Total is the fourth largest automotive lubricant company in the world and whilst the brand is a well-known global one, its products may not be in the UK. PMM caught up with the company to find out how it is looking to change this perception.
Whilst other major suppliers have withdrawn production in the UK, Total remains committed to manufacturing at its plant in West Yorkshire. The company prides itself on going beyond the stated European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) recommended standards with all of its products and research. To maintain the high levels of quality, and perhaps equally importantly give customers trust and confidence in the brand, all products are 100% batch tested. They are even sampled again in the delivery tanker before leaving site to the dealership or workshop.
So why is this approach to testing and manufacturing so important to you and your customers?
Giving peace of mind
The average customer doesn’t really know what lubricant is being put in their vehicle, as evident by some recent market research carried out by Total. It found that 60% of drivers did not know the correct oil for their vehicle, which is quite astonishing considering that an incorrect engine oil choice could run up a repair bill of thousands of pounds and could have major implications on that person’s work or family life. Independent garages can use the trust they have in the products their business uses to pass onto their customers. Total is a multi-national company and its products deliver excellent engine protection, so if you are showing care and attention by using top quality premium products on the vehicles you are servicing, why not share this with the owner?
Fuel economy
Total is very passionate about its fuel economy products and has made a huge investment in this area, considerably increasing its R&D expenditure to stay at the forefront of lubricant technology. Having a good low viscosity, fuel economy product in the range is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity if a company wants to push the boundaries for ultimate performance.
By using a fuel economy product, you are not only saving your customers money on their fuel consumption, but also providing them with improvements in the performance and lifespan of their vehicles, so point this out to them. To support this, Total has developed a suite of tools to help identify savings to your clients and help you maximise profit from the upsell on their visit
Use the correct product
When conducting warranty work make sure the correct specification of oil is used in the right vehicle and, more importantly, make sure it’s an OE product. The savings on lubricant costs are not worth the potential penalty of having work knocked back by the OEM. Total puts a lot of time and effort into keeping its online ‘Lub Advisor’ up-to-date to help workshops make the right lubricant choice with confidence every time and provides training to the technical team and motor factor partners, who are on hand to also offer support to garages. The technical data sheets provided mean that, with a little effort from aftermarket technicians, the use of poor quality products will be limited and the reputation of the industry will be maintained from the customer’s perspective.
PMM speaks to Chris Wall, Total’s Marketing Manager.
How has the process of developing oils to meet modern engine requirements changed in recent times?
A lot of OE manufacturers now want specific oil for their engines which means developing new modern technology in order to facilitate this. The engine manufacturers now work a lot closer with lubricant manufacturers to develop the right products for their vehicles. Having a specific type of oil designed for an engine means that the vehicle can achieve optimum performance and using long life, top quality products inevitably helps with engine protection. We want our customers to understand that they need to constantly keep abreast of the changing technology and give them confidence that they are putting the correct oil into their car as well as educating them as to the reasons why. To give customers piece of mind, we try to make sure we have the fully approved grade so that the products are approved by the manufacturers, as opposed to just ‘meeting requirements of’.
How is Total meeting these changes?
We have invested heavily in our facilities in recent years, to keep up-to-date with the latest lab equipment and provide better storage. We are also constantly training our technical staff to keep them on top of where the industry is going.
How many products do you have in your range?
We have a wide range of engine oil products, which covers all makes and models. These are catered for across our two brands – Total and Elf.
What are the manufacturer approvals for your products?
21% of the UK car parc is an OE partner of Total. Outside of these manufacturers we always strive to obtain the full manufacturer approval. Two key brands in the UK market are Ford, on which we have the latest 913D approval and Vauxhall, where we have an official dexos2 licence. We also have approvals for VAG group and BMW amongst the other major brands. We do not believe in ‘meets requirements’, we are very much a ‘manufacturer approval’ led business, again providing workshops with further trust and confidence in the brand.
What is your best selling product and why?
Our Quartz 9000 Future NFC 5w30 grade, which carries Ford WSS-M2C- 913-D approval, is a very popular one because it’s used in Ford engines and there are a large number of Ford vehicles on the road. We also have a Quartz INEO MC3 5W-30 which has a dexos2 licence, and is a grade with a wide, vehicle coverage. Independent garages will often look to try and cover the vast majority of the UK car parc with as few products as possible, so the INEO MC3 is an ideal grade as it can be used in a variety of GM, BMW, Hyundai/Kia and VW/Audi vehicles.
Which vehicles use Total products for ‘first fill’?
Total produce first-fill on site for numerous manufacturers globally. When you are awarded ‘first fill’ business it shows that you go beyond a normal relationship with an OE manufacturer – you are integral to the component of that vehicle. The 100% batch testing, the product quality and the brand assurance all come back to ‘first fill’. It’s about giving a large OE manufacturer the peace of mind that your product is the right one. We are also trusted as the lubricants partner of the Infiniti-Red Bull F1 team, which speaks volumes about the trust in the quality of our products.
COMMITMENT TO QUALITY STANDARDS
Total is part of the UK Lubricants Industry (UKLA) which has recently launched a scheme called Verification of Lubrication Specification (VLS), an independent body which is there to help regulate the quality claims that some companies are making regarding their products and approvals/specifications. Garages need to be aware of the reputational damage that could be caused by using inferior products.
HOW ARE THE PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED?
Total Quartz lubricants contain three main components: the first is the base oil. Its composition and properties vary according to how demanding the requirements are to be met by the four product ranges. The original properties of the base oil are radically enhanced by adding two other components: polymers and performance additives. The various functions of lubricants and the quality of the components are fundamental to ensuring that an engine stays in good working condition.
