Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Wheeling, Ill., The Penray Companies Inc. manufactures liquid and aerosol products in one of two plants in Illinois. Both facilities incorporate lean manufacturing techniques for optimal efficiency and quality control. The company has four separate business units – automotive, heavy duty, export and custom manufacturing for private labels. A variety of formulations are produced to ensure that the products are compliant with all state and local environmental regulations.
The lines are distributed through the automotive, heavy duty and industrial segments along with targeting international and private-label customers.
Marketing Director Mark Kardon recently answered a series of questions about the industry:
Q: How has the tight economy impacted the market for chemicals and additives?
A: When times are tight, as they have been recently, we see an increased awareness among motorists of the need to extend the life of their vehicles and, at the same time, optimize fuel economy. As such, we see an uptick in sales of fuel injector cleaner and other fuel system additives, as well as cooling system additives.
Car owners who forego the purchase of a new car appreciate the value of maintenance and understand that they can maintain good performance while avoiding costly repairs. For instance, we have found a surprisingly good response to our recently-introduced Liquid Tune-Up, which is a unique package of three professional-grade additives for the key fluids in gasoline powered vehicles – fuel, oil and coolant. Adding them couldn’t be simpler, just open, pour and go. Motorists will benefit from the increased performance and service life of these key fluids.
Q: Are any market segments particularly promising?
A: We see potential for growth with products for diesel-powered vehicles in the car and light duty-truck categories. The number of diesel-powered cars and other light-duty vehicles in North America has shown steady growth as motorists come to appreciate new-generation “quiet diesels” that offer attractive fuel economy and reduced maintenance needs without the noise and odors associated with older designs. We see the opportunity for growth in sales of our diesel fuel and coolant additives for passenger cars, as well as for our Power Fleet products for the heavy-duty, fleet and off-highway markets.
Q: How have environmental issues affected the chemicals market?
A: Many states and even specific regions within some states have legislated standards for various chemical products and their contents, including those developed by the Ozone Transport Commission, which deals with ozone-related issues in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. We have researched these various regulations and have a user-friendly listing on our website so customers can quickly and easily identify our region-specific blends that are compliant with their locale.
Q: We know that products like carburetor cleaner and brake parts cleaner have been around a long time. Is there anything really new in the chemicals market?
A: Yes. We’ve just recently introduced our Global Synthetic Power Steering Fluid, which is required on a variety of high-end European cars, and our new Tire Fix Plus with Leak Detective, the only product on the market that leaves a bright mark at the spot of the leak to help the technician quickly find the puncture for repair. We also just launched the Liquid Tune-Up product mentioned earlier, which is a package of professional-quality additives that fortify a vehicle’s three key fluids – oil, fuel and coolant.
Q: Is it true that your products are developed and made in the U.S.?
A: Yes, we’ve worked very hard to be vertically integrated. Our products are developed, manufactured and packaged in one of our two facilities in Illinois. We have staff chemists and a lab where products are developed and tested, and we have our own manufacturing and packaging plants, where we have instituted comprehensive quality control and lean manufacturing processes for every step of production. We believe that formulating, evaluating, manufacturing and packaging our products provides the performance and quality control expected by our customers.
Q: What do you see as your greatest challenge?
A: Probably consumer education. The more motorists learn about the value and importance of additives and carefully blended functional fluids, the more likely they are to take advantage of them to improve their fuel economy, vehicle lifespan and the overall performance of their vehicle.
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