3 questions “Funnel the Spec” to one product type.
Start at the top, follow the path down, end on the recommendation. Designed for distributors to send a customer ahead of a quote call.
Question 1
What's failing or what's coming due in the PM cycle?
Oil change due — or a lubricant problem on the unit
Question 2a
Does the plant's audit require NSF H1 (food, beverage, pharma, cosmetics)?
If No · general industrial
Recommend
Synthetic Compressor Oil
Cross-reference to OEM factory-fill at the matching ISO grade. 8,000-hour drain vs. 2,000-4,000 on mineral — TCO math justifies the conversion at any duty above ~30 hours per week.
If Yes · H1 audit-driven
Recommend
Food-Grade Compressor Oil
NSF H1 cross-reference to the OEM food-grade factory-fill. Audit document ships with the fluid; the registration IS the deliverable. Shorter 6,000-hour interval is the compliance cost.
Filter change due — oil filter or intake element
Question 2b
Replacement element only, or is the OEM housing the limit?
If Oil filter · scheduled replacement
Recommend
Compressor Oil Filter · Aftermarket
KELTEC cross first; Mann-Filter if KELTEC doesn't cover. Anchor of the annual service kit — quote with oil + separator + intake element on one PO, never on its own.
If Intake element · aftermarket cross to OEM housing
Recommend
Compressor Intake Filter · Aftermarket
Cross-reference by OEM make / model / HP. Standard 12-month interval in clean indoor air; 3-6 months in dusty plants. Confirm environment at the quote stage.
If Intake housing chronically undersized · upgrade
Recommend
Compressor Intake Filter · Solberg
When element life is chronically short because the OEM housing is wrong-spec or undersized, the element catalog can't fix that — only a bigger housing can. Solberg F / FT-series sized 25-50% over nameplate FAD.
Valve failure — compressor down or behaving incorrectly
Question 2c
What's the symptom?
If Hard-start · won't cycle · pressure-creep · weeping
Recommend
Service Valve · Replacement
Conrader cross-references the four families (unloader, inlet control, check, safety relief) by OEM make / model / HP. Symptom-to-part diagnostic resolves which one in one question; same-day ship is the deliverable.
Two things to keep in mind on every service-parts quote. First — the cross-reference catalog IS the spec sheet for aftermarket items. Oil filters, intake elements, separators, and service valves don't have customer-facing engineering datasheets; the OEM make / model / HP (sometimes serial) resolves to one aftermarket part number through KELTEC, Mann-Filter, or Conrader's catalog. Photo the nameplate + photo the failed part = both inputs the catalog needs. Second — the customer rarely calls for a single item. An oil quote is also an oil-filter quote, an intake-filter quote, and a separator quote — all four wear items change in the same service window. Bundle as the annual service kit at 5-10% discount; the bundle is the recurring-revenue mechanic, not the individual line.
Service Parts isn't transactional — it's the layer customers come back for. Sell the cross-reference once, sell the annual kit every year after.
SPC distributor playbook Service Parts · how to win the recurring PO
