A new laboratory for advanced product development and testing has been commissioned on site at Comma’s manufacturing plant on the banks of the river Thames at Gravesend, Kent, England.
Employing the very latest test and quality control equipment and technology, it represents a key strategic element of the ongoing £ multimillion investment programme by Comma’s Brazilian parent company, Moove, to keep Comma at the leading edge of automotive lubricant, coolant and brake fluid development.
Announcing the opening of the new laboratory, Moove Sales & Marketing Director Mike Bewsey said: “There is no let-up in the pace at which vehicle manufacturers are introducing new specifications for the engine and gear oils for their latest models, and in many cases, upgrading existing specifications.
“The emphasis today is on lubricants that enable a steep change in fuel efficiency and compliance with EU exhaust emissions and environmental protection regulations. Coolant specifications have to meet similarly strict standards of compliance, and the new Comma laboratory is fully equipped to deliver what the VM’s require as their new models come to market.”
Mr Bewsey went on to say that Comma has always placed the highest priority on product quality to meet the most rigorous industry and VM standards. “We test all raw materials – base oils, chemical additives etc – on delivery, even before they’re accepted into the blending and production process.
“In 2016, we tested over 10,000 pre-production raw material samples, and randomly checked a further 60,000 blend samples before, during and at the end of the production runs. By the time it’s filled, a typical Comma brand product has been subject to 50 parameter tests on the blend and its components.
“Nothing is left to chance, and traceability samples of each production run are retained by the laboratory for five years. It’s a very intensive and scrupulous process, and the new laboratory will increase productivity in this area alone by 10%.”
Mr Bewsey concluded by saying that such fail-safe, global standard manufacturing operations underpin the unique 100% Guarantee of Compliance and Quality that attaches to every Comma application recommendation for its VM-approved engine and transmission lubricants, coolants and brake fluids.
