Ridgeline’s Innovative Fluids Analysis Program
Ridgeline™, Parkland Corporation’s (“Parkland”) lubricant brand, announced last month the launch of the Ridgeline™ Fluids Analysis Program for maintenance professionals needing to detect engine problems before they occur. To understand more about this program, JobbersWorld spoke with the Director of Lubricants and Specialty Products at Parkland Corp., Tom McClary, and here is what we found.
According to McClary, “The Ridgeline™ Fluids Analysis Program provides our customers with a proven, predictive and preventive maintenance tool to help optimize equipment durability and minimize downtime. It also provides customers with information and insights on performance trends impacting individual units across their entire fleet.”
“Much like a blood analysis done on humans, the fluid analysis program examines samples of oil taken from our customer’s equipment,” said McClary.
The samples are sent to a Ridgeline laboratory in a QR code-labeled container, where they are run through a battery of tests that look at over 25 analytes associated with wear of pistons, rings, bearings, gears and other equipment components. In addition, the analysis quantifies the presence of such contaminates as abrasives, fuel, water and soot and provides analytical data on the additive chemistry of the lubricant in use, its viscosity and reserve alkalinity.
The chemical and physical test data for each sample is then reviewed by a certified oil monitoring analyst with many years of training and experience interpreting oil analysis data and making appropriate recommendations for maintenance action. How is the Ridgeline™ Fluids Analysis Program different from the oil analysis programs offered by others?
In response, McClary says, “The data is only as good as the laboratory conducting the tests.” To this point, McClary notes, “To assure independent analytical testing and highly skilled interpretation of test data and effective maintenance recommendations, the WearCheck International Group of laboratories is performing the analysis for the Ridgeline Fluids Analysis Program. WearCheck is an independent 3rd party ISO 17025:2017 accredited lab processing close to 400,000 samples across North America annually, and all its data analysts are certified. WearCheck opened the first commercial oil analysis laboratory and today is the leader in oil analysis.”
For WearCheck and Ridgeline’s Fluid Analysis Program, McClary says, “Oil analysis is a passion and way of life. Our collective knowledge and experience create a passion for our customers’ oil analysis results and the shared interest in optimizing our customer’s equipment performance and durability.”
In terms of the nuts and bolts of the program, there are some other innovative benefits. One is an app that allows customers to track samples from when they are shipped. The app provides comprehensive reports quickly and concisely for equipment managers that are always on the go.
“Where Ridgeline sets itself apart is that our service doesn’t stop with the report,” says McClary. “We prioritize reliability at Ridgeline and support our customers by providing high-quality products and services. However, our support goes beyond that. Our sales team is dedicated to making sure we are meeting a customer’s every need. We will support them in adjusting their maintenance schedules or products they are purchasing based on the analysis results. We like to say that when the market asks, Ridgeline answers.”
About Ridgeline™ Lubricants
Ridgeline™ is a high-performance and temperature-resistant lubricant distributed by Parkland. Ridgeline™ products have been used in various industries, from trucking and construction to industrial, agriculture and automotive. Ridgeline™ has quickly expanded from one market since its inception in 2018 to 26 markets in 2022. With sustainability as a primary focus for Parkland, Ridgeline™ is proud to offer customers its Ridgeline™ Renewable line – which includes 11 biodegradable “REAL” products to help protect your equipment and the environment.
For more information about Ridgeline™ Lubricants, visit www.ridgelinelubricants.com.