Imperial Oil and Exxon Mobil Corporation have reached an agreement under which Imperial will become the exclusive marketer of Mobil-branded lubricants in Canada. These Mobil-brand products will complement the lubricants and other petroleum products that Imperial currently markets under the Esso brand.

Imperial began selling Mobil 1, the flagship synthetic motor oil of the Mobil product line, through its Canada-wide network of Esso service stations and retail outlets at the tail end of this year and will begin marketing other Mobil-branded lubricants effective January 1, 2002. Mobil and Esso brand lubricants will also continue to be available through other retail outlets.

Imperial Oil is Canada’s largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products as well as a leading supplier of consumer and industrial lubricants, sold primarily under the Esso brand.

Three orders worth $19M breathe new life into Manac plant

Manac’s manufacturing plant in Orangeville, Ont. was set to reopen just as Motortruck was going to press, thanks to three new orders valued at $19 million for the production of approximately 900 van trailers.

The 175 workers laid off on Oct. 12, were initially told to expect 31 weeks off — instead they were back after only about six. New orders were placed by West-Van of Mississauga, Muirs of Bolton, as well as an unidentified US client. Production and delivery of the orders will extend through the spring 2002.

Manac’s backlog of orders currently stands at 1,740 units compared to 1,500 for the same period last year.

The news comes close on the heels of Manac’s decision to double its direct sales force in the northeastern US. Charles Dutil, executive vice-president explains the company is taking an aggressive approach to the current downswing in truck and trailer sales. He adds when the market does turn, Manac will be perfectly positioned to capitalize on these newly constructed inroads into the US market.

“I don’t expect to see a good turn around before next fall,” says Dutil, “but you must remember it has already been down for a year.”

He stresses the company is not in a wait-and-see mode despite the production jitters of late.

“Our all-aluminum platform trailer has been out for a year now and we’ve enjoyed good success with it, we’ve had the market acceptance we expected,” he says. As well, he adds the recently acquired Fabrex line has been bolstered through several technical improvements and is now being handled by a dedicated sales representative in Ontario for the first time.

New deal lets Chevron customers fuel with CFN sites in the US

The Commercial Fuelling Network and Chevron Canada have inked a deal to allow Chevron customers to fuel at Commercial Fuelling Network (CFN) sites in the US.

The agreement signed in mid-November also allows customers affiliated with CFN to purchase fuel in Canada at Chevron’s 40 commercial cardlock facilities in B.C. and Alberta.

This will allow Chevron customers to have the convenience of one card for all their fuel purchases in Canada and the US. “It was important to both Chevron Canada and CFN that we followed the correct course in establishing this partnership,” says Jeff Zajas, vice-president of sales for CFN.

“Our goal is to offer the same reliability and technology in Canada that has set CFN apart from the competition in the US and established us as the information network. With Chevron Canada as the anchor for our Canadian network we anticipate signing several Canadian companies to enhance coverage.”

Philips, Conoco merger forms latest oil and gas powerhouse

A massive merger between Phillips Petroleum and Conoco will result in the companies forming the third largest integrated oil company in the US.

The newly formed company – called ConocoPhillips – will control more than (US) $60 billion in assets after the deal closes in the second half of 2002 (provided, of course, shareholders approve the move.)

Plans are to house the head offices in Houston while keeping a presence in Bartlesville, where Phillips currently employs 2,400 people.

The end result of the deal is that ConocoPhillips will now be the fifth largest refiner in the world and the third largest oil and gas producer in the North America. The companies expect to save at least $750 million each year as a result of the merger.

Ultramar introduces on-site fleet fueling for truck fleets

Complimentary to its extensive ‘Pipeline Commercial’ cardlock network, Ultramar now offers ‘Pipeline Direct.’

The new 24-hour, on-site fuel delivery service brings diesel directly to their customer’s trucks or equipment. According to Ultramar, Pipeline Direct was launched in response to the changing needs of fleet owners. Ultramar cites a significant reduction in labor costs coupled with increased driver productivity as primary advantages of the program.

Most deliveries take place after hours when fleets are idle, allowing drivers of fully fueled units to start generating revenue immediately rather than waiting at the fuel island.

Individual vehicle volume is collected electronically by unit number and fed to the system, which produces reports consistent with the information currently enjoyed by users of Ultramar’s cardlock network.