Graco Customer Story
Company Profile
Founded in 1926, Graco is the worldwide leader in fluid application systems, including equipment used for; spray finishing, paint circulation, lubrication, sealants, adhesives, as well as power application equipment for the contractor industry.
Business/Technical Situation
Graco’s top-selling lubricant, Throat Seal Lubricant (TSL), contained a chemical component that no longer met environmental standards for ocean freight shipments. The only means of shipping this product to Graco’s international customer base was by air, which greatly impacted profitability.
Used in paint sprayers, TSL is applied to a stainless steel shaft, which moves up and down within the paint chamber, to stir paint towards the pump. TSL protects the seals around the shaft, without changing the chemical properties of the paint.
Lube-Tech Solution
To meet environmental shipping standards, Graco turned to Lube-Tech to develop a replacement TSL. Since no substitutes for the original chemical component existed, Lube-Tech had to create a unique product for Graco. Lube-Tech tested hundreds of chemicals in a very short period of time, and developed one that not only met Graco’s performance requirements, but also exceeded their price expectations.
Benefits
- Total dollar savings exceeded $100K in product and air freight cost savings
- Graco was able to continue supplying its top-selling lubricant to the global marketplace efficiently and effectively without compromising performance
- Product is still price competitive
- Product meets chemical needs
- Product meets performance requirements in application
Partnerships Utilized for Project Completion
Lube-Tech’s team worked with Graco’s Marketing team to understand the customer need. They partnered with Engineering to develop a product that worked in the application. Worked with the testing team. Worked in partnership with Graco’s engineers. Ran through equipment test.