Every enduring manufacturer must start with a solid foundation, but character that helps build even the strongest company can become diluted over the course of generations. Thats not the case for Texas Refinery Corp. Sure, its physical underpinnings-namely the tin barn on the north side of Fort Worth that housed the grease maker at the time of its 1922 inception -have long turned to dust. But the blood, sweat and elbow grease that cofounder A.M. Pate Sr. put into launching what was then known as Panther Oil and Grease Co. still fuels the firm today.
Pates hardworking Texan values and entrepreneurial spirit have been passed down through four generations of his bloodline. Almost 100 years later, his great-grandson Chris Pate is at the helm, guiding TRC through a major milestone: the completion of its ultramodern, expanded and streamlined grease, lubricants and specialty chemicals blending facility. Just before its 94th anniversary celebration last month, TRC invited LubesnGreases to tour the new production facility, located in the Mansfield region of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
The new plant was long overdue, Chris Pate said. Going back to TRCs roots, the current president and CEO explained that A.M.s Panther Oil and Grease had quickly upgraded from the barn to a small but suitable production factory, which it began outgrowing the moment it moved in. Through the ensuing decades, the company added the equipment and infrastructure it needed to grow by piecemeal until its many parts were collectively bursting at the seams.
At last TRC had to concede that the 20-acre patchwork surrounding its Fort Worth headquarters was a hindrance. After operating for around 70 years in a makeshift factory, we decided that we had been driving a [Ford] Model T for long enough, Pate said. It was time to switch to a Lamborghini.
The upgrade helps TRC step into what Pate referred to as uncharted territory, brimming with unlimited possibilities. We now have more production capacity, more flexibility and more opportunities for growth in the next 100 years, he said.
But sheer bulk isnt the firms foremost goal. The Pates learned over the years that a pared-down approach would be the key to its success. The philosophy that flew in the face of its home states adage, everythings bigger in Texas, first came into play when the company decided to narrow its geographical focus to North America.
TRC began with an aim to sell its products across the globe, with the slogan of Selling products in over 100 countries in the free world, Pate explained. But the company later found it best to focus on serving the United States, Canada and Mexico with a more direct, hands-on approach. TRC launched a Canada division in Saskatchewan in the 1940s and spread south of the border to Mexico as well, where a large amount of TRC-branded products are sold today.
Although its original ambitions narrowed geographically, TRCs footprint is far from small. Its products are sold by a sales force numbering in the 500s, and its distribution hubs are served by a dozen fully stocked warehouses across the continent.
The network is connected by commercial carriers picking up products nonstop. We deliver by freight line, usually in truckload quantities, which provides good reach and flexibility, Executive Vice President Dennis Parks said. If we get an order today, it is usually on the road tomorrow, so its not surprising for customers to receive an order in two days or even on the same day in some cases.
So while big serves to label TRCs sales network and product portfolio (the company has under its belt more than 3,000 distinct products and counting), it doesnt define TRCs strategy when it comes to sales volumes, which Pate said is one of the companys most unique characteristics. Some of our competitors may be bigger, but you dont have to be the biggest to be the best, Pate continued, noting that volume isnt the overriding concern when acquiring a customer.
Being able to cater to smaller customers and customers with needs for niche products has long been one of TRCs strong suits, said Parks, who has been with the company for nearly 50 years. We never ask, How much do you need? Our philosophy is that theres no sale too small. We just get the customer what they need when they need it, and we often find that the volume follows.
In order to make the no-sale-too-small mentality work, TRC had to strike a fine balance. Customers needing very specific, niche products are often turned away by bigger suppliers, Parks elaborated. But while larger providers sometimes work on a scale too big to allow them to develop and blend small batches of custom products, TRC had previously not been big enough. We sometimes had to say no at our old facility-we just didnt have the flexibility. Thats changed since moving to the new site. Products that some bigger companies will only sell in tanker, well sell in a tube.
TRCs sales department turns to its lab chemists when they receive a request for a custom specification, such as a nuanced rock-drilling oil, for example. The client had been turned down by a bigger supplier, but TRC was able to deliver. We have a can-do, lets solve this mentality, which Parks said is paramount to TRCs success.
Meeting specific, sometimes one-off requirements from smaller customers and developing time-intensive bespoke products may not seem lucrative, but TRC makes it work by having its hand in a large number of industries, Parks pointed out. The companys biggest challenge is maintaining as diverse a portfolio as possible and serving a broad spectrum of applications and customers, he added.
When the agriculture market is down, the mining sector may be up, Parks said. We found out long ago that its important to be diversified in order to ride the ebbs and flows of the nations economy. As if it didnt serve enough types of businesses already-with offerings for sectors ranging from steel mills to school systems-TRC is looking into supplying additional applications, such as waterway products. We are seeing that gearbox oils and other [environmentally acceptable lubricants] is a big growth area, he explained.
Across the many sectors it supplies, TRC offers a number of different products. While grease is the companys forte-with 880 Crown & Chassis extreme pressure grease and Paragon 3000 being its two flagship and best-selling products-the company also makes motor oils, gear oils, hydraulic fluids and more. TRC also produces specialty chemicals such as cleaners, tire sealants and surfactants, with the latter being one of its fastest-growing product segments according to Parks.
To make such a wide range of products, its no wonder that TRCs new plant is modern, spacious and extremely versatile. The site has 29 storage tanks-seven of which are steam-heated-for a total capacity of around 1 million gallons of feedstock.
All raw material deliveries going into storage must pass quality control before being accepted, Parks explained. From there, a programmable logic controller that was installed earlier this year automates loading and transfer of materials through a network of over 400 air-actuated valves and six miles of piping throughout the plant.
Of TRCs five blending tanks, four are 1,250 gallons and one reserved for smaller specialties is 225 gallons, noted Roger White, who started as an apprentice with the company around 25 years ago and is now plant superintendent. The four large grease kettles all have capacity to cook 18,000 pounds at a time. The new facility also houses a separate room-sealed off and quarantined through an air-scrubbing system-for producing TRCs food-machinery greases.
All product batches are tested in an onsite lab before they are stored or packaged, said 27-year TRC veteran Seth Davis, who is assistant vice president and technical director. He said that strict adherence to quality control is one of the many reasons the company never has to recall products.
The plant is bastioned with high-tech safety features, Parks demonstrated, pointing out a natural gas generator reserved for alarms and sprinkler systems, automatic foam-actuated firefighting controls, storerooms with special vents, exhaust systems, fire-resistant walls and more.
Furthermore, the facility was designed to be as harmonious with the environment as possible, with features such as exhaust pipes that filter impurities for clean air and a spill containment and wastewater treatment area.
Designing the new plant, done by Systems Integration Inc., began nearly 10 years ago, Parks explained. Following lengthy engineering and permitting stages, construction took around four years, and was difficult at times as the company navigated complex and demanding regulatory procedures. Its very challenging to build a grease manufacturing plant from the ground up, he recalled. Thats why youll see a lot of companies that are looking to start off or expand go with the route of buying existing facilities or modifying existing plants, because one of the benefits of that is that compliance at older locations is often already grandfathered in.
As his team looks toward the possibilities awaiting TRC in its next 100 years, Pate notes that the family tradition may continue with his son, a fifth-generation scion who is currently in business school.