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Engine oil - Case goods, bulk or "bag-in-box"?


JimO

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I presently have one bulk oil tank that is dispensed from an overhead reel in the shop and we use case goods for all other needs. The bulk oil route was great years ago but late model vehicles require so many different oils that most of my volume is now from case goods. Bulk oil is probably still the best route for dealers that primarily use one grade of oil however it no longer meets my needs since I have limited space and I am unable to have multiple bulk tanks. I recently investigated "bag-in-box" rack systems. For those of you who are unfamiliar, "bag-in-box" is 6 gallons of oil in a cardboard box with a plastic bag "bladder" that has a spigot. The 6 gallon boxes are stored on a rack that has graduated pitchers under each box. Open a spigot, fill the pitcher to the desired amount, pour the pitcher into the engine. No large bulk tank, no pump, no piping, no overhead reel. The size of the 6 gallon box (24 qts) is about the same size as a regular case of oil (12 qts). I had a meeting with a sales rep from GH Berlin Windward yesterday. They offer "bag-in-box" rack systems from Kendall, Valvoline, Mobil, Chevron, Peak and Navi-guard (house brand).

Are any of you using a "bag-in-box" rack system? Do you have any comments or tips?

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I presently have one bulk oil tank that is dispensed from an overhead reel in the shop and we use case goods for all other needs. The bulk oil route was great years ago but late model vehicles require so many different oils that most of my volume is now from case goods. Bulk oil is probably still the best route for dealers that primarily use one grade of oil however it no longer meets my needs since I have limited space and I am unable to have multiple bulk tanks. I recently investigated "bag-in-box" rack systems. For those of you who are unfamiliar, "bag-in-box" is 6 gallons of oil in a cardboard box with a plastic bag "bladder" that has a spigot. The 6 gallon boxes are stored on a rack that has graduated pitchers under each box. Open a spigot, fill the pitcher to the desired amount, pour the pitcher into the engine. No large bulk tank, no pump, no piping, no overhead reel. The size of the 6 gallon box (24 qts) is about the same size as a regular case of oil (12 qts). I had a meeting with a sales rep from GH Berlin Windward yesterday. They offer "bag-in-box" rack systems from Kendall, Valvoline, Mobil, Chevron, Peak and Navi-guard (house brand).

Are any of you using a "bag-in-box" rack system? Do you have any comments or tips?

We have a bag in box system. We've had a couple small spills from bag issues and the containers require frequent cleaning. Otherwise we're happy with it!

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

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We use 55 gal drum for 5w30 synthetic blend. For our full synthetic oils, we use bag in the box (0w20, 5w30 and multi vehicle atf).

 

Our distributor gave us a rack with 6 pitchers when we changed to them and we love it. Previously, we didn't have a rack and it was an absolute pain to use. Rack is free as long as we continue to order from them which we plan on doing. They sell us Cam2 oil which has been great and also only about $2.68/qt for full synthetic. Bag in the box is the best space wise (we also have limited space). 55 gal drum of synthetic blend is good bc we can put that in most vehicles and pay about $1.38/qt

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  • 2 weeks later...

We keep a 55 barrel each of 5W20, 5W30 and 10W30 Synthetic Blend. We also have a bag-in-a-box rack for each weight in conventional oil and full synthetic. And we also keep Mobil 1 0W20 and 0W40 in quarts. Customers appreciate the fact that we have very little waste going out of the building from oil containers! Of course, it is our job to point that out...

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The oil quarts fill up our dumpster fast. It's a negative. We offer too many choices of oil so we just buy cases of quarts.

Albert, I must say that I miss the "Swag Master" personna, but I guess you like changing up every now and then. We use 5W20 and 5W30 5 qt. jugs, and 0w20, 0w40, 5w20, 5w30, 5w40, and 10w30 Synthetics in quarts. I love synthetic oil change services because we actually make a good profit on them.

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We use a bulk tank for 5-30 conventional. This is our most commonly sold oil. For all other weights and synthetics, we use the boxes. I hate dealing with all the plastic bottles, both the time to use them and the disposal. Most suppliers will give you the rack and jugs. My jugs have lids so we have never had a need to clean them out.

 

Scott

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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
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