Wednesday 8th February 2012 10.38am
Post your Events Kuwait deal is literally selling oil to the Arabs
Talk about selling oil to the Arabs... one North-East company quite literally is.
Truck and van specialist Bell Truck and Van has won an order from oilfield services company Baker Atlas to supply high-specification gearbox oil for its fleet of Mercedes-Benz trucks in Kuwait.
The first of an expected three shipments of 205 litres of the oil has been despatched to Baker Atlas’s base in Kuwait.
The deal is a bit of a coup for Bell’s regional parts centre in Portobello Road, Birtley, which was established two years ago to support customers from North Yorkshire up to the Scottish Borders. It is the only Mercedes-Benz commercial parts supplier in the North-East.
Jeff Gibbon, group parts manager for Bell Truck and Van, said: “Kuwait is a bit off our patch, but we see it as a compliment that customers come to us from so far away.
“We started supplying Baker Atlas in Algeria after it recruited two of our technicians. One day they needed a replacement wheel rim, we were able to deliver it to them quickly and now they look to us for all serviceable items, such as oil, fuel and air filters.”
The regional parts centre holds more than £500,000 worth of stock for the Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi Canter range of vans and trucks, and supports Bell’s sales centres in Longbenton, Gateshead, Birtley, Spennymoor, Stockton and Billingham, as well as customers all over the Northern region.
Mike Calverley, Baker Atlas’s senior mechanic in Kuwait, said: “It turns out the fully synthetic transmission oil required for the gearbox isn’t available in Kuwait – amazing when you consider Kuwait produces around three million barrels of oil a day and is the world’s fifth richest country.
“The local lubricants supplier we were using wasn’t keen to import it, so we looked to Jeff and his team, who, for the past 18 months or so, have supplied us with all our serviceable items, not to mention a clutch booster, a starter and alternator.”
The irony of selling oil to Kuwait is not lost on Jeff, who joked: “My boss reckons we’ll be selling them sand next.”
As a rule, Bell’s parts centre offers free delivery to customers in the North-East. “Thankfully, Baker Atlas are happy to pick up the tab for this one,” added Jeff.
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