Anyone in the automotive trade will know the importance of filtration systems on vehicles and will also probabl y recognise that many end users don’t appreciate the value of a good filter unit.
It is often difficult for workshops to convince customers how much damage can be done to engines if those customers ‘’go cheap’’ when it comes to specifying filter components.
Adjusting the perceptions of your customers is not something which can be done easily, but BNT has worked hard to make it easier for workshops to present their customers with an expanded range of quality options through the national BNT network.
Grant Maxwell, category manager at BNT explains: “Our trade customers have always been supportive of our filtration programme, which they know they can rely on for quality filters from names like Hengst and Fram for general automotive and Hengst and Donaldson for commercial vehicle applications.”
Hengst is the preferred filter supplier of choice for a great many European car manufacturers and has lately found its way to other manufacturers as an OEM product sold at aftermarket pricing.
Fram is a name known for its high quality, high-performance filters used by professional motorsport enthusiasts and trade workshops as well as the discerning motorist.
Donaldson is the filter brand of choice for the construction, mining, energy and transportation sectors – industries where effective and dependable are much more than just buzz words.
These brands are well respected for their quality and reliability, which is why they are part of the filter offering through BNT branches.
“We constantly review our brand offering in response to the requirements of our customers,” says Grant, “and have recently seen workshops responding to customer’s looking to save on their filters.”
With the availability of inferior product to the public, BNT’s trade customers were in the unfortunate position of fitting cheap filters at customer request, as part of a service package, something which ultimately works against the reputation of the workshop.
This short-term saving has the potential of being a long-term cost to the consumer, with premature replacement of the filter being the best case and premature engine failure being the worst case, result of fitting a ‘cheap’ oil filter.
As part of its overall commitment to its trade customers, BNT identified and sourced a cost-effective OEM quality filter supplier to answer the requirement for an alternative it could confidently position alongside its already reputable filter range; Superiol.
The addition of Superiol filters expands the filter range available through the BNT national network, which is now a complete offering for all budgets with no sacrifice in terms of quality and effectiveness.
“Superiol products have been manufactured with a more rigid construction and have a user-friendly design, making their fitment faster and more efficient,” says Grant.
Category manager Tony Lin weighs in, “We now have a ‘good, better, best’ filter offering,” he says. “Though in our opinion, the Superiol product is better than good, providing an excellent value and quality balance. We believe it fits in well with the Fram, Donaldson and Hengst brands in this regard.”
The Superiol product range offers filters with synthetic and conventional motor oil compatibility and each filter is produced to international ISO quality standards as well as OE manufacturer quality standards, a double assurance of quality for filters designed for everyday driving.
Premium bypass and anti-drain-back valves are core elements of each Superiol filter, as are high dust holding capacities and low flow resistance characteristics.
As well as the Hengst, Fram, Donaldson filter brands, BNT has access to the extensive range of Superiol filters, which means – for the trade customer – there is now a filter available through the BNT distribution network to suit every customer requirement.
