From AmsOil Action News / April 1999  P 8-9  
AmsOil founder and president Al Amatuzio was an award-winning fighter pilot for 25 years.  It was during his flying days that he was inspired to develop synthetic lubricants for the automotive world.  While many people might miss the connection between a jet fighter pilot and synthetic motor oil, the link was perfectly clear to Al.  He knew it was the synthetic lubricant in his jet engine that allowed the engine to perform without fail in extreme conditions, and he envisioned that same performance in automobiles.  No one, perhaps not even Al, could have predicted the scope of his vision or the effect it would have on the lubrication industry.

The history of synthetic lubricants began before the internal combustion engine even existed.  The endeavor began nearly a hundred years before the first bottle of AmsOil Motor Oil was put into an engine.  In 1877, the first synthesized hydrocarbons were created by Friedel and Crafts using aluminum trichloride as the catalyst.  That process wasn't commercialized until 1929 when Standard Oil of Indiana produced a synthesized hydrocarbon oil --- it didn't catch on with consumers.

Then in 1937, PAO was manufactured. That was the first manufacture of synthetic products by olef in polymerization.  It was also this year that the Zurich Aviation Congress took interest in ester based lubricant technology.  Thousands of esters were evaluated in Germany between 1938 and 1944 yielding positive results.  These ester based stocks were developed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory in the early 1940s.

At this point in history, synthetic lubricants were strictly used in military and industrial applications.  Before synthetics were created, "Engines were lubricated with whatever was handy that might work.  Among the concoctions tried were vegetable oils made from castor beans and rapeseed, and what is now called mineral oil"  (Flying, January 1992).

By 1947, the British were using diesters, a compound using two ester groupings, in turboprop engines because of its extreme temperature performance.  From then until the mid-1970s, various synthetic formulations were developed to meet the high demands of the increasingly sophisticated engines in planes and other industrial machines.

While it may have crossed the minds of those familiar with synthetic lubricants to create a product conducive to the engine of a car, it was Al Amatuzio who approached the task with the conviction to succeed.  In the mid-1960s, Al was a lieutenant colonel and a jet fighter squadron commander at a northern Minnesota air base.  He was interested in creating a synthetic lubricant that would perform in car, truck and other internal combustion engines the same way it performed in jets.  Creating a synthetic lubricant for a car proved an even more daunting task because of the pressure placed on the engine by dirt and by-products of combustion.  These were not problems faced in jet engines.

He sought the expertise of the most knowledgeable chemists in the industry.  Chemist Lefty Ward, who was with Drew Chemical at the time, says Al was a man with a vision.  "Al came to Drew Chemical in 1969 with a clear idea of what he wanted,"  Ward said.  "He had done his research, no question about that, and I had gained considerable experience in formulating synthetic oils for military turbine engines.  I was convinced we could get it done."  In 1972, after several years of testing, adjusting and fine tuning, AMZOIL was born.  It became the first 100% synthetic based engine oil to pass the American Petroleum Institute's sequence tests and achieve API qualification.

It wasn't until 1975 that Mobil Oil marketed its first synthetic based engine oil in the United States.

AmsOil did not overwhelm the motor oil industry when it first appeared on the market.  There were more than a few skeptics who thought the prospect absurd and the product unprofitable, but AmsOil slowly carved a niche and found a market in which to sell its products.  As AmsOil developed new products --- synthetic diesel oils, two-cycle oils, transmission fluids, gear lubes, etc. --- interest in synthetics grew.

Now, over 25 years later, AmsOil continues to enjoy success as the "First in Synthetics."  It is very appropriate to say "first" because, in addition to Mobil, there have been a string of followers anxious to join the synthetic revolution since AmsOil paved the way in 1972.  Due to AmsOil's incomparable quality and market tenacity, the lubrication industry was forced to take notice.  Clear testimony to the impact AmsOil has had in the motor oil industry is by looking at products that have been introduced since its inception.  Petroleum giants Mobil, Quaker State, Castrol, Valvoline and Pennzoil have all come out with synthetic alternatives to their conventional oils.

"AmsOil, through its many individual distributors, helped bring the concept into the retail market.  Since then, almost every major motor oil brand has introduced a synthetic or semi-synthetic variant"  (Motor Trend, August 1998).

Al says he finds these new products amusing.  "If you open any lube industry trade magazine today, you're sure to find some report, story or ad about synthetic lubricants.  I can't help being amused when I read about these revolutionary 'new' oils.  They act as if they were the result of some recent discovery."

It is also difficult to read industry publications without seeing a comparison or debate about synthetics versus petroleum oil.  "So should you use a synthetic oil?  Owners who tend to run their engines in extreme conditions or tend to let oil changes stray beyond the recommended intervals, would benefit more from a synthetic.  A simple way of looking at it is that synthetics provide extra insurance against engine abuse.  How much is that worth to you?"  (Motor Trend, August 1998).

It's vividly clear to see the influence AmsOil has had on the lubrication industry.  Al suggests AmsOil's reign has just begun.  "Today, all of our motor oils are made and marketed for extended drains.  We are virtually alone in this arena, but that won't last forever.  We have proven our point so well, others are certain to copy us just as they have copied every other product or idea we have introduced.  They can try, and will, but they'll never catch our technological lead."

According to the January edition of National Oil and Lube News, oil companies will definitely need to get their motor oil up to AmsOil's level.  NOLN says cars of the 21st Century will continue to have smaller engines, lower emissions, better fuel economy and less maintenance-including fewer oil changes.  Therefore, all motor oils will need to incorporate the same qualities that AmsOil now embodies.

Unlike any other oil company, AMSOIL has a strong foundation steeped in history, but it is perfectly poised to enter the 21st Century.

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