AOCS Corporate Member Spotlight - EP Minerals

Sterling Bollman, the head of Advertising and Sponsorship Sales at AOCS, talked with Chris Mitchell, the Director of Filtration and Purification Sales of EP Engineered Clays. In this conversation, he learned about innovations EP Minerals has developed and what really sets them apart from their competitors. So, please enjoy our next installment in the Corporate Member Spotlight series and learn more about EP Engineered Clays.






Good morning Chris and thank you for talking with me about your company! Let’s start off with a broad question. What type of products and services does EP Engineered Clays provide? 

At EP Engineered Clays, we specialize in acid-activated bleaching clays for removal of color bodies, residual phosphatides, soaps, and metals removal from fats/oils.  We also have our Celatom line of diatomaceous earth used for pre-coating of filter leaves as well as for body feeding other adsorbents to maintain consistent filtrate flow while protecting filter leaf surfaces.

That sounds interesting! I know there are other companies out there that offer similar products. What would you say differentiates your company from other competitors in the same field? 

We begin with very high-quality mineral reserves as raw materials, followed by close attention consistent finished product specifications.  We pride ourselves on delivering to or above expectations with our supply chain logistics and on our deep application knowledge that is essential to provide leading world-class Technical Service support to our served customer base.

Fantastic. With such an emphasis on the knowledge of application of the clay, you are sure to have some interesting innovations in this area. What is an innovation that you are most proud of at your company?

We recently revamped our Bleaching Clay line to the new CelaClear grades, with the specific goal of improving filtration performance while maintaining superior bleaching chemistry characteristics.

That certainly sounds like something that puts your company at the top of its field! This year has been all about adapting to new business practices. How has the COVID19 situation affected EP Engineered Clays?

Our colleagues, through all functional areas, have adapted to local health safety requirements, many working from home, while continuing to serve customers seamlessly.  Through deliberate planning, we have been able to maintain a high degree of plant up-time to satisfy continued customer demand while maintaining rigorous focus on worker safety.

In keeping with this idea, what do you foresee being the biggest challenges to EP Engineered Clays in the next year? 

While not relegated specifically to the coming year, we are constantly challenged by the introduction of new, alternate technologies requiring adaptation to continue delivering solid, valuable solutions to our customer partners.

Well Chris, thank you for sitting down with me and helping us learn more about EP Engineered Clays. One more question before I let you go though. Why is being a corporate member of AOCS important to you and your company?

AOCS provides a vital forum and platform to maintain close ties with industry colleagues of all levels, and functional areas. We are incredibly grateful for that and look to continue the partnership in the future. 

Thanks again for reading and thanks to Chris Mitchell and his colleagues at EP Engineered Clays for taking part in our AOCS Corporate Member Spotlight Series. Make sure to visit their website, follow them on Twitter, connect with them on LinkedIn and check out their blog! Join us next time to see who we feature next!