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Paulson Oil Company Bio-diesel Storage Facility Destroyed by Fire

(Tribune photo by Margaret Willis)

Paulson Oil Company's bio-diesel storage facility in Chesterton, Indiana burned to the ground on the night of July 14, 2010.

According to Chesterton Fire Cheif Mike Orlich, the building is a total loss (valued at roughly $150,000). Inventory loss is estimated at between $500,000 and $750,000.

Investigators say they have no reason to believe the fire suspicious. At the same time, Orlich says two factors have hindered the investigation. The first is that the building essentially burned to the ground and possible evidence may have been destroyed. In addition, the floor of the building was covered with six to eight inches of leaked oil after the fire was put out. This inhibited investigators from getting in and looking around. Fortunately most of the oil was contained and an environmental cleanup company was quick to get to work on the leaked oil.

Paulson Oil Company (POCO) was founded in 1956 by Robert Paulson. The company was sold in 2007 to Maxum Petroleum of Old Greenwich, CT. POCO is a leading supplier of motor fuels and lubricants to commercial and industrial customers throughout Northern Indiana and the greater Chicago area.

Click here for more on the fire

Hyundai Construction Equipment Introduces Genuine Oil

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc.(Elk Grove Village, Ill.), has introduced Hyundai Lubricants to its Genuine Parts product line. The company says it will begin marketing and distributing the lubricant products, branded as Hyundai Lubricants, in North, Central and South America during the second half of 2010.

The initial line of available lubricants will include engine oil, gear oil and grease, and the company says it already has plans to expand the line by 2011.

Hyundai says the introduction of Hyundai Lubricant products allows the company to provide more value to customers who have purchased machines and to keep those customers "thinking Hyundai" for all their parts and service needs.

"Consumers want a partner in a manufacturer, and Hyundai is committed to being just that," says Kirk Gillette, vice president of Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas.

The lubricant products will be manufactured and bottled in Indianapolis through a partnership with D-A Lubricants Co. Inc. This partnership is looked on as a positive growth step by both companies, according to a press release.

Source: C&D Recycling

ExxonMobil Announces Multi-Year Supply Agreement with Caterpillar

CORRECTION: Please note that JobbersWorld's July 27th article "ExxonMobil and Caterpillar Ink a Supply Agreement" contained inaccurate information. The corrected story follows below:
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ExxonMobil Announces Multi-Year Supply Agreement with Caterpillar

As part of a multi-year agreement, ExxonMobil will manufacture and supply Caterpillar® branded lubricants to Caterpillar factories and dealers worldwide. With this agreement, ExxonMobil continues as the exclusive worldwide supplier for 33 Caterpillar® lubricants used in engines, transmissions, hydraulics and final drives.

Since 1987, when ExxonMobil began supplying private label lubricants to Caterpillar, the two companies have worked together on world-class product research. That research has resulted in the creation of lubricant technologies that work as a system with the machine and engine to provide the highest performance, while lowering the operating costs for Caterpillar customers. In addition, they provide sustainability-related benefits through extended oil drain intervals and protection of engine emission reduction systems.

"Through ongoing cooperative research, our teams have designed and produced lubricants that meet Caterpillar's high performance standards," said Jim Hennessy, vice president of sales for ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties. "It's a rigorous process: before these lubricants are manufactured, the products and performance specifications are tested and approved by Caterpillar. As part of our global relationship, a dedicated ExxonMobil support team provides technical and marketing training to Cat dealers and facilities worldwide."

ExxonMobil and Caterpillar are already developing the next generation of lubricants and exploring technologies that will further help reduce emissions as well as extend component life.

About Exxon Mobil Corporation

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world's growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com.

About ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties

ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties is a leading marketer of finished lubricants, asphalts and specialty products, as well as the world's No. 1 supplier of lube basestocks.

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THE FOLLOWING IS A SAMPLE OF COMMENTS ALREADY ON THE JOBBERSWORLD FORUM...

Question: Is ConocoPhillips using DM2 or Visual Supplier? The post prior to yours seems to say CP is using DM2 MAS 90 / 200 software.

To answer your question about ConocoPhillips system, they, like I would guess all majors, use SAP. Most majors opted into SAP during the 1990's as way to avoid the so-called millennium bug. DM2 would not be able to support all of ConocoPhillip's business requirements. Their connection to DM2 and Visual Supplier is through electronic data feeds from/to marketers that flow through intermediate software capable of communicating with multiple systems.

The answer to your question concerning data conversion is yes. Data conversion is probably the most difficult aspect of bringing up a new back-office computer system. Conceptually, conversion is a simple process of translating data from the existing system to the format of the new system. This step is usually referred to as "mapping". Once or as the mapping is completed, processes, manual and automated are engaged to load the new system with the translated data from the old system. Simple, right.

There are a number of problems that arise or become apparent during the conversion phase of implementation. At the top of the list of problems in my opinion is a less than thorough understanding, held by implementation personnel, of the business and thus the meaning of the data. This always leads to faulty mapping and errors in the conversion process that may not appear until you have bill a 100 or so customers out of the new system. Often times the old system simply does not maintain data that is needed to support key applications in the new system. Or the data in the old system does not support the logical structure of the new system, etc, etc, etc. ....

Data conversion is a big deal and should be carefully considered when looking at moving to a totally new platform. It is the dirty work and usually costs a lot more than the implementers estimate.

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