Engen Petroleum, the leading petroleum products company in South Africa, has launched an online tool that makes real-time recommendations about the best possible lubricating oil for a customer’s make and model of vehicle.
 Jason Heath, product strategist for Petronas Lubricants Africa Ltd, which provides marketing and strategic support for Engen Lubricants, says the system lets customers search through an international database of automotive manufacturers.

It uses drop-down menus and the following search parameters:
•         Sector (commercial, retail, agricultural or off-highway)
•         Category (in the event of retail being chosen, the choices would be cars, motor cycles or vans)
•         Make and
•         Model

Once the selection is made, a detailed recommendation is returned, covering the vehicle’s engine, transmission, differential and other key applications. “It removes the uncertainty of finding the correct oil,” says Heath. “This allows the customer to ensure that they are using the correct lubricants to match their vehicle or equipment make and model, ensuring maximum performance.” In addition, the tool offers convenience, he says. “Instead of searching exhaustively in different manufacturers’ literature, customers can find it in one convenient location.” The new functionality was launched in March this year in association with Oats, a UK-based leader in product recommendation software. The tool is real-time and automated, removing the hazard of out-of-date information.

“It is multi-purpose,” says Heath. “Our sales force taps into it to prepare professional customer proposals, and our customer service centre is now freed up to help customers with larger and more detailed vehicle and equipment recommendations. Besides individual vehicle owners, agriculture cooperatives, Engen distributors, farmers, trucking companies and off-highway equipment users all have excellent use for it.” Engen will continuously update the system to ensure that the online programme has the latest vehicle and equipment makes and models and remains a relevant and vital tool for Engen’s customers and internal stakeholders, he concludes.