Amsoil: A Historical Account

As a result of studying various aspects of the lubricants industry, I came into contact with Tom Schaefer, former vice president of sales and marketing for the Hatco Corporation. Schaefer, now retired, periodically contributes helpful tidbits of information with respect to the motor oil industry.

In securing correspondence with Mr. Schaefer, I didn’t hesitate to ask him a few questions about Amsoil. I had recalled that Al Amatuzio utilized the Hatco Corporation to some degree in sixties for the development of Amsoil’s first synthetic motor oil. Compiled below is Mr. Schaefer’s recollection in regards to the Hatco/Amsoil historical account he personally witnessed.

"I joined Hatco in 1969, so I was there (in the lab at the time) when the Hatco/Amsoil relation began. Al Amatuzio was the driving force behind the motor oil development as it was his concept and he was developing the marketing structure to sell it. The formulating was done by Hatco and an additive company, and Hatco did the ester manufacturing and oil blending while Amsoil arranged the packaging & distribution, so it was a joint effort. I don't recall there were any formal R&D agreements, just a close working relationship, and the oils developed for Al were to his specifications and sold exclusively to Amsoil.

While others were selling synthetic motor oils before Amsoil, none were API certified oils and many failed. Amsoil was definitely the first company to market an API certified oil - 10W-40 SE/CC based on a diester. Yes the oil was formulated and manufactured by Hatco, but the concept, requirements, and marketing came from Al Amatuzio. Hatco had the technology but no means to market, while Al had the marketing capability but lacked the technology and manufacturing capability. It was a joint effort and neither could have succeeded without the other.

There was no API certification program back then, but yes the oil was fully tested in all of the API engine sequence tests and passed all of the SAE specifications for SE/CC. In addition, it was reviewed by a military review board and approved under MIL-L-46152. It was the real deal.

For the ancient history buffs, the oil was called Hatcol 2250 and contained Ditridecyl Adipate (diester), an Oronite DI package, a Rohm & Haas dispersant PMA type VII, and a supplemental anti-oxidant. It ran from 1972 to about 1976, at which point Hatco developed an improved version that later passed SF/CC.

Hatco and Amsoil departed company in the late 70s as Amsoil's volume grew to a point where it made sense for them to develop and blend their own products. I retired last year (2007) so I do not know what relationship they may have today." - Tom Schaefer

As an Amsoil Independent Dealer, having the distinct opportunity to converse with Mr. Schaefer and discover the actual historical facts about the early years of Amsoil, Inc. was a shear delight. Getting this data straight from such a credible source is greatly appreciated. Special thanks to to Tom Schaefer for his willingness to shed new light on this topic.

Tom Schaefer can be contacted at the Internet forum, http://www.bobistheoilguy.com under user name Tom NJ



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