Advanced Lubrication Specialties acquired the assets of Newark, New Jersey-based blender American Oil & Supply International LLC in a deal described as expanding the former’s product range and geographic reach.
The companies did not disclose terms of the deal. Bensalem, Pennsylvania-based Advanced Lubrication Specialties’ president and CEO, Greg Julian, said American Oil and Supply has a portfolio or international products that “enables us to expand our global geographic footprint, expand our specialty product line and inherit numerous distinguished customer relationships.”
American Oil & Supply President Chuck Decker will continue to oversee the sales and marketing of American Oil products, added Julian.
“This is a strategic match for our continued growth as part of a larger enterprise dedicated to the growth of automotive, heavy-duty, commercial, industrial and specialty lubricants,” Decker said. “Our longtime and current customers will have the same experience with regard to supply, delivery and customer service.”
According to its website, American Oil & Supply was incorporated in 1895 by employees from the lubricants division of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey.
American Oil & Supply developed and supplied an advanced wire rope lubricant – marketed under the Vitalife brand – that is still used today on the suspension cables of the Brooklyn Bridge, which was built in the late 1890s.
During World War II, American Oil & Supply helped develop PQ Gun Oil to U.S. Army GIs across the globe. After the war, the company developed the first non-silicone thermal grease for Bell Labs. Later it became one of the pioneers in synthetic lubricants for jet turbine engines and then diversified into hydraulic fluids, compressor fluids and also expanded in the aerospace industry. Today the company markets its new biodegradable technology under the Vitalife and Jack of All Sprays brands to various major global accounts.
ALS noted in its press release that Stan Ziemski, chairman of America Oil & Supply International, was involved in the lubricants business since 1973 when he purchased American Oil & Supply Co. with his business partner Al Shutts. Together, they grew the company globally among other businesses they acquired through the years.
Ziemski was a former president of the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association. Ducker and Advanced Lubrication Specialties’ Greg Julian held the same position in recent years. With American Oil & Supply’s acquisition by ALS, Ziemski is retiring from the industry after 48 years.
Advanced Lubrication Specialties was founded in 1984 as the Junell Corp. and manufactures a number of lubricant and specialty petroleum products under its Advantage brand. These include motor oils for passenger cars and diesel-powered heavy-duty trucks, transmission, hydraulic and metalworking fluids, gear lubricants and other industrial oils, as well as transformer and specialty oils and paraffinic and naphthenic process oils. The company primarily serves the United States but also has presence in Europe and Latin America. Monroe Fluid Technology is a sister company.