Les Birchley has been engineering director of London United Busways for twelve years and for five of those the company has been using Q8Oils’ lubricants, which are supplied by bus and coach specialist Optimum Oils, Q8Oils strategic partner.  

 

“Oil is a long-term investment and part of a £20 million budget spent maintaining buses; and Q8Oils produce high performance products that we can trust.” Les says. 

 

Les explains that the business believes in long-term relationships and tries to develop partnerships with its major suppliers beyond the relationships that typically exist. He also believes that the real benefits lie in quality of supply, relationships and continuity. Products such as oils, lubricants and anti-freeze are the life-blood of the industry along with fuels, so it is important that customers and suppliers get it right.

 

Optimum provides a managed service so they have access to London United Busways’ data and have regular communication with them. Optimum monitors the customer’s stocks online so they know usage and levels in the storage tanks. 

 

“They also routinely maintain our stock. We don’t have to think about it”. he says

 

Q8 T 905 low SAPs synthetic engine oil greatly extends the oil drain periods and has provided a significant year-on-year saving of approximately £26,000, which equates to £130,000 over the five years of the contract, including the reduction in waste oil, filters and labour.

 

Commenting for Optimum Oils, James Bayliss says: “Working with London United Busways to switch to a synthetic Q8 lubricant has meant extending the drain interval therefore reducing the number of oil changes.” 

 

He also adds that Optimum Oils has many years technical and commercial competence in the bus and coach sector and provides direct services to talk to customers about different products, grades and other aspects of oil specification. 

 

Optimum Oils, supported by Q8Oils technical, keep the customer in touch with new products and OEM specifications as they become available; new bus technologies as they are introduced; and other industry trends.

 

Q8Oils wide range of fully synthetic and semi-synthetic gear and transmission oils also enable London United Bus to extend drain intervals and energy efficiency and all are approved to OEM specifications.

 

The three grades of Q8 lubricants currently supplied to London United Busways are Q8 T 905, Q8 Auto 15 ED and Q8 Synthetic Gear Oil 80W-140.