Features Technology
Following through on Feedback

How customer input changed the way Chevron packaged its lubricants

It wasn’t all that long ago that one major lubricant manufacturer decided to take a step back and reorganize their marketing department, looking to focus more on customer feedback so they could design a product that reflected what they wanted.

So began the process of Chevron asking the customers who use their products what they wanted to see – and they listened, reformatting the colour codes and information on their tubes of grease and lubrication, simplifying the selection and application process.

“We’ve re-done all our packaging,” says Zach Sutton, Chevron Lubricants Industrial & Services Sector Specialist. “So, for the customer who is operating a crane, or operating something that needs to be lubricated with grease, we simplified how our products are recognized. We did a lot of study in terms of understanding what drives customers when making decisions on product selection; a simplified product name and a simplified package design were really important to them.”

That customer feedback included putting a double colour band on the tube (red for grease, for example), and also identifying the viscosity in clear numbers, “a key element for understanding what an OEM is looking for in a grease application.”

Photo by Don Horne

“All these things – from an operator to a mechanic who is applying the grease – are clearly defined and easily distinguished on which product to install,” says Sutton.

For Sutton, the new packaging design is hoped to be seen as a success for the company and customers.

“It is something from our view we are really excited about, as it is important to the customer that what it is they wanted to see changed has been changed for the better,” says Sutton. “These changes are all from customer feedback, and feedback from those who are selling our product.”

In addition to the repackaged tubes, Chevron is releasing a potential alternative for lithium complex: the Rykon calcium sulfonate complex grease.

“Eighty per cent of our grease portfolio didn’t need to undergo a formula change,” says Sutton. “But we are excited about the new Rykon calcium sulfonate complex formulation. We have identified our grease line by thickener types, and we’re excited to introduce Rykon later in 2023. We’ve seen four times the performance vs the standard GB-LB NLGI high temperature.”

While a tube of grease may be a small item purchase, it can extend of the life of big-ticket machinery, Sutton points out.

To learn more, take a look at “What you can’t see can hurt you.”