Oil production continues to increase around the world, and specifically in the United States. The production of paraffinic oil in the United States amounted to 29 million barrels in 2018 alone. This is one type of oil, which means that there were substantial increases in other oils and oil products as well. The number of oil producers and suppliers is also increasing.
As a manufacturing company, you have been looking for base oil suppliers who can supply base oil for manufacturing purposes. Importantly, there are several base oil suppliers in USA, which mean that you have to analyze your choice carefully. Here are some of the few strategies you can use to choose a base oil plant refinery.
Plant Location
The physical location of your base oil suppliers is not the overall determinant of who to work with but will affect some very critical aspects of running your business. If you have your base oil supplier located on the other side of the country, you can be sure that you will have to pay more for shipping cost.
Additionally, the location of your base oil supplier will affect the lead time. A plant located near your manufacturing plant will supply oil within a short period while a plant located in a different state will take a week or more to deliver your order. You don’t need such delays as it will affect your business’ overall operations.
Response Speed
Like any other company, it is important to work with a mineral oil supplier who is available and helpful. The base oil suppliers you will choose should have a representative in your area. Moreover, the rep should be ready to engage you whenever you need it. Don’t go for companies that don’t have a representative in your area.
The response speed of a company should not only be based on the ground representative. It also depends on how much it takes for the company to receive your phone and process your order. The support team should always be ready to listen to you and process your order immediately.
Committed to Product Quality
Oil is a sensitive product that tends to attract dirt, debris, and other foreign products. Your base oil suppliers should be ready to commit to product safety. They should have a quality assurance department that focuses on producing the highest levels of product quality. For instance, fur is a major foreign material in oils that needs to be removed.
If you are dealing with white mineral oil, you will demand high levels of quality as white oils are used in the manufacture of food and other products for human consumption. Choosing base oil suppliers who pay little attention to oil quality will significantly affect your manufacturing operations.
Product Specialization
There are many base oil suppliers out there, but some of them have not specialized in a particular product line. They are dealing with different types of oils such as motor oils, transformer insulating oils, and light grade oils, among others.
Manufacturing and supplying different types of oils may not be a bad thing for a company. However, the company lacks the necessary specialization. There is a high chance the quality of the product might be compromised due to lack of specialization.
Product Pricing
Product pricing is always an issue when it comes to oil suppliers. There is the temptation of getting your oil supplied by low priced suppliers. However, you should make sure that you don’t get base oils from cheap suppliers. There is a reason as to why the price of oil is cheap, and most probably it has to do with low quality. This, however, does not mean that you should get your oil supplied by companies selling at premium prices. Always ensure that the pricing is in line with the quality of the product you’ll get.
With many companies supplying base oils, choosing the company to supply base oils and other types of oils is a hard undertaking for any business. However, as a manufacturing company, the process of selecting a base oil supplier has now been simplified using the above strategies.
