Royal Purple Supplies Mobil 1

[scada]

I work at an industrial facility. We had a Royal Purple rep in today to give us some training and to press the flesh. The topic of Mobil 1 came up. The rep stated that Mobil was a customer of Royal Purple.

This sounded fishy to me. Does any one here have knowledge of this?

They also had the wear setup where they put the weights on in. They started with a ConocoPhillips oil and showed how when they added the weights, eventually the motor overloads. They switch to the Royal Purple and add the weights and the motor does not shut off.

I have read that these types of tests do not represent real world conditions. Also we are looking at industrial oils for use in power plant equipment and not vehicles.

 

[addyguy]

Exxon-Mobil is the largest oil company in NA. They supply many other companies with base oils and finished products.

RP, compared to Mobil, is a mom-n-pop operation....I don't think Mobil even consider them 'competition'!

 

[SEMI_287]

I think it's the other way around. Sounds like a marketing ploy to me.

 

[OVERKILL]

So he shows up with a one-armed-bandit and does a little song and dance and spins a nice yarn about Exxon-Mobil being a "customer" of RP?

This guy is the reason many of the small oil blenders are oft regarded as having little credibility.

I'm sure RP buys base oils and additives from Exxon-Mobil. I'm also quote sure they buy additives and the like from Infineum, which is co-owned by Exxon-Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

Exxon-Mobil is the world's largest producer of PAO, AN's and Ester base stocks. Infineum is one of the largest, if not the largest supplier of additives. And then there is Exxon-Mobil Chemical.

Exxon-Mobil has the capability to produce, start-to-finish, any type of lubricant entirely in-house.

So, if Exxon-Mobil has the ability to make all of the ingredients for a lubricant, has the ability to produce, start-to-finish, any type of lubricant, then why in the heck would they be buying ANYTHING from Royal Purple?

They wouldn't be.

It is quite obviously the other way around.

 

[Loobed]

My understanding is that Mobil is a refiner (manufacturer) of oils, and Royal Purple is a blender. I cannot see any reason why Mobil would buy from RP. It is possible that Mobil pays RP to blend oil to Mobil's specs. It also might be possible that Mobil buys RP products so their salesman can go around and show how much better Mobil is compared to RP.

 

[TooManyWheels]

If RP supplied Mobil with the oil for the hinges on the break room refrigerator door at one facility, then Mobil would indeed be a customer. The rep implied much while saying little.

 

[d00df00d]

to BITOG!

Originally Posted By: scada
I work at an industrial facility. We had a Royal Purple rep in today to give us some training and to press the flesh. The topic of Mobil 1 came up. The rep stated that Mobil was a customer of Royal Purple.

It's not completely inconceivable, to be honest. Royal Purple is barely a speck of dust compared to Exxon-Mobil, but it's possible that they hold some patent or make some product that Exxon-Mobil would rather buy from them than figure out on their own.

That's just a possibility, though -- and even if it's true, it wouldn't mean Exxon-Mobil really depends on Royal Purple (which is what I suspect the rep was trying to imply).


Originally Posted By: scada
They also had the wear setup where they put the weights on in. They started with a ConocoPhillips oil and showed how when they added the weights, eventually the motor overloads. They switch to the Royal Purple and add the weights and the motor does not shut off.

I have read that these types of tests do not represent real world conditions. Also we are looking at industrial oils for use in power plant equipment and not vehicles.

That test involves point loading. It doesn't represent real world conditions for engine oil, but it could be useful for some other applications.

However, I've also heard that the test is easily faked and does not produce reliably repeatable results. If that's true, it would mean that you can't draw conclusions from it even if it simulates the right conditions.


Hope that helps.

 

[Loobed]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL


...So, if Exxon-Mobil has the ability to make all of the ingredients for a lubricant, has the ability to produce, start-to-finish, any type of lubricant, then why in the heck would they be buying ANYTHING from Royal Purple?

They wouldn't be.

It is quite obviously the other way around.



If Exxon-Mobil need to blend up something special or make a short run of some product and Royal Purple already had most of the base oils that Mobil needed at their blending site and the bottling equipment, it is conceivable that Mobil had RP blend their product for them.

 

[scada]

I am in the training now. I think they are saying they sell the oil to the refinery itself to use in the pumps and other equipment you have in a refinery.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Loobed
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL


...So, if Exxon-Mobil has the ability to make all of the ingredients for a lubricant, has the ability to produce, start-to-finish, any type of lubricant, then why in the heck would they be buying ANYTHING from Royal Purple?

