Heavy equipment used to install deep foundations has to be tough, built to handle challenging jobs in all kinds of weather – especially the extremes of the Canadian climate. Having the right lubricants is essential for keeping machinery operating efficiently, safely and for as long as possible.
BOSS Lubricants (Bulk Oil Sales & Service) recognizes the unique needs of the Canadian heavy construction industry and designs and manufactures over 400 industrial oils and lubricants out of its dedicated facility in Calgary, Alta., to handle a diverse range of operating conditions and equipment.
It all started when pro hockey player Murray Flegel retired from the ice and went to work for the big oil corporations, where he learned about the value of having the right lubricants in the heavy equipment world. Eventually, tired of corporate life, he decided to become his own boss with his own clients, and in 1992, founded Arlyn Enterprises Ltd., which now trades under the name BOSS Lubricants.
“Dad started out with a used truck and a transfer pump,” said Jarrett Flegel, president and COO of BOSS Lubricants. “Now we have automated filling and packaging lines that house an indoor tank storage farm of over 100 tanks of various sizes. We mix in our temperature-controlled facility, take a sample to the lab where it’s tested within 24 hours to make sure the blend meets manufacturer’s specifications, and then it’s transferred to the finish tank.
“We put on lube seminars, so people get the actual scientific information, not just the marketing.”
– Jarrett Flegel, BOSS Lubricants
“My older brother, Brad, has been the senior vice president for the last seven years. Dad is still the CEO but semi-retired now and only works on special projects, and we also have a lot of cousins and other family members involved. Altogether, we have about 107 staff members.”
BOSS Lubricants’ company culture is based on hard work, honesty, service and relationships, strengthened by an awards ceremony every year, staff events and many sponsorships and season tickets to various sports groups within the community.
“We have 10 facilities across Canada as well as two distributors that run our flag exclusively,” said Jarrett. “A couple of months ago, we opened a new facility in Grande Prairie, Alta., and recently expanded our facilities in Edmonton and Vancouver as we grow our B.C. and northern Alberta markets.
“We also serve the northwestern U.S. If we have a bricks and mortar warehouse within 400 km, we can service those areas quickly. We have our own fleet of more than 40 trucks that are GPS-tracked, so we can tell our customers exactly when their order is coming.”
BOSS products
BOSS Lubricants are produced from 100 per cent virgin base stock oil, not recycled, chosen from the best suppliers in the world and hot-blended, which is the gold standard in blending oil.
“We offer unique types of lubricants you may never have heard of: cattle oil, shingle oil … lubricants are all around us. We have a number of different oil blends designed specifically for synthetic, diesel and natural gas,” said Jarrett. “Whether it’s a sawmill, a mine, auto repair/oil change shop, airport bridge deck – anything that runs hydraulic lines – we have the product that’s needed.”
Serving industry across Canada for more than 30 years, BOSS Lubricants offers over 800 types of lubricants, glycols and greases, as well as being an authorized distributor for Shell Lubricants and Total
Lubricants in the west.
When it comes to the construction industry, BOSS hydraulic oils, both monograde and multigrade, are designed for heavy-duty applications. Also, the company manufactures a wide variety of accessory fluids such as power steering fluids, formulated from premium base-stocks, and a specific additive system to meet the challenging demands of modern equipment.
BOSS-branded gear lubricants provide protection in extreme operating conditions, guarding against heavy-loading failure in hot and cold environments, reducing frictional drag and minimizing gear wear.
The BOSS line of lithium-complex greases, headlined by Big Blue, Red Stick and Black Bull, can handle high loads, providing long-term protection in the most hostile conditions. The company also carries several specialty products, including biodegradable hydraulic fluid, chain and bar oils, and concrete form oils.
Services
BOSS Lubricants offers the complete package for manufacturing and distribution of lubricants. They also do custom blending and private-label packaging for a variety of companies: from major original equipment manufacturers and retail customers to small businesses that need only a couple of skids.
BOSS Lubricants products are formulated to exacting specifications that meet or exceed all major manufacturer requirements for warranty purposes. And they stand behind their products with their BOSS Lubricants No Nonsense Warranty.
Education and technical support
“It’s essential that customers are up to speed with new industry standards and trends,” said Jarrett. “There’s not a lot of lube education available outside the ‘World Wide Web of misinformation.’ We put on lube seminars, so people get the actual scientific information, not just the marketing.”
With years of experience blending and a strong technical profile, BOSS Lubricants delivers product quality and helps its customers achieve greater productivity by tailoring products to each industry.
“We have four people involved in the research and development end of it and use consultants as needed,” said Jarrett.
Delivery
From its rail car terminal in the Calgary facility, BOSS Lubricants can ship liquids in and out by rail car and offload into tankers for local, regional or long-haul delivery and distribution. Or products can be unloaded for storage into warehouse storage tanks capable of housing more than 3.8 million litres of fluids and distributed later.
BOSS tankers, tanker trucks and delivery vehicles get the products delivered on time, safely and efficiently. For on-site bulk transfers, the company can pump off oil into tanks up to 450 feet vertically and horizontally. BOSS Lubricants is an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing facility.
Challenges for the deep foundation and heavy construction industry
“Because our industry is being heavily regulated in both Canada and the U.S., we’re forced to reformulate for more environmentally friendly lubricants,” said Flegel. “These don’t perform as well as the regular mineral oils and hydrocarbon oils, and so contractors are reluctant to use them. We try to formulate our products to find the balance between equipment operating temperatures and the regulations.
“Also, the construction and agriculture industries want to see more zinc-free products in hydraulic-type applications – the piling industry, especially, because they do a lot of drilling underneath water and in creek beds. All equipment must use non-toxic, environmentally safe fluids, so we’re constantly doing research and development to come up with products that will work in these conditions. We’re using alternatives to zinc, but they’re about three times the cost of regular hydraulics. You want to do the right thing for the environment, but to what extent does it start to harm equipment?”
Whatever the future brings, BOSS Lubricants will continue to honour its commitment to customers to provide quality products at a fair price, exceptional service and support.