Kimbro Oil Company

What Kimbro Oil Company does

Kimbro Oil Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor of lubricants, fuels, Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), and ancillary products headquartered at 2200 Clifton Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1951 by Harlon J. Kimbro Sr. after his return from the Korean War, the company has operated continuously for more than 50 years and serves industrial, commercial, manufacturing, fleet, agricultural, marine, government, and retail customers across Middle Tennessee and surrounding regions. Its portfolio is organized across four lubricant categories (commercial, industrial, automotive, metalworking fluids), fuel products (clear and dyed diesel, kerosene, gasoline, fuel additives), API-certified DEF in multiple package sizes, and packaged convenience-store goods (bottled water, antifreeze, racing oils, spill kits, windshield washer fluid). Distribution is performed via the company's own fleet of bobtail trucks, tank wagon trucks, and transports.

The company operates two proprietary technology assets that layer on top of its distribution business: an automated wireless bulk tank monitoring system covering DEF, fuels, and lubricants, and an online fluid analysis platform that delivers third-party laboratory diagnostics to customers. These support four service lines: fluid analysis, tank monitoring, reliability services (equipment inspections, failure analysis, leak detection surveys, lubricant consolidation, MWF concentration management, oil filtration, preventative maintenance), and fuel services (on-site fueling, generator fueling, marine fueling under US Coast Guard OPA 90 certification, railroad fueling, loaned equipment, wet-hosing).

The business model is enterprise field sales combined with direct distribution. Revenue is generated from product sales (lubricants, fuels, DEF, packaged goods), recurring managed services (tank monitoring, fluid analysis program), and professional services (reliability services, fuel logistics). Products are sourced through distribution partnerships with Petro-Canada, Phillips 66, CITGO, Kendall, Mystik, PEAK, Lubriplate, DuBois, Primrose, PennGrade, BENZ, and Master Fluid Solutions. New customers onboard via an online credit application (Nuvo) for credit terms or a cash/credit card path, and pricing is entirely quote-based and negotiated. The company is ISO 9001 certified, BBB accredited, and recognized as a Top Workplace in Middle Tennessee, and is associated with the Kimbro Companies group, which includes a separate Kimbro Water branded site.

Name

Kimbro Oil Company

Legal name

Kimbro Oil Company

Website

https://kimbrooil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kimbro Oil Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor founded in 1951 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, supplying lubricants, fuels, DEF, and ancillary products to industrial, commercial, fleet, and manufacturing customers across Middle Tennessee via its own delivery fleet, with bundled reliability, tank monitoring, and fluid analysis services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Lubricants and Fuel Distribution

NAICS

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers (except Bulk Stations and Terminals) (424720), Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers (4247), Fuel Dealers (45721)

SIC

Wholesale-Petroleum & Petroleum Products (No Bulk Stations) (5172), Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)

akta.pro primary industry

Lubricants Distribution & Wholesale (Bulk, Packaged, B2B) (EUALAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lubricants, Fluids & Chemical Products Distribution (Oils, Coolants, AdBlue/DEF, Cleaners) (TLAKAOAL), Commercial & Fleet Fueling (Cardlock, On-Site Tanks, Bulk Delivery) (EUALAIAD), Unbranded/Spot Fuels Distribution (Rack Sales) (EUALAIAC)

Keywords

• Industrial lubricants
• Metalworking fluids
• Diesel exhaust fluid
• Fuel distribution services
• Tank monitoring services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lubricants Distribution: Sale and delivery of commercial, industrial, automotive, and metalworking lubricants. Products include compressor fluids, fire-resistant hydraulic fluids, food-grade lubricants, heat transfer fluids, hydraulic fluids, industrial gear oils, turbine oils, metalworking fluids, and more. Distributed through direct delivery fleet.
2. Fuel Distribution: Distribution of diesel (clear and dyed), kerosene, gasoline, and fuel additives through a modern fleet of tank wagon trucks and transports. Includes strategic supply agreements with major fuel suppliers.
3. Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF): Sale of API-certified DEF in various package sizes (1-gallon, 2.5-gallon jugs, drums, totes, and bulk), along with complementary DEF tanks, pumps, and dispensing equipment.
4. Additional Products: Distribution of packaged products including 5-Hour Energy, antifreeze, bottled water, fuel additives, ice melt, oil dry, racing oil, retail/shop products, spill kits, and windshield washer fluid.
5. Reliability Services: Bespoke reliability and maintenance services for industrial customers including automatic lubricators, desiccant breathers, equipment inspections, failure analysis, fleet evaluations, inventory management, leak detection surveys, lubricant consolidation, MWF concentration management, oil filtration, plant surveys, and preventative maintenance. These services deepen customer relationships and drive recurring revenue.
6. Fuel Services: Value-added fuel logistics services including fuel management systems, generator fueling, loaned equipment, marine fueling (OPA 90 certified), on-site fueling, railroad fueling, service truck bulk terminal, tank monitoring, tank wagons, transports, and wet-hosing.
7. Fluid Analysis Program: Preventative maintenance fluid analysis service using third-party laboratories. Customers receive diagnostic results via an online platform. Helps reduce unscheduled downtime, extend oil drain intervals, and extend equipment life.
8. Tank Monitoring: Automated wireless tank monitoring as a standalone or bundled service. Provides real-time inventory visibility, eliminates runouts and emergency deliveries, and reduces inventory management burden. Generates recurring service revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kimbro Oil Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor of industrial, commercial, automotive, and metalworking lubricants, diesel and gasoline fuels, and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), complemented by bundled reliability and fuel logistics services. Its core sellable offerings span lubricant distribution (commercial, industrial, automotive, metalworking), bulk fuel distribution, DEF distribution in multiple package sizes, fluid analysis via third-party laboratories, automated tank monitoring, reliability and preventative-maintenance services, and value-added fuel services including on-site, marine, railroad, and generator fueling. Customers are predominantly industrial, commercial, manufacturing, and fleet operators across Middle Tennessee, with deliveries executed by the company's own fleet of bobtail trucks, tank wagons, and transports.

