Product category:
Automotive Industry Process News
News Release from: Castrol UK | Subject: Oil strategy at Ford
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 July 2003
No more barrels of oil at Ford Dagenham
After Castrol was awarded the sole supply contract for lubricants at Ford Dagenham three years ago, they surveyed the demand, designed a tank farm and oil use strategy to rationalise usage
The Ford Motor Company Dagenham stamping operations produce body panels for the KA, Fiesta, Focus, Transit, Mazda and Land Rover, and wheels for most Ford cars To feed the assembly lines of these high-volume car plants, panels and wheels are shipped all over the world
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 8 Apr 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
High performance zinc-free hydraulic oils
The high performance, environmentally friendly option: Steve Travell, of Castrol Industrial, examines the compelling reasons why hydraulic engineers should specify zinc-free hydraulic oils
Castrol offers audit for oil storage compliance
Castrol Specialised Industrial is offering an Oil Storage Audit for companies concerned by the implications of the new UK Oil Storage Regulations introduced on 1st March this year
Maintaining the smooth running of the Dagenham press shop and toolroom with eighty-seven presses, and the wheel plant rim line hydraulic systems, takes many thousands of litres of lubricant.
With many lubricant suppliers delivering to the stamping operation, that meant a lot of barrels of oil and the potential for environmental problems.
When Castrol was awarded the sole supply contract three years ago, its priorities were to rationalise the number of lubricants used on the site and to reduce the number of oils ordered in barrels to help eliminate the problems associated with barrel storage.
Further reading
Cold rolling specialist saves UK PDS 30k pa
By changing to Castrol, cold rolling specialist JB and S Lees is saving UK PDS 30,000 a year, and improving the working environment for its mill operators
Castrol Total Fluid Management works at Land Rover
Six years ago, following many years as one of a number of suppliers to the Land Rover Solihull plant, Castrol was awarded the Total Fluid Management (TFM) contract for their Powertrain operation
Castrol training helps Prematec fluid management
We wanted a professionally managed coolant system in the factory so that we could forget about it, said Prematec, a manufacturer of large airframe components in Mid Glamorgan: but they saved money too
With the number of different lubricants eventually reduced to eighteen, Castrol and Ford Motor Company began planning the move away from barrels to bulk supply for a number of the main grades used on site.
Castrol Contract Manager Roger Harvey explains: "To comply with ISO 14001 environmental legislation covering the handling of bulk liquids, we recommended that Ford Motor Company replace an existing oil store with a tank farm that would streamline deliveries, reduce stock and minimise oil spillage and waste".
To enable Ford engineers to design the bunded area, Castrol audited lubricant usage in the press shop and wheel plant and identified the top five products and the volumes used.
They were then able to work out the tank capacity required to store a total of 28,000 litres.
The tank farm was designed to meet all current legislation (with firewalls, 110% sump capacity, etc) as well as anticipating the requirements of The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations 2000.
It includes a 10,000-litre tank (for Castrol Magna 320) and two 5,000-litre tanks (Castrol Marine DD40 and Castrol Alpha SP150) to supply the press shop and two 4,000-litre tanks (Castrol Hyspin AWS32 and AWS46) to supply the wheel plant.
The bunded area is controlled and protected by a state-of -the-art electronic safety system linked to a touch-screen PC.
Specialised software shows lubricant levels on-screen, provides safeguards for the pumping system and monitors alarm functions for overfill protection, discharge, etc It also tracks usage and automatically re-orders as required, ensuring that the site never runs out of lubricants.
Data collected by the computer is also used to create an audit trail for environmental purposes.
Instead of delivering barrels, tankers carrying bulk oil now drive into the tank farm and fill the tanks using one of five filler points.
The tank farm area also has associated facilities to discharge lubricants safely from the tanks and transport them in 1000 litre bunded IBCs in strict accordance with new PPG26 regulations.
Lubricants are currently delivered to satellite tanks in the press shop and wheel plant, which then top-up presses and wheel machines on demand.
Says Roger Harvey: "This is the first phase of the programme to help provide an environmentally sealed system that eliminates all oil spills at the Dagenham stamping operation.
"A further project currently being considered is the installation of a plant-wide pipeline for the press shop that will deliver the right volume, of the right lubricant, to the right press, at the right time, via a fully sealed piping system".
A Ford Motor Company spokesman added: "The Dagenham tank farm has more than met its environmental objectives and helped to reduce our stock of lubricants in barrels by 60%.
"We see this as a flagship project that will be used as a model for other Ford plants around the world".
Roger Harvey confirms that it will also enable Castrol to meet agreed annual targets for an overall reduction in the Ford lubricants budget.
Commenting on Castrol products and service, Ford maintenance co-ordinator John Cooper says: "Roger Harvey of Castrol constantly reviews our products to ensure that they optimise the performance of our presses, which range from 300 to 1600 tonnes.
"He carries out a full Lubrication Survey on any new presses and other equipment at the Dagenham site to ensure that the correct grades of oils and greases are used for the application and warranty requirements.
The survey also helps to ensure that the rationalisation programme of lubricant grade numbers are maintained".
John Cooper concludes by saying that Dagenham stamping operations has an excellent working relationship with Castrol, which ensures that best practices are used.
He adds that the new bulk tank farm is one step nearer to the safe usage, storage and lubrication 'Excellence' standard that Ford Dagenham and Castrol are proud of.
• Castrol UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Processingtalk email newsletter
• Processingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
