The AMSOIL Center
Located in Superior, WI, USA
A Look Inside this Environmentally Conscious Company
As it Develops Products that are Better for the Environment
Product Demand Forces AMSOIL to Increase Production Capabilities
In order to meet the growing demand for AMSOIL products, AMSOIL has expanded their production and warehousing capabilities, increasing production capabilities 250 percent. In the Fall of 2004, AMSOIL purchased a grocery distribution warehouse and installed the industry's most advanced blending equipment and packaging lines and constructed a new laboratory, maintaining the high level of quality demanded of AMSOIL synthetic lubricants. Conveniently located along the railway, this upgraded facility is now known as the AMSOIL Center.
The AMSOIL Center in Superior, Wisconsin is the hub of the AMSOIL distribution network. All AMSOIL products are packaged and shipped from this location. The AMSOIL Center is more than 400,000 square-feet and sits on a 55.5-acre site. It houses AMSOIL Production and Packaging, the AMSOIL Central Warehouse, the Superior, WI Distribution Center, the AMSOIL Laboratory, AMSOIL Technical Services, AMSOIL Technical Sales, the AMSOIL Operations Department, 86 storage tanks, 4 packaging lines, 38 loading docks, 3.5 miles of pipe, 90 product transfer pumps and 85 employees.
A Company That Started in a Garage
A.J. Amatuzio started producing AMSOIL synthetic motor oils out of a tiny garage in Superior, WI, blending and packaging AMSOIL motor oils himself. (For more information, read the AMSOIL History.) Today, the new AMSOIL Center is more than nine acres under one roof, the result of hard work and dedication of many. This company has made dramatic leaps forward since 1972. Below is a glimpse into the daily scene at the AMSOIL Center to demonstrate just how far AMSOIL has come.
Drive-Through Bulk Delivery
The AMSOIL Center features a drive-through bulk chemical delivery bay that allows up to six railcars and four tanker trucks to be loaded or unloaded simultaneously.
Raw Materials and Finished Product Get Tested
All incoming raw material is tested prior to acceptance to ensure it meets AMSOIL quality parameters. Samples are taken directly from the tankers to the lab. After they are approved, the chemicals are pumped from the delivery tankers to the appropriate bulk storage tanks. Most raw materials are stored in the AMSOIL external tank farm, a collection of 30 tanks providing 1.4 million gallons of storage.
AMSOIL uses a simultaneous metered blending system that pumps raw materials in a blending sequence to maintain top-quality finished products. After it is blended, a sample of the finished product is sent to the lab for testing. Every product AMSOIL provides is tested every time it is blended to ensure maximum quality and consistency.
Internal Tank Farms
After raw materials are blended and inspected they are pumped to the appropriate staging area. The blending skid at the AMSOIL Center pumps at 150 to 200 gallons per minute. Three-and-a-half miles of pipe aid the delivery of material to various destinations within the AMSOIL Center.
The AMSOIL Center’s internal tank farm (photo below) consists of 56 tanks providing 1 million gallons of storage. The internal tanks are used to store additives and finished goods. Finished goods are pumped from the internal tank farm to one of four AMSOIL packaging lines.
Packaging Lines
There are four different packaging lines in operation at the AMSOIL Center. The quart line is capable of bottling 180 quarts per minute. Bottles are automatically loaded onto the line, filled, capped, labeled, boxed and stacked on pallets.
While quarts are the most popular package size of AMSOIL lubricants, many consumers require other sizes. The multi-line is capable of filling quarts, gallons and 2.5-gallon containers; the Filz-All line packages products into containers between 4 and 32 ounces and the drum line is used to fill drums, totes and five-gallon pails.
AMSOIL Warehouse and Distribution Center
The AMSOIL Center houses the AMSOIL Warehouse and the Superior, WI Distribution Center. Fork lift operators carry the pallets of packaged products to the AMSOIL Warehouse for distribution. The AMSOIL Warehouse distributes AMSOIL products worldwide and supplies the 14 AMSOIL Distribution Centers in North America.
Environmentally Conscious Company, Environmentally Conscious Products
AMSOIL is doing its part as one of the many environmentally conscious companies manufacturing products made in the USA today:
- The blending process at the AMSOIL Center uses a much more efficient heat transfer mechanism than the old process did, reducing the energy consumption required to blend AMSOIL products and resulting in a lower manufacturing cost per unit produced.
- AMSOIL replaced all of the metal halide lighting that was in the AMSOIL Center with high-efficiency fluorescent lighting, cutting the company’s lighting energy consumption by an average of 54%.
- AMSOIL receives tons of packaging materials every month, literally. Ironically, all of that packaging material comes in packaging material. That adds up to a lot of waste. AMSOIL recycles virtually 100% of all corrugated trays and packaging boxes that come into the AMSOIL Center, equating to several tons per month. AMSOIL also recycles all used steel drums and all “clean” plastic bottles, and is exploring the recycling of used stretch wrap and banding as well.
AMSOIL is environmentally conscious of their operating environment and, because of their extended oil change intervals, AMSOIL offers environmentally friendly products, products that are made in the USA and save gas. With products that reduce waste and reduce our foreign oil dependence, AMSOIL is, in more ways than one, an environmentally conscious company! We all use motor oil. Doesn't it make sense to use a motor oil that is better for the environment?
