In a strategic move to better support its customers in the Eastern Province and Riyadh, and also help the environment by increasing the life cycle of machine oils, Zahid Tractor has invested SR 2.5 million in an SOS laboratory in Dammam for testing all types of fluids used in construction machinery and vehicles.
“Regular oil sampling identifies abnormal wear in specific compartments by determining the amount of abrasive particles in the oil from that compartment,” explained Amr Khashoggi, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Zahid Group. ”There are several economic benefits of regular testing including a longer life cycle for machine oils and significantly less downtime for machinery out of use for servicing or costly repairs, in addition to a considerable reduction of environmental pollution.”
Khashoggi went on to say “Since 1997 Zahid Tractor has been providing this service through its SOS Lab in Jeddah and the opening of our new lab in Dammam will enable us to offer enhanced local support for our customers in the Eastern Province and Riyadh in order to keep their equipment operating as efficiently and productively as possible.”
To date, Zahid Tractor’s S.O.S. Lab in Jeddah has conducted fluid analysis on more than 300,000 samples spanning 19 Zahid branches all over Saudi Arabia, as well as getting samples from Yemen and Sudan. In 2009, the Jeddah lab surpassed all records by processing 50 percent more than in previous years, testing a total of 60,000 samples in 2009 compared to 27,015 in 2006.
“What’s more, we handled them all in record time,” said Eng. Abdul Moniem AL-Ghamdi, Saudi SOS Lab’s manager “Almost all oil samples were processed maximum in 48hours, while some of the samples, categorized as mission critical priority, were typically processed within a few hours and the results sent back the same day.”
An ICP-OES spectrometer very accurately and consistently identifies the parts per million of wear elements in the oil being sampled. Wear metals that can be detected include aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, lead, silver and tin. In addition, potassium, sodium and silicon contaminants are detected along with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, molybdenum, and zinc additives. Physical tests detect diesel fuel dilution, water and antifreeze, while soot, oxidation, nitration, and sulfation are measured with infrared analysis. Customers are notified immediately the lab identifies a problem and recommendations are give to keep equipment up and running.
Zahid SOS Lab testing services are ISO9001:2000 certified and the laboratories regularly participate in the VHG testing program to ensure accuracy.
