Check it Out! MCC's Ad and Article from the Fall 2020 Issue of FMN
January 20, 2021 - Check it out--MCC's Dr. Khaled Rashwan (Technical Manager) and Erin Smith (Marketing Specialist) teamed up to write an article for the Fall 2020 issue of Fuels Market News Magazine. In the article and accompanying ad, fuel additives are touted as a solution for building brands and inspiring customer loyalty by offering numerous ways to differentiate a marketer's fuel from their competition. Read more below!
Fuel Additives: Building Your Brand and Inspiring Customer Loyalty
by Dr. Khaled Rashwan & Erin F. Smith
As engine technology continues to evolve and vehicle outputs reach new heights, maintaining engine performance as designed is critical to owner success and satisfaction. While the focus in this article will be on diesel additives, multifunctional additive packages are available that fuel marketers can use to provide gasoline, diesel and renewable fuels that have been optimized to meet your customers’ performance requirements, differentiate your fuel, build your brand, grow your business, and develop a loyal customer following.
Additive packages are customizable to meet the performance needs of varying fuel blends, customer segments, geographies and seasons:
DETERGENCY ADDITIVES
Year-round diesel detergency is of the utmost importance, as dirty fuel systems will operate less efficiently due to deposit build-up from lower quality fuels. With lower quality diesel, the fuel will fail to combust completely, leading to reduced fuel economy and power output, as well as increased emissions. Including detergent additives in the fuel blend can help control deposit formation on and in fuel injectors that cause lost efficiency and poor performance. These additives can clean and maintain fuel systems, helping to reduce costly downtime, maintenance, repairs and part replacements for your customers.
Marketers that utilize robust detergent additives in their fuels can provide claims, such as:
- Provides clean up and keep-clean detergency
- Cleans up internal diesel injector deposits (IDID)
- Helps restore lost power and fuel economy
- Reduces emissions
COLD FLOW IMPROVERS
Winter will be here soon, and different regions will struggle with combating lower temperatures and keeping engines up and running. One risk customers face is wax settling; if a vehicle is idle for too long, wax fallout can occur and plug filters. WASA (wax anti-settling agents) in cold flow additives can disperse the wax in fuel blends, reducing the risk of this occurring. Cold flow additives are a great way to enhance the low temperature operation of fuels in a range of low temperatures.
Marketers that add cold flow improvers to their fuel blends can tout many benefits, including:
- Improves low temperature operability
- Lowers Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP)
- Improves fuel handling and flow characteristics
- Minimizes effects of water contamination by inhibiting ice crystal formation
- Reduces risk of frozen fuel lines and filters
- Minimizes need for kerosene dilution
- Reduces risk of wax fallout and plugged filters
CETANE IMPROVERS
The cetane number is a measure of the ignition delay of diesel. With cetane-improving additives, marketers can provide solutions to their customers like:
- Facilitates cold weather starts
- Maintains smoother engine idle
- Emits less smoke and odor
- Reduces engine noise
STABILIZERS & ANTIOXIDANTS
Over time, fuel can break down and develop gums, varnish and acids (especially in biodiesel blended fuels). These elements can plug fuel filters and harm sensitive engine components, causing poor engine performance. The right combination of antioxidant and stabilizing fuel additives can protect against fuel degradation, reducing the risk of residues and plugged filters, as well as extending the storage life of fuel for both marketers and their customers.
LUBRICITY IMPROVERS
Lubricity is necessary to protect fuel pumping and injection systems. Hydrotreating diesel to remove sulfur also removes naturally occurring lubricity-containing components from diesel fuel. While there is a minimum lubricity specification (ASTM D975), engine manufacturers have long had concerns that this minimum is not low enough to meet their recommendations for optimal engine performance. Additizing fuel with lubricity improvers can bring this important property back to match the engine manufacturer specification, potentially providing a longer serviceable life for various engine components.
CORROSION INHIBITORS
Water contamination is an unfortunate and inherent issue in fuel distribution systems, and low sulfur fuel may not always provide protection against rusting. Where there is water and metals, there is corrosion. Choosing the right additives can provide a protective barrier to the fuel storage and transfer systems, as well as to the vehicle engine components to guard against corrosion.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR MARKETERS?
MCC can tailor fuel additive packages to your specifications to provide the necessary solutions to your diesel, renewable and gasoline fuel blends that will resonate most with your customer base and build your brand. MCC is ready to be your fuel additive partner.
Contact us today at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss customized fuel additives and to provide your customer with the best solutions.
