Success is not always defined by how quickly we can mobilize the proper equipment and personnel into place for our customers. Albeit we have become quite adept at it over the years. But what I’m getting at is eliminating the need by providing insight into the problem or should I say the solution early on. If we are included in the conversation from the onset of the project you may find that we can provide options that save tens of thousands or in some situations hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example I recently took a phone call from a long term customer of ours who handles jet fuel nationally. “Charlie it’s Jim, we have a big problem.” He quickly informed me of the fact that they had 750,000 barrels of jet fuel that was failing J.F.T.O.T. (jet fuel thermal oxidation test). If this test is deemed failing the fuel is unsellable as commercial jet fuel. “How quickly can you and your team be on site?” I let Jim know that it would be about three days transit time in order to ship the proper equipment in to correct the fuel quality issue. However, rather than charge forward with that plan we discussed the issue at hand, how they came to determine that the fuel was failing, who took the test samples etc. etc. etc. The long and short of this story goes like this, through asking a number of poignant questions we were able to determine that the jet fuel may not be the problem. Rather how they were taking the samples may be creating the issue with the lab results. It turns out that the sample cans being utilized were not epoxy lined. This is a big no no. The unlined sample cans were throwing the JFTOT off of specification. We provided the proper cans and presto problem solved! I ask our customers to use us as a resource to not only provide filtration products and rental equipment, but as a resource to solve problems. This customer did and it paid off for them in a very big way.
— Charlie, Technical Sales