They wouldn't be.

It is quite obviously the other way around.



If Exxon-Mobil need to blend up something special or make a short run of some product and Royal Purple already had most of the base oils that Mobil needed at their blending site and the bottling equipment, it is conceivable that Mobil had RP blend their product for them.



How many blending sites does XOM have? (this is not a rhetorical question, I have no idea) I'm sure quite a few more than RP, and in a far broader range of locations.

I find it hard to envision XOM being in a position in which they'd employ a 3rd-party blender in place of simply using one of their own blending facilities.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: scada
I am in the training now. I think they are saying they sell the oil to the refinery itself to use in the pumps and other equipment you have in a refinery.


I know this is the case with the oil rigs. RP provides the lubes for the gear at some of these sites. However, these sites are not owned or operated by XOM, even if they supply them, so they have no obligation to use the products of the company they are supplying crude to.

 

[LeakySeals]

Raise your hand and ask if hes saying XOM buys their oil from the RP oil rig offshore..

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
This guy is the reason many of the small oil blenders are oft regarded as having little credibility.



There it is!

 

[LckydevL]

Being a "customer" of RP could mean many things. The likely scenario is:

Mobil possibly ran out of some type of additives and rang up RP hoping to purchase a small amount until their normal shipment arrived.

Then, RP puts the receipt in a trophy case somewhere and claims that Mobil is now a "customer".


I really, really hate salesmen. Tearing them and their "stories and claims" apart is the only enjoyment I ever gain from having to suffer their existence.

 

[Solarent]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I find it hard to envision XOM being in a position in which they'd employ a 3rd-party blender in place of simply using one of their own blending facilities.

XOM does use many third party blenders (I work for one of them) and has an entire certification and quality control process that requires very strict guidelines and appropriate measures that they review on site every year. The way it works typically is the blender purchases several products (such as base stock etc) from XOM-CHEM and then the blender makes them to XOM specs. Without going into too much detail we got the contract by bidding on a product they wanted made many years ago. They often function this way, and reciprocate by providing us with materials for the production of our other products. It's win-win on both sides of the fence.

As far as RP goes, I don't know what product they may (or may not) be supplying to XOM - but the list of products that XOM has is so big they could easily be blending one simple product for them.

 

[tig1]

I did notice a purple tint to the last M1 change I did.

 

[Xstang]

I think this video is needed in this thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5WXbj5jbN8

I mean, c'mon, would anyone here put shampoo in their engine?

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: scada
I am in the training now. I think they are saying they sell the oil to the refinery itself to use in the pumps and other equipment you have in a refinery.


That part makes sense and is plausible. RP's industrial lube catalog is huge. It's certainly conceivable that certain sites would use RP industrial lubes. RP's industrial lubes are competitively priced and come in a wider array of package sizes. Believe me, I've checked for one of my own sites.

For instance, a certain compressor oil from Imperial Oil comes only in a drum. That's an absolutely huge amount of oil when the average pump or compressor takes roughly a litre. Who needs a drum of compressor oil? Other than a place that's actually assembling and shipping air compressors (factory fill), that's pretty nutty. I go through a lot of that lube, but I'd never buy a drum. RP sells their competing lube in a 5 gallon pail, for instance, which is far more convenient for most industrial locations.

RP supplies a lot of plants. I don't doubt that they'd have some sales along the oil production line. Heck, Esso stations up here sell Pennzoil conventional, so there's no reason another arm of the operation couldn't use RP industrial lubes. For motor oil, XOM has zero use for anything RP produces.

 

[Durango]

Originally Posted By: scada
I work at an industrial facility. We had a Royal Purple rep in today to give us some training and to press the flesh. The topic of Mobil 1 came up. The rep stated that Mobil was a customer of Royal Purple.

This sounded fishy to me. Does any one here have knowledge of this?

They also had the wear setup where they put the weights on in. They started with a ConocoPhillips oil and showed how when they added the weights, eventually the motor overloads. They switch to the Royal Purple and add the weights and the motor does not shut off.

I have read that these types of tests do not represent real world conditions. Also we are looking at industrial oils for use in power plant equipment and not vehicles.


scada,

I'll bet your rep may have accidentially said something that he shouldn't have. It happens sometimes but then again when everone needs to make money they may say anything.

Durango