It’s been just under five years since the Australian vehicle market experienced a shortage of AdBlue. In 2021, amid the COVID pandemic, the diesel exhaust fluid shortage may have seemed to be a frustrating hinderance for the local truck industry, but for Andy Kassing and his company Purple, it proved to be a defining opportunity.
Now, nearly five years on from that moment, Purple is once again capitalising on prospects in the market, with the brand having recently expanded to Victoria.
“Purple has now expanded down from Queensland and New South Wales into Victoria,” Andy told OwnerDriver.
“We’re very excited to be producing AdBlue Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) out of Pakenham to cater to operators wanting the fluid in Victoria.”
At the time, the addition of the AdBlue business to the Purple stable created another dynamic alongside the brand’s ongoing Purple Trailer Hire business. After growing operations in both Sydney and Brisbane, a combination of demand and rising prices led Andy’s team to look at establishing a base in Victoria.
“We decided to expand into Pakenham and Victoria firstly because we had demand – plenty of people were calling us in Victoria to ask for the IBCs,” he says.
“Then, when freight costs from transporting IBCs down to Melbourne from Sydney continued to rise, we decided to make the move.”
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The shift into Victoria sees Purple team up with a manufacturer to produce the AdBlue IBCs, much like how it already operates in Sydney and Brisbane. Alongside accessing new IBCs of the diesel exhaust fluid, customers are also able to easily exchange used IBCs for new ones.
“At a dollar a litre, it’s also much cheaper than buying at pumps and fuel stations,” Andy says.
“At the pump, AdBlue usually costs around $1.50 to $2.50 per litre, so there’s much better fuel and AdBlue savings on offer through Purple.
“By having us around to recycle these IBCs, it’s both cost efficient and environmentally beneficial. Sometimes a client might buy half a dozen and we can collect the empty containers and bring fresh ones back for them.”
Purple’s AdBlue is Australian made, using 32.5 per cent technical grade urea and 67.5 per cent deionised water. The fluid is designed to minimise exhaust emissions by reducing the release of harmful nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.
Andy says Purple’s AdBlue is a non-toxic, odourless and non-flammable organic compound, with the fluid designed to work with any diesel engine fitted with a SRC system, ranging from trucks to tractors.
“Customers were having to get their whole AdBlue systems repaired before coming to us and didn’t know why, but it’s because they buy AdBlue that isn’t pure where water may be mixed in,” Andy says.
“Water has minerals and salts in it, so it will reduce the effectiveness of AdBlue if mixed in and can impact injectors over time. The purity of AdBlue is key.”
Outside of the AdBlue fluid, Purple also supplies pumps and delivery systems, ranging from 240 Volt pumps through to 12 Volt pumps, alongside a range of hoses and triggers.
Much like the quality of Purple’s AdBlue, the future is looking much clearer for Andy and his team. With the Victorian expansion completing Purple’s presence along the eastern seaboard, Andy isn’t ruling out continuing to eye a national growth trajectory.
“I’d love to go out west, but it’s about trying to find the right partner for the region,” he says.
“I’d much rather establish a partnership, like we have in Victoria in Pakenham, than try and set up a new plant.”
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