New video series helps customers understand how oil is made

A new video series has been released by Morris Lubricants to provide end users and distributors across a variety of market sectors with an insight into how oil is made and the factors that should be considered when choosing a lubricant supplier.

The series of five short videos demonstrates the key areas that should be considered when selecting oils and lubricants, to ensure maximum equipment life and reduced production downtime.

The videos feature Guy Martin, lorry mechanic, motorbike racer, TV presenter, engineering enthusiast and Morris Lubricants’ ambassador who is taken through the production process. A heavy goods vehicle mechanic by trade, Guy was eager to discover each stage of the manufacturing process and how oil is formulated to keep mechanical systems lubricated even in the toughest conditions.

The video explains that the oil blending process is strictly monitored, beginning with the raw materials, which includes base oils and additive chemistry being delivered into the Shrewsbury manufacturing facility.

A stringent quality assurance process is then followed. All the base oil and additives delivered to the company are quarantined, sampled and sent to the on-site quality control (QC) laboratory where they are subjected to a suite of tests to ensure they are suitable for use. The Morris Lubricants’ QC laboratory currently conducts more than 5,000 quality control tests a month.

Once approved, these materials are released for production and are then carefully blended together, in compliance with strict formulation guidelines, to produce the finished high-quality lubricant.

Each oil product is specially formulated to meet the needs of individual applications alongside strict global and original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) specifications. The blended lubricant is then sampled, sent to the QC laboratory and subjected to a series of chemical and physical tests. This ensures the formulation has been followed exactly.

When approved by the QC laboratory, the sample is released for filling. Once again, before filling begins, a final sample is taken from the filling head and checked a final time to ensure compliance. The approved lubricant can then be filled into the appropriately labelled and batch numbered package. The pack sizes filled with lubricant ranges from 1 litre bottles, 5 litre contours and 25 litre drums to 205 litre barrels as well as bulk containers. This process ensures full traceability of the quality of the finished product.

The finished product is palletised, stored and then shipped out to customers in the UK or overseas. 44 million litres of product leave the company’s two manufacturing sites per annum, with 12 shipping containers leaving Shrewsbury every week to supply quality products to customers all around the world.

“After spending time at the factory in Shrewsbury, I now appreciate the science and skill that goes into the oil production process,” said Guy. “I didn’t realise the company produced so many different varieties of oil and lubricants. It blew my mind that Morris Lubricants ships 12 containers of oil a week to countries as far away as New Zealand, Iraq and China and how much trust their international customers have in the product being made in Britain.”