Lubricants News and Updates

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Additives

Lubes are the new Fuel. What's up with all the price changes?

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Since December of 2020, we have seen an unprecedented SIX price increases roll out on base oil, additive & finished lubricant products. Now we are additionally seeing essentially all major suppliers move to allocations on products because of increasing difficulty on supply/sourcing.

So what is going on? 

Like most things in 2021, a lot of the issue started with the Pandemic & its after effects. When shutdowns went into effect in March 2020, demand for finished products crashed and that led to cuts in production volumes by producers, and the simultaneous drop in fuel demand led to a drop in refining, which caused a drop in the ability to source products for lube production that derive from fuel refining... and so on, like dominos. 

Once things came back online, the freak ice storms in Texas that derailed refineries once again slowed the access to lube production products. 

As soon as that was sorted,  demand  in the US roared back much faster than anticipated on both fuel & lubricant products as the world began to open back up.  This essentially created a situation where production was not able to come back online fast enough to meet suddenly skyrocketing demand. 

This has led to unofficial allocation levels for nearly all distributors across the country, as companies from major suppliers to independent blenders struggle to access the supply required to service their customers properly. 

To add another layer of frustration, the labor shortage in the transportation industry (read about that here: All Eyes on the Growing Driver Shortage )  means that even in the event that product CAN be sourced adequately, it is increasingly difficult to secure delivery, even at higher than standard freight rates. 

Long story short, the Pandemic, Economic Rebound, and Labor Shortages have essentially created a "perfect storm" where the fundamentals of supply and demand are pushing lubricant, additive, and base oils skyward. Optimists in the field hope supply issues will be remedied by the end of the summer, but with talk on the horizon of yet another increase in September, it seems doubtful that will be the case. 

We will keep you apprised of any major changes in the supply and pricing picture going forward. Hang in there, everybody.  

 

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AFS AWDA Cold Flow Additives Now Available

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AFS AWDA Cold Flow Additive is now in stock for the winter months. This additive helps reduce diesel fuel pour point and CFPP  8-12 degrees below the fuel's non additized temperature rating.

We're stocking both  1:3000g and 1:1500g treatment ratios. 

 

AWDA 3000 - one gallon treats 3000gal (available in drums and pails). Product Info Sheet here: AWDA-3000

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AWDA 1500 - one gallon treats 1500gal (available in drums) Product Info Sheet here: AWDA-1500

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If you have questions on the product, or whether bulk fuel additives make sense for your operation versus rack treated product, contact your rep or call the office 800-289-2875

 

 

 

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Winter Additive Options

It's getting cold out there! 
Now is a good time to revisit the topic of winter fuel and fuel additives. Very few things are more critical than ensuring your fleets winter operability.
There are a lot of options out there, from Kero blending to different types of Additives. We've seen a lot of people have loyalty to the Valvtect Diesel Guard Winter Additive. The video below gives you a good amount of info on the product - if you're weighing out additive options for the winter season, it's worth a look. 
 
 
 
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Additives are Our Friends!

ADDTIVES are our friends!

LETS FIGHT THOSE NASTY ETHANOL ISSUES!!!!!  The only answer is Valvtect . . .If you have a gas tank and you’re a  golf course, marina and/or landscaper, you should keep a few cases of this on hand, NO DOUBT!  Check out “YouTube” to see what happens when you do not use a great additive like Valvtect.  DKB sale price on this is $67.99, good till 8/31/2012.

The video below has some good general info on how Valvtect works and why you should use it!

Would you like to have ZERO emissions from your diesel vehicles?  Then you should be using Diesel Kleen from Power Service.  Power Service are the diesel additive experts for well over 30 years!  As the cleansing  takes place with Diesel Kleen , you can also get up to 4 number increase on your cetane boost.  DKB carries this in 32 oz cases (12 in each) and 55-gallon drums.  This is perfect in any off and on road applications. 

For a spec sheet on Diesel Kleen - click here 

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