K.E.M. Bau GmbH
How an Austrian construction SME manages 400 vehicles using real-time OEM data
In short
Client: K.E.M. Bau GmbH
Industry: Construction and cabling infrastructure (fiber optic, copper, high-voltage)
Contact person: Konrad Radax, Fleet and Equipment Manager
Challenge: Replace an aging system that cannot distinguish between vehicles and machinery, and gain real-time visibility into a fleet of 400 units.
Solution: The Echoes platform, connected to OEM data, with independent tracking of vehicles and machinery, a complete history, and an automated logbook.
Results: Elimination of manual logbook entry, improved fleet management, reduced administrative errors, and proactive maintenance planning.
The challenge
Managing 400 vehicles and machines with an outdated system
For K.E.M. Bau GmbH, an Austrian SME specializing in the installation of cabling infrastructure, its fleet of vehicles is not just another tool—it is essential to the company’s operations. Some 400 vehicles and machines are deployed every day on fiber-optic, copper, and high-voltage cable construction sites throughout Austria.
The management of this park faced three specific challenges:
An aging and unreliable system. The existing tool was prone to errors and no longer met the company’s growing needs. This compromised data reliability and the ability to make informed decisions.
The inability to distinguish between vehicles and machinery. This is the critical breaking point: the old system treated vehicles and machinery as a single, undifferentiated category, making it impossible to track individual units. However, for a construction company, machinery and vehicles have very different usage, maintenance, and compliance cycles.
A heavy administrative burden. Employees had to manually maintain logbooks, a time-consuming task that was prone to errors and difficult to verify with the authorities.
The echoes solution
OEM data directly from the vehicle, a single platform to manage everything
After evaluating several solutions, K.E.M. Bau chose Echoes—not initially the top contender, but the one that met the key requirement: native separation of vehicles and machinery within a unified interface.
Direct connection to manufacturer (OEM) data. Echoes retrieves data directly from the vehicle’s on-board computer, without the need for an intermediary device that could be tampered with. The result: reliable, accurate, and tamper-proof information that stands up to scrutiny during inspections.
Independent tracking of vehicles and machinery. Every asset in the fleet—whether a utility vehicle or a construction machine—has its own history, alerts, and maintenance schedule. This level of detail was impossible to achieve with the previous system.
Automatic and compliant logbook. The platform automatically generates a reliable and tamper-proof Fahrtenbuch (legal logbook) that meets the requirements of Austrian authorities without any manual data entry by staff.
Immediate ease of use. Echoes’ intuitive interface required no extensive training. Integration with existing systems went smoothly, enabling rapid adoption across all teams.
The results
From paperwork to fleet management: fleet management that finally rises to the challenge
No more manual data entry, no more errors
Eliminating paper logbooks immediately lightened the daily workload for employees and eliminated a chronic source of errors. Fleet management has become more reliable and efficient.
Stronger oversight of the entire fleet
Thanks to real-time data transmission, teams can quickly identify and address issues before they lead to unplanned downtime. Comprehensive visibility across 400 units is now available at all times.
Simplified compliance
The automated logbook directly meets legal requirements without placing any additional burden on field teams—a significant advantage for an SME with limited administrative resources.
Long-term savings potential
While the benefits are still being realized, the cost structure is now clear, and the path to optimization has been clearly mapped out, both for maintenance and for the overall management of the fleet.
Testimonial
“Echoes has proven to be very intuitive. It integrates seamlessly with our existing systems and is easy to use, so our employees don’t need extensive training.”
Konrad Radax, Fleet and Equipment Manager, K.E.M. Bau GmbH