Some partnerships begin with a handshake and end with a contract. And some change an entire industry. The collaboration between Optocycle and Heinrich Feeß GmbH & Co. KG from Kirchheim unter Teck falls into the second category. Feeß was Optocycle's first customer – and at the same time the sparring partner who helped turn an idea into a market-ready product. Today, Eberhard Fritz, material flow manager at Feeß, estimates an 80% reduction in misclassifications thanks to Optocycle's solution. No more discussions with suppliers. Reliable data instead of gut feeling.
The customer: Heinrich Feeß GmbH & Co. KG – Pioneer of the circular economy
Heinrich Feeß GmbH & Co. KG is not an ordinary recycling company. The family-owned business from Kirchheim unter Teck, located between Stuttgart and the Swabian Jura, has been regarded for decades as one of the most innovative players in mineral construction material recycling in Germany. With six recycling centers and storage locations in the Stuttgart region, over 200 employees, and a recycling rate of up to 80% of the input material, Feeß consistently implements what is still a goal for many other companies: true circular economy.
Managing director and namesake Walter Feeß was awarded the German Environmental Prize in 2016 by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) – for his consistent strategy of processing construction waste into recyclate that can be directly mixed into concrete. To this day, he is considered a pioneer in the industry.
And it is precisely this spirit of innovation that has led Feeß to be involved from the very beginning – when Optocycle was still a Tübingen startup with an idea and a camera.
The Beginning: When Feeß Showed the Way for Optocycle
The story of this partnership begins in 2022 – and it starts with a geologist introducing a founder to the realities of the industry.
When Max-Frederick Gerken found his way to Feeß through a contact in the recycling industry, it was Eberhard Fritz, material flow manager and geologist at Feeß, who welcomed him. What followed was more than just an initial client meeting: Fritz became a congenial sparring partner. He introduced the founder to the details of an industry that appears simple on the outside, but is not – and he provided the raw material that every AI needs to learn: data.
Fritz fotografierte gemeinsam mit dem Optocycle-Team unzählige Materialien aus allen Richtungen, bei verschiedenen Lichtverhältnissen, nass und trocken, im Schatten und in der Sonne. Körnung, Kantenlänge, Beschaffenheit, Verschmutzungsgrad – alles, was ein menschliches Auge auf einer Lkw-Ladung erkennen kann, musste das Machine Learning Modell erst lernen. Fritz hat diese Lernkurve entscheidend mitgestaltet.
Eberhard Fritz
Head of Material Flow, Heinrich Feeß GmbH & Co. KG
“We use Optocycle because it saves us the discussions with suppliers. A solid data foundation is always better than having to weigh different opinions against each other.”
This quote gets to the heart of what Optocycle delivers: objectivity. No longer two people with different assessments, no more subjective visual inspections, no more uncertainty in billing. Instead, reproducible, image-based facts – at the moment of delivery.
Max-Frederick Gerken
Co-Founder & CEO, Optocycle GmbH
„Die Firma Feeß war unser erster Kunde – aber vor allem unser erster echter Partner. Eberhard Fritz hat mir gezeigt, wie die Branche wirklich funktioniert, welche Materialien in welchen Variationen auftauchen und was ein Machine Learning Algorithmus wirklich können muss, um im Alltag zu bestehen. Ohne diese enge Zusammenarbeit von Anfang an wären wir nicht da, wo wir jetzt sind."
The technology in use: Truck Imager directly at the truck scale
Soon after the first contact, the first camera was installed above the truck scale at the entrance to the recycling center in Kirchheim unter Teck. Since then, every incoming truck passes through the system – and is automatically recorded.
The Optocycle Truck Imager performs several tasks simultaneously:
- Automated delivery recording: Each load is documented based on images, without the need for the weighmaster to intervene.
- AVV Classification: The system creates a reliable data foundation for classification according to the waste directory – a crucial advantage in terms of regulatory requirements and the substitute building materials regulation.
- Recognizes material attributes in real-time: The AI determines the composition of the delivered material and also detects very small grains.
- Detection of oversized edge lengths: Deliveries with materials that exceed the permissible dimensions are automatically detected.
- Legally secure documentation: Image and material data are always available in a traceable manner – as a basis for billing and for any potential complaints.
The result: 80% fewer misclassifications
Since the introduction of the Optocycle system, Eberhard Fritz estimates about 80% fewer misclassifications at material intake. What happened before: Experienced inspectors had assessments that varied by up to 20%. Inexperienced or conflict-averse employees hesitated to reject loads or classify them correctly. The result: incorrectly evaluated materials in processing, compromises in product purity, unnecessary discussions with suppliers.
What happens today: The system provides an objective, image-based assessment – regardless of the time of day, the examiner's level of experience, or the negotiation skills of the truck driver. Misclassifications are drastically reduced. Discussions with suppliers are almost completely eliminated. And since Feeß operates six locations, the technology also offers another advantage in the long term: standardized quality assurance across all yards – with identical standards everywhere.
More than Practice: Two DBU Research Projects with Feeß as a Cooperation Partner
The collaboration with Feeß went far beyond operational involvement. In two research projects funded by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU), Heinrich Feeß GmbH was the central practical partner – and thus co-responsible for transforming a pilot into an industrial-ready technology.
DBU Project 1: Automatic Classification of Construction Waste
In the first DBU project, Optocycle developed an AI-based system for the automatic, reproducible classification of construction waste. The pilot plant operated directly at Feeß's facility in Kirchheim unter Teck – the business of the then-environmental award winner Walter Feeß. The entrance scale was the first real test point: Here, the system was tested, improved, and validated under real conditions.
Eberhard Fritz provided the industry expertise during this phase that made the AI what it is today: a recognition system that understands the diversity and variance of real construction debris deliveries – not just idealized laboratory conditions.
DBU Project 2: Real-Time Monitoring of RC Grains
The follow-up project took a decisive step further: Optocycle, in collaboration with Feeß, developed a fully validated prototype for real-time monitoring of recycled concrete aggregates – that is, recycled stone aggregates directly in the processing process. The goal is to continuously and automatically monitor the quality of the produced secondary raw materials – no longer through random sampling in the lab, but seamlessly in ongoing production.
This means: Optocycle supports the material flow not only at the entry point but also throughout the processing. For Feeß, which produces up to 40 different quality recycled construction materials, this is a crucial step towards consistent, certifiable product quality.
Kooperationspartner in beiden Projekten ist die Heinrich Feeß GmbH – das Unternehmen des Umweltpreisträgers 2016, Walter Feeß.
Why this is important for the entire industry
Germany produces around 220 million tons of mineral construction waste annually. A large portion of this ends up in landfills or is recycled in lower quality – because maintaining material purity is difficult to guarantee and quality fluctuations are hard to control.
Exactly here is where Optocycle comes in. And Feeß is the proof that it works:
- Higher varietal purity through objective, automated incoming inspection
- Better resource utilization through targeted allocation of materials to the right processing lines
- Legal certainty through comprehensive, image-based documentation according to the AVV and Replacement Building Materials Ordinance
- Standardization across multiple locations – with identical quality assurance everywhere
- Less landfill due to higher quality processing of more material
“Through the acquired knowledge of what is contained in the truckloads, recycling companies can begin processing accurately and efficiently, and better categorize and invoice the materials obtained.”
Max-Frederick Gerken, Co-Founder & CEO, Optocycle GmbH
Conclusion: Some partnerships are more than just a business
Feeß was Optocycles' first customer. Eberhard Fritz was the first industry expert who truly got involved – who contributed his data, his knowledge, and his critical questions to turn a good idea into a functioning product. And Walter Feeß's operation was the first real proof that AI-supported material recognition in construction material recycling is not just a vision for the future, but is making an impact here and now.
Today, Feeß benefits from a technology they helped develop. And Optocycle has set a standard through this partnership that extends far beyond a single operation: transparency in the material flow is not a luxury – it is the prerequisite for high-quality recycling.
Feeß and Optocycle are continuing to work on that together.
around the yard as part of their onboarding.
Would you like to learn how Optocycle can make your recycling operation more efficient and transparent? Schedule a no-obligation conversation now at THIS LINK.