Lubricants can be the most inconvenient of items to keep stocked, often taking up far more space than is necessary. Fuchs Lubricants has developed a solution to this problem, the Lube Cube.
Storage space has long been a major headache for motor factors. Many businesses struggle to find room for the myriad of items needed to operate effectively. One of the bulkiest workshop essentials is oil, and with the number of different oils constantly increasing, some factors have been finding themselves with real logistical problems.
Fuchs Lubricants has developed a resourceful solution to the issue through its increasingly popular 20L Lube Cube. The Lube Cube comprises an inner plastic bag filled with oil supplied in a 100% recyclable cardboard outer. The shape and size of the Lube Cube means they can be easily handled and stacked on top of each other, making them far more space efficient than traditional plastic bottles.
Rosemary Mellor, Automotive Product Manager at Fuchs Lubricants, said, “A factor now has to stock around eight engine oils to cover 80% of the UK’s car parc – and that figure is likely to continue to rise.
“We have seen a lot of manufacturers developing their own very precise specifications for the engine oils required in their vehicles to address carbon concerns.
This has led manufacturers, like Fuchs, to increase their product range.
“With that comes a very obvious problem: where does a motor factor store eight – maybe more – chunky 20L bottles of oil?
“We saw this problem and a few years ago came up with the Lube Cube. Demand is growing year on year, and we hope that this will continue until the cardboard option completely dominates, and plastic bottles are a thing of the past.”
Rosemary said 14% more oil can be stored on a pallet of Lube Cubes compared to plastic bottles.
The storage benefits are even greater when the oil has run out. Rather than having empty bottles lying around waiting to be collected, the Lube Cube can be hand-crushed and disposed of in the normal licenced recycling waste.
There are savings to be made as well, as it costs around £2.50 to properly dispose of a plastic bottle, which is almost completely eradicated with the Lube Cube. Rosemary claimed it was both the financial and storage benefits driving the Lube Cube’s success, with the environmental aspects just a bonus. She said, “There has been a lot in the media about recycling plastic bags and plastic drink bottles, and people understand the importance of that.
“But right now people don’t think of things like lubricant bottles in the same way. They’ll send the plastic containers away conscious-free. For our customers, the driving factor in switching to the Lube Cube is cost and convenience.”
Furthermore, the Lube Cube is easier to dispense from with its integrated tap. The tap provides a fast but controlled flow at all times with no surging or glugging, and there is an instant switch-off so that when the tap is closed, the flow ceases immediately.