Product overview

Kimbro Oil Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale distributor offering a portfolio of lubricant products organized into four main categories: Commercial Lubricants (heavy duty diesel engine oils, hydraulic fluids, natural gas engine oils, railroad engine oils, transmission fluids), Industrial Lubricants (compressor fluids, fire-resistant hydraulic fluids, food-grade lubricants, industrial gear oils, turbine oils), Automotive Lubricants (motor oils, gear oils, greases, transmission fluids, racing oils), and Metalworking Fluids (cutting oils, soluble oils, synthetic coolants, semi-synthetic coolants, quench oils). The company also supplies Fuel products (diesel, dyed diesel, kerosene, gasoline, fuel additives) and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) in various package sizes. Complementary services include Fluid Analysis (preventative maintenance testing via third-party labs), Tank Monitoring (wireless automated monitoring), Reliability Services (equipment inspections, oil filtration, lubrication consolidation), and Fuel Services (generator fueling, marine fueling, on-site fueling, railroad fueling). The portfolio is rounded out by Additional Products (antifreeze, bottled water, spill kits, racing oils). The company distributes products from supplier partners including Petro-Canada, Phillips 66, CITGO, Kendall, Mystik, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lubricants

Quantifiable outcome

• Less unscheduled downtime and increased equipment reliability, productivity, and profitability through fluid analysis program
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Petro-Canada LubricantscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil Company distributes Petro-Canada lubricants including commercial, industrial, and automotive products. Petro-Canada's SDS database is accessible through Kimbro's website. Petro-Canada is a major global lubricant brand under Suncor Energy.
• Phillips 66 LubricantscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes Phillips 66 lubricants and provides access to Phillips 66's SDS database through its website. Phillips 66 is a major US-based energy company.
• KendallcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes Kendall motor oils and lubricants. Kendall's SDS/PDS documents are accessible through Kimbro's website.
• CITGO LubricantscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes CITGO lubricants and provides access to CITGO's product information sheets and safety data sheets through its website.
• Mystik LubricantsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes Mystik Lubricants and provides links to Mystik's SDS database for greases and related products.
• LubriplateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil provides access to Lubriplate's Safety Data Sheets through its SDS portal.
• DuBoisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes DuBois industrial cleaning and metalworking process products. Contact information for DuBois is provided via Kimbro's SDS page.
• PrimroseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil provides access to Primrose Safety Data Sheets through its SDS portal.
• PEAK (KleenDEF)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes PEAK automotive and heavy-duty products including KleenDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid. Access to KleenDEF SDS is provided via Kimbro's website.
• PennGrademinorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil provides access to PennGrade's SDS library through its website.
• BENZminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil provides access to BENZ's SDS and product downloads through its SDS portal.
• Master Fluid SolutionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKimbro Oil distributes Master Fluid Solutions metalworking fluids as part of its metalworking product offering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• RelaDyne: RelaDyne is one of the largest U.S. lubricant distributors, formed through roll-ups of regional lubricant and fuel distributors. It competes head-to-head with Kimbro in industrial lubricants, DEF, and reliability services across multiple U.S. regions.
• Mansfield Oil Company: Mansfield Oil is a large direct-supply fuel and lubricant distributor serving commercial, industrial, and government customers nationwide. Its bulk fuel delivery, lubricant portfolio, and on-site fueling services directly mirror Kimbro's core offerings.
• Sun Coast Resources: Sun Coast Resources is a regional fuel and lubricant distributor with branded and unbranded fuel supply, on-site fueling, lubricants, and DEF. It directly competes for industrial and commercial accounts similar to Kimbro's Middle Tennessee customer base.
• Petroleum Service Group: Petroleum Service Group provides fuel and lubricant distribution, on-site fueling, and reliability services to commercial and industrial customers. Its bundled product-plus-services model closely tracks Kimbro's approach.
• Guttman Oil Company: Guttman Oil is a regional petroleum distributor supplying fuels, lubricants, and DEF to commercial, industrial, and retail customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Its product mix and customer verticals closely overlap Kimbro's.

Broad incumbents

• Brenntag: Brenntag is a global chemical and specialty distributor with a significant North American lubricants and DEF business. It competes in the same industrial lubricant and chemical distribution market as Kimbro, but at much larger scale across many industries.
• Univar Solutions: Univar Solutions is a large North American chemical and ingredient distributor with industrial lubricant adjacencies. It is a broader incumbent competitor in industrial fluid distribution rather than a focused lubricant specialist.
• TA (TravelCenters of America): TravelCenters of America (BP-owned) is a national truck stop and fuel retail operator that overlaps Kimbro's fleet fueling and DEF distribution in commercial trucking. It is a much larger incumbent serving a national footprint.

Regional players

• World Oil Corp: World Oil is a family-owned regional fuel and lubricant distributor on the U.S. West Coast. It mirrors Kimbro's regional family-owned positioning and product mix but serves a different geography.

Others

• CITGO Petroleum: CITGO is both a supplier to Kimbro (CITGO Lubricants) and an adjacent player in branded fuel and lubricant marketing. It is comparable as a downstream fuels and lubricants peer with broader geographic reach and branded wholesale distribution.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kimbrooilco
• Facebookfacebook.com/kimbrooil

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kimbro Oil Company