Stefanutti Stocks has become the first company in South Africa to have a field study performance endorsed by ExxonMobil Global Lubricants. The two companies, together with Centlube (South Africa’s authorized distributor of Mobil lubricants) recently completed an optimum oil drain interval (ODI) study, with the specific objective of increasing the oil drain intervals on Stefanutti Stocks’ fleet of Komatsu HD 465 rigid dump trucks.
“Improving operational efficiencies is a priority for Stefanutti Stocks,” says Jerome Christian, Stefanutti Stocks Construction & Mining business unit’s engineering manager. “We use approximately 230 000 litres of lubricant across our group operations annually; reducing this consumption would see us decreasing operational costs substantially, while also reducing our environmental footprint. An increase in our equipment availability would of course also increase our productivity on sites.”
The multidisciplinary construction group owns a fleet of over 1 700 pieces of equipment across its operations in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. These are utilized by its Mining Division; Roads, Earthworks & Pipelines division; Stefanutti Stocks’ local general contracting operations in Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Swaziland; as well as by its Geotechnical, Civils and Marine construction divisions.
The ODI study was conducted over a period of three months and followed a performance monitoring protocol, provided by ExxonMobil. A key focus was to assess the performance of Mobil Delvac MX 15W-40, as a preferred engine oil for Stefanutti Stocks’ mixed fleet, in place of the competitor engine oil, the construction group has been using.
“We conducted regular used-oil analysis and carefully monitored the test vehicles performance during the ODI study, and were able to increase the oil drainage intervals from 250 to 1000 operating hours,” says Colin Henneberry, lubrication field engineer for ExxonMobil South Africa. “We are confident in recommending the oil used in the study, Mobil Delvac MX 15W-40, to Stefanutti Stocks – it provides high thermal and oxidation stability which results in reduced sludge buildup and deposit formation, as well as increased viscosity.”
Sixteen of Stefanutti Stocks’ HD465 fleet are now using the new Mobil lubricant. “Based on our assessments during the field test, our conservative estimate is that this particular fleet will work an additional 5.95 per cent (or 44 hours) on the Mobil Delvac MX 15W-40,” says Christian.
In numbers, this translates to the following improvements, per annum:
- Safety: 608 hours (the overall hours of exposure are reduced).
- Environmental care: 17,328 litres (fewer litres of oil used).
- Productivity: R4 749 591 (revenue saving, considering both direct and indirect saving)
This field study is just one of the many examples of how Stefanutti Stock is exploring improving its operational efficiencies, and successes like this, could have far-reaching effects when rolled out across its entire equipment fleet.
An official endorsement signing event, held at Stefanutti Stocks Johannesburg-based Plant Yard on Monday 29 January 2018, was attended by representatives from Stefanutti Stocks, Centlube and ExxonMobil, including representatives from its Africa and Middle East (AME) office in Egypt. “As a Planned Engineering Services (PES) customer, we consider Stefanutti Stocks to be our partner,” says Gawad Nabil, ExxonMobil distributor markets chief engineer for AME. “We’re here to contribute to their over-arching objectives, by providing lubrication solutions that are efficient and cost-effective. We look forward to continuing to share our knowledge, expertise and successes over many years to come.”
Stefanutti Stocks has a reputation for being entrepreneurial, innovative and forward-thinking, and is relentless in its efforts to increase operational efficiencies and decrease environmental impact across the group. “We are extremely proud to have been part of this first of its kind in South Africa,” says Eric Blom, Stefanutti Stocks Construction & Mining business unit’s plant director. “We are now looking forward to exploring new solutions and building a strong partnership with the teams at Centlube ExxonMobil.”
Pictured at the official endorsement signing event, at Stefanutti Stocks in Gauteng, are representatives from ExxonMobil and Stefanutti Stocks. Standing from left to right are: Gawad Nabil – AME FDS market chief engineer, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.); Ossama Sharaan – Africa Middle East chief engineer, fuels & lubricants marketing, ExxonMobil, Egypt; Vincent Cartier – South Africa cluster manager, ExxonMobil South Africa Marketing. Seated from left to right are: Colin Henneberry – lubrication field engineer, ExxonMobil South Africa Cluster and Jerome Christians – Stefanutti Stocks Construction & Mining business unit engineering manager.