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YES - There is an Issue With Low Quality and/or
Off-spec Lubricant in the US Market |
JobbersWorld conducted a survey last month (see link
below) examining the perceptions of its readers with
regards to the quality of lubricants in the US
market. When asked, "Do you feel there is an issue
with low quality and/or off spec lubricants in the
market?" 85% of the 373 respondents said "yes." And
the responses to this question were relatively
consistent among lubricant distributors, major oil
companies, independent lubricant manufacturers, and
additive suppliers.
But more than simply saying there is an issue with
low quality lubricants, our readers offered up a
wide range of suggestions as to what can be done to
improve the quality of lubricants. The most common
suggestions focused on the need for a new,
independent testing organization that publishes test
data on samples taken from the field.
As expressed by a number of comments in the survey,
many feel there is little hope that the API or ILMA
will do much to address the issue. Although each is
given credit for trying, at the end of the day, it
is believed that something more needs to be done.
And we plan to do just that - Read Below.
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A CALL TO ACTION |
In response to what we have been hearing over the
years and the strong call to action seen in the
JobbersWorld survey results, Petroleum Trends Intl.,
with the support of other industry stakeholders,
formed the Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA).
The mission of PQIA is to educate and serve the
consuming public by monitoring and reporting on the
quality of lubricants in the marketplace. We will do
so by independent testing and reporting on samples
of lubricants taken from the field. The first report
is expected to be completed for release to the
public in December.
PQIA will publish the test data, the specific
brand names, the manufacturer's names, and
commentary where appropriate. All of this
information will be available to the consuming
public for free on the PQIA website.
We view this as an industry effort. As such, we
ask stakeholders in the lubricants business (e.g.
finished lubricant manufacturers, distributors,
additive suppliers, base oil suppliers, and others)
to contact us with your thoughts and support.
Additionally, PQIA will hold an industry trade
conference and show (Quality Now) in 2010. If
you have a quality topic you would like to present
at the conference, please contact us by email at
tom_glenn@petroleumtrends.com
Additional information on the Petroleum Quality
Institute of America (PQIA) and the Quality Now
conference and trade show will available in upcoming
issues of JobbersWorld.
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POLARIS Laboratories becomes sole source |
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Atlanta, GA - POLARIS Laboratories announced today
its selection as Oldcastle Materials' sole provider
of fluid analysis services. A high growth leader in
the fluid analysis industry, POLARIS will now
provide oil and coolant testing, analysis and data
management services to more than 300 Oldcastle
companies - today's leading suppliers of aggregates,
asphalt, ready-mix concrete and paving services in
the United States.
Brett Minges, POLARIS Vice President of Sales, said
POLARIS' ISO 17025 A2LA accreditation is evidence
that the laboratory can provide the quality testing,
accurate results and actionable maintenance
recommendations necessary to support corporate
maintenance practices and create a positive impact
on the bottom line.
"Using accurate and reliable fluid analysis data
to reduce downtime, improve productivity and
increase equipment reliability can affect the
success of maintenance programming tremendously,"
Minges said. "To know that Oldcastle Materials has
chosen POLARIS as its sole source for providing
these services creates an exciting opportunity for
both organizations to exceed the already high
standards by which they operate."
According to Ron Piccolo, Oldcastle Vice
President of Strategic Sourcing, an extremely
user-friendly data management solution and a
virtually seamless process for transitioning
historical data were also deciding factors in
placing the company's fluid analysis program with
POLARIS.
"A partnership with POLARIS Laboratories creates
an exceptional opportunity to easily access and
manage the plethora of data that our sampling
generates daily." Piccolo said. "This consolidation
of information, along with consistency in testing
methods and procedures provides a strong foundation
for implementing well-directed maintenance and
reliability best practices."
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More High Quality Base Oil on the Plate |
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Bahrain's Oil & Gas Holding Company, owned by the
National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga), signed a $120
million agreement with Ahli United Bank (AUB) to
finance its stake in the new $430 million lubricant
base oil manufacturing plant.
The loan facility will be used to finance
Nogaholdingls 27.5 per cent stake in the new plant,
which will we one of the largest in the Middle East.
Nogaholdingls landmark joint venture is being
established in partnership with BAPCO and Neste Oil
of Finland. The new plant, set up to increase
revenue from the domestic oil industry, will utilize
feedstock from Bapcols low sulfur diesel plant to
manufacture Group III lubricant base oils. The
kingdom of Bahrain will have a 55 per cent stake in
the plant with Neste oil retaining a 45 per cent
share.
Dr Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil and
Gas Affairs, Chairman of Noga and Nogaholding said:
the lube base oil project is an important project
for Nogaholding and will generate substantial
additional revenue for the petroleum industry in the
kingdom of Bahrain. The project will benefit from
the increasing demand across the world for low
sulfur base oils in the production of lubricants.
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Contact Us With Your News |
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JobbersWorld is all about issues impacting lubricant
distributors. You are our primary audience and you
are the ones we need to hear from. What's on your
mind? What issues would you like to see us tackle?
And what news would you like others to know about?
- News
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Promotions
- New products
- Classified
We reach out to nearly 10,000 participants in the
lubricant distribution supply chain once or twice a
week (depending on what's NEWS) and we tell it like
it is.
Please contact us via e-mail at tom_glenn@jobbersworld.com,
or direct at 732-494-0405.
Thank you
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Publisher |
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