Universal Lubricants Expands to Meet Increased Demand for High Performance, Re-Refined Engine Oils

Universal Lubricants, announced the opening of a new 15,000 sq. ft. distribution center in Denver and the expansion of two existing centers in Chicago and St. Louis.

Driven by increased demand for the company’s re-refined products, the additional capacity expands the Universal Lubricants network for offering high-quality lubricants, new oil delivery, used oil recovery services, and comprehensive industrial and environmental services throughout the U.S.

Universal Lubricants collects, re-refines, blends and redistributes its own motor oil, including the ECO ULTRA line of high performance lubricants. With its proprietary closed loop process, the company never loses guardianship within the chain, creating an infinitely repeatable, sustainable cycle that makes oil a renewable resource.

“Sustainability will continue to be an important goal for businesses of all kinds in 2013,” said John Wesley, Universal Lubricants’ CEO. “The new distribution center in Denver positions us to serve new customers throughout Colorado and in Wyoming. Coupled with our renewed commitment to Chicago and St. Louis, these facilities expand and strengthen our solid presence throughout the Midwest and create a platform for continued growth in 2013.”

Located in Aurora, Colo., the new Denver-area distribution center will serve the company’s growing customer base including the lube centers of major national retailers and Enterprise Holdings, operator of Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental brands. In addition to passenger vehicles, the center will collect spent oil and oil filters from industrial vehicles, heavy-duty trucks and railway engines.

Expansion of the Chicago and St. Louis distribution centers will enable the company to serve a growing number of environmentally responsible auto dealers, oil-change retailers, auto parts stores and retailers in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri.

“Universal Lubricants has been collecting used oil from many of these communities for years,” Wesley said. “Our people on the ground have experienced first-hand the growing demand for new oil services. Enlarging our national footprint to advance our full suite of services and products in these areas allows our representatives to better and more efficiently meet the needs of existing and prospective clients. Our ECO ULTRA line of high performance lubricants is generating a great deal of interest and we’re signing new contracts every day. We look forward to announcing our expansion to additional cities and states in the coming months.”

Each year, the U.S. produces approximately 1.3 billion gallons of used engine oils, only about 20 percent of which is re-refined, perpetuating the need to import foreign oil. The rest is either burned as an industrial fuel or disposed of improperly, damaging the environment.

Universal Lubricants samples and analyzes all used oil to ensure it is handled properly in accordance with all federal, state, local and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Once collected, the used oil is safely transported by truck and rail to the company’s state-of-the-art re-refinery in Wichita, Kansas, where it is purified of spent additives to produce high quality, high-performance Group II base oils and lubricants, including American Petroleum Institute (API) certified ECO ULTRA® Synthetic Blend Motor Oil. This renewed “green” oil is then shipped back to the company’s network of distribution centers where it is redistributed to installers, fleets, retailers, heavy-duty equipment sites and others.