Next: Commoditizing Lawn Care for profit {Nexcel}

Next: Commoditizing Lawn Care for profit {Nexcel}

Today, we’re going to make you aware of a future trend that is on the way. “Easy Oil Changes.”

An invention called Nexcel. A quick 30-second oil change for internal combustion vehicles like cars and lawn equipment.

Sounds great, but who benefits?

Connect the dots – and ask logical questions

Below is an article from a “zine” called Turf Magazine.

It essentially touts this new “sealed cell” development, while talking about how horrible it is to change the oil in your engines. Read it – and see our commentary afterward.

Easier Oil Changes For Your Equipment

Via Turf Magazine

Nobody enjoys changing an oil and filter. They certainly don’t enjoy cleaning up the mess afterwards or finding that the container housing the old oil has leaked over the workshop floor or the back of the truck. Nexcel, a BP innovation division, has brought a sealed oil cell solution to market for automotive manufacturers, which it is adapting for utilization in the commercial small engine (CSE) market.

“Engine technology may have moved on in the off-road equipment market, but oil changes are still carried out in the way they always have been; things have not got any quicker or cleaner,” explains Nexcel marketing and sustainability director, John Ward-Zinski. “We have identified an opportunity, using technology that was initially developed for the automotive industry, to reduce equipment downtime, ease servicing and waste oil and filter disposal and, potentially, reduce the risk associated with extended oil drain intervals.”

Put simply, Nexcel is an active oil management system that features a sealed-cell design that enables oil changes to be carried out in 90 seconds with no risk of spillage. A canister of new engine oil and filter is “plugged-in” to a dock on the engine and enables precise control over oil quality and correct volume. The system’s design also helps promote sustainability by creating a high-quality used oil feedstock for re-refining; collection of used oil in a sealed cell eliminates the risk of contamination and provides micro-segmentation of oil types.

“The environmental aspect is obviously crucial, but the Nexcel system has been developed to provide tangible business benefits to customers in the CSE market,” continues Ward-Zinski. “For example, the system is perfect for use in conjunction with small, extremely hard-working engines that require frequent oil drain intervals to ensure optimal durability and avoid accelerated wear in arduous conditions. The sealed cell significantly reduces the time required for maintenance. Machines fitted with Nexcel would no longer need workshop visits or to be worked on by qualified mechanics for routine oil and filter replacements – in fact they could even be swapped during a coffee break for ultimate efficiency.”

“Nexcel’s automotive development has been with Aston Martin, and we exhibited a V8 Vantage at GIE (Green Industries and Equipment) 2018,” he continues. “It was a successful show for Nexcel with a great deal of interest being shown by chassis manufacturers. The show research we undertook underlines the desire for robust efficiency in CSE maintenance, and any incremental improvements that can be made to day-to-day processes could have significant advantages. The most popular maintenance improvements from the research are efficiency, flexibility, and convenience. Nexcel changes are entirely tool-free and require no specific training, providing the ultimate on-the-fly experience.”

It’s a compelling case made more impressive by the promise of drip-free oil changes that can be completed on-site, without the fear of leaving a customer’s property in a mess. Ward-Zinski says that used cells could be taken to local collection points without the need for storage, dirty transportation, or filter-disposal solutions.

The company is already working with engine manufacturers to assess series production opportunities and says that, if demand calls for it, the system may even assist in the provision of extended warranties, subject to manufacturer approval. This is made possible by Nexcel’s precise control mechanisms that ensure only the specified oil is used, the correct oil levels are maintained, and each oil change is automatically logged.

Oil management may not have advanced much in the last 50 years, but a promise of reduced downtime and a routine service procedure that is literally cleaning up its act sounds like it was worth the wait.

Making things easier almost always costs you MORE

As you can see – the “industry” is already gleeful about this “easy” way to maintain your vehicles. The promises are obvious. “Imagine if you could just…” That preys into the human condition, doesn’t it?

Yes, we know that oil changes are messy. And a bit time consuming, especially if you’re a professional landscaper.

But NOWHERE in any article or documentation is the COST of such an implement.

If this type of system cost the SAME or LESS than current ways of changing oil and maintaining equipment, sure – we’d LOVE it. Bring it on, in fact!

However, it’s most likely NOT going to be the case. Oil companies wouldn’t create such a mechanism if there wasn’t something in it FOR THEM.

• By creating this “closed” system, you can eliminate other brands of oil. (Did you know that Walmart Synthetic Oil is just as good as Mobil 1, at almost half the price?)
• The price will certainly be higher, as a patented item usually has no competition in the beginning.

If there was any benefit besides “reduced downtime,” you could bet they would mention it. But they don’t. Easy math.

Nexcel is the K-Cup of motors

The first thing that comes to mind is the “easy” way millions of people make coffee every day. The K-Cup.

Those, without a doubt, cost significantly more than just brewing a pot of ground coffee. Yes, they’re “easier” and certainly less messy, but you end up paying for that ease.

The same will be the case if this technology ever becomes mainstream.

This is what gets us about “progress.” Most people today don’t like working for much. All the so-called efficiencies that have been incorporated into daily life haven’t really led to astounding achievements elsewhere. They just lead to more IDLE TIME for people to play games or binge-watch passive entertainments.

It seems that doing anything that is worth it – is just not worth the effort for most people in modern times. Hence, why there is less money in the pockets of your average American.

(PS – we will happily eat our words and apologize if this technology is actually less expensive – for both the regular maintenance – as well as the actual cost of the equipment that will have such features. But I don’t think I’ll have to do that. By a longshot.)