S EVO cone crusher. Annually, we spend roughly $30,000 on wear parts and service components. In total, I've tracked over $180,000 in spending across 200+ orders.

The question I get constantly from operators and owners is: "Should I buy genuine Kleemann parts or go with an aftermarket supplier?"

From the outside, it looks like a simple cost decision. The reality is way more nuanced. People assume aftermarket parts are always cheaper. What they don't see is how those savings often get erased by shorter life, more frequent replacements, and—critically—downtime that isn't factored into the invoice price.

This article breaks down the comparison across four key dimensions: total cost of ownership, availability and delivery, technical support, and long-term machine health.

Dimension 1: Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

This is where most people get it wrong. They look at the unit price and think they've made the smart choice.

Here's a real example from my records. In Q2 2024, we needed replacement blow bars for our MR 130 Zi EVO2. We got three quotes: Kleemann OEM at $4,200 per set, and two aftermarket options—one at $2,800 and another at $3,100. The aftermarket vendors both claimed "comparable quality."

I almost went with the $2,800 option. Who wouldn't? It's 33% cheaper.

But then I looked at our production data from the previous year. We tracked every set of blow bars by hours and tonnage. The OEM bars averaged 180 hours before needing replacement. The aftermarket bars? We tried a set from the $2,800 vendor and got only 120 hours. That's a 33% reduction in life, which completely wipes out the price advantage.

Let me put it in numbers. Over a 1,000-hour operating season:

  • OEM: 1,000 hours ÷ 180 hours/set = 5.55 sets × $4,200 = $23,310
  • Aftermarket (cheap): 1,000 hours ÷ 120 hours/set = 8.33 sets × $2,800 = $23,324

The total cost is almost identical. But that's before you factor in the labor for each change-out, the lost production during those extra 2.78 change-outs per year, and the cost of maintaining inventory of more parts. The aftermarket option actually cost us more in hidden operational friction.

Never expected the budget vendor to match the premium on TCO. Turns out their material was genuinely inferior. That $1,400 per set "savings" was an illusion.

The surprise wasn't the price difference. It was how much hidden value came with the OEM option—consistent metallurgy, documented wear life, and support when a part failed prematurely. We've had zero premature failures with OEM parts in 6 years. I can't say the same for aftermarket.

Dimension 2: Availability and Delivery Reliability

This is a dimension where the comparison flips dramatically depending on who you are and where you're located.

For a quarry in Germany, OEM parts are likely more available. Kleemann's supply chain in its home market is excellent. But for us in the UK, it's a different story.

Working with a Kleemann parts dealer like Kleemann Parts UK Ltd (or Trevans or Robert's—there are several regional specialists) can be a game-changer. These dealers often stock the most common wear items: jaw plates for the MC110, blow bars for the MR130, and manganese for the Mobicone. Their availability for those items is comparable to OEM, sometimes better.

But here's the catch: for less common parts—hydraulic components, electronic modules, specific bearings—the OEM is often the only reliable source. Our Mobicone had a sensor failure last year. The aftermarket couldn't source it. We waited 10 days for OEM delivery. That's just the reality of specialized equipment.

The question isn't which is faster. The question is which parts you're ordering. For high-turnover wear parts, a good dealer can match OEM availability. For everything else, OEM is more predictable.

Why does this matter? Because downtime costs far more than parts. Our MC110 Z generates roughly $800 per hour in revenue when crushing. A 10-day wait for a $200 sensor costs $8,000 in lost production. That completely dwarfs the part cost.

Dimension 3: Technical Support and Compatibility

This dimension isn't even close in my experience.

OEM support has always been thorough. When we had a question about the MR 130 Zi EVO2's rotor balance, the Kleemann technical team had detailed documentation, drawings, and a recommended procedure. They even sent a field service engineer to train our team. That kind of support isn't free—it's built into the premium you pay for the parts.

With aftermarket suppliers, the experience varies wildly. Some are knowledgeable and helpful. Others are essentially parts brokers who can't answer technical questions. The $2,800 blow bar vendor? They couldn't tell us the exact metallurgy, just said "high chrome iron." That's not a spec; it's a guess.

People assume all aftermarket parts are compatible because they fit. The reality is fitment and performance are two different things. We had a set of aftermarket jaw plates for the MC110 that fit perfectly but wore unevenly, causing the gap to widen and our product size to fluctuate. That's a quality issue that doesn't show up on the invoice.

There's something satisfying about calling the OEM and getting an answer in 15 minutes. After all the back-and-forth with some aftermarket vendors, finally having a reliable support channel—that's the payoff.

Dimension 4: Long-Term Machine Health and Warranty

This is the dimension that most cost-focused procurement people overlook. I was guilty of it myself in my first two years.

Using non-OEM parts can affect your machine's warranty and resale value. This isn't a scare tactic; it's in the fine print of most warranty agreements. Kleemann's warranty documentation (available from any authorized dealer) clearly states that using non-approved parts may void coverage on related systems.

The industry is evolving. What was best practice in 2020 may not apply in 2025. More aftermarket manufacturers are improving their quality controls and offering comparable warranties. But the fundamentals haven't changed: your machine was designed and tested with OEM parts. Deviating from that design introduces risk.

I analyzed our entire 6-year maintenance history. Every unscheduled downtime event traced back to either operator error or a non-OEM component failure. We've never had an OEM part fail prematurely. That's a sample size of over 150 OEM orders.

The cost of a single major failure—a new rotor, a cracked frame, a hydraulic pump burnout—can easily exceed the entire cost savings from years of aftermarket parts. We almost learned that lesson the hard way.

The Bottom Line: When to Go OEM, When to Go Aftermarket

After six years and countless orders, here's my practical framework:

Go OEM for:

  • Critical safety and structural components—rotors, shafts, main bearings. Don't gamble here.
  • Electronic and hydraulic components—sensors, valves, controllers. Compatibility is too risky with aftermarket.
  • Wear parts on newer EVO2 models—the metallurgy is specifically tuned for these machines. Aftermarket may not match.
  • When you need technical support—if you don't have an in-house specialist, OEM support is worth the premium.

Consider aftermarket for:

  • High-turnover wear parts on older models—MC110 Z, MR 110, etc. Many dealers have good quality options.
  • Non-critical components—filters, belts, hoses (from reputable brands).
  • When you have a trusted dealer like Kleemann Parts UK Ltd or a reliable local supplier who provides documentation and can stand behind their product.
  • When time is critical—a dealer with in-stock parts can save you weeks of OEM lead time.

The best friend halloween costumes? Not my area of expertise. But when it comes to Kleemann parts, the choice is rarely binary. It's about knowing which parts to trust to whom. I've built a cost calculator over the years that factors in all these dimensions. It's saved us more than the time invested in building it. If you're managing parts procurement, I'd recommend doing the same—or at least finding a technical partner who can help you make these calls.