Welcome to Precision Spotlight, our fresh Q&A series in which we spotlight industry professionals and delve into their insights and experiences in the world of lubrication. In this Precision Spotlight, we interview Scott Selting, one of our Editorial Advisory Board Members.

What is a regular day like for you in your role?

A regular day for me is typically very busy. My morning often starts by reviewing the previous day’s trends and continuous monitoring systems, looking for anything others need to know. If all is well, I ensure the Reliability team has the information they need to support any upcoming maintenance work or shutdown preparation. The remainder of my time is spent on various reliability improvement projects. Working on reliability improvement projects is not only the most rewarding but also the most challenging part of my job.

What has been the most important innovation in lubrication recently?

I think the most important recent innovation is the growth of lubricant continuous monitoring technology. The ability to monitor oil particle count, moisture level, temperature, and vibration levels on our most critical equipment is very valuable. Often, this allows us to respond to issues much sooner so they can be resolved before failure, greatly reducing equipment wear and damage.

How do environmental concerns factor into your work, and what steps are you taking to address them?

Environmental concerns have obviously been a part of the lubrication field for a long time, but the past has primarily focused on spill prevention and leak management. The future will likely include documenting the Carbon Footprint reduction due to less oil consumption from oil analysis vs. replacing the oil.

The environmental benefits of extending the life of manufacturing equipment 2-5 X are the most significant opportunity. Replacing pumps, motors, and gearboxes due to less-than-ideal lubrication has a negative impact on Safety, the environment, and profit.

What advice would you give someone starting their career in this field?

I would assure them that a career in this field will be in high demand for years to come. A few examples:

• Keeping our lubricants “Clean, Cool, and Dry” requires endless work. This sounds simple, but as oil/grease analysis programs mature, they quickly reveal how challenging it is to accomplish.
• There are endless opportunities using lubrication as a predictive maintenance tool that can bring as much value as vibration analysis.
• Also, optimizing and documenting a lubrication program to reduce waste, heat, wear, contamination, and under/over-greasing issues requires time, dedication, and knowledge.

I would advise not to hesitate to reach out for help or training. The Lubrication field has so many leaders willing and able to share what they know. Precision Lubrication and its team are a great example of this.

Welcome to Precision Spotlight, our fresh Q&A series where we shine a light on industry professionals, delving into their insights and experiences in the world of lubrication. In this Precision Spotlight we interview one of our Editorial Advisory Board Members, Greg Livingstone.

What is the most common misconception about lubrication that you’ve encountered?

In my first year at work after college, I was making a sales call at a paper mill. The maintenance manager said, “All oil is the same.” This stuck with me. Over the years, I have continued to hear this sentiment.

We developed a testing methodology to validate this statement with turbine oils called the Turbine Oil Performance Prediction (TOPP) test. After our first experiment in 2010 comparing three different commercially available turbine oils, I could confidently answer this misconception. No, not all oils are created equally!

The problem is not necessarily with the end-user. When comparing different formulations for an application, there may be dozens of approved oils, so that’s not a source of differentiation.

The only data they have to compare are product spec sheets filled with physical properties unrelated to performance and superlative marketing claims. How do you quantify “superior performance” and “best-in-class technology”?

The industry needs benchmarking standards that correlate laboratory results with field performance. This would allow end-users to appreciate that not all oils are the same.

What are some emerging trends in the lubrication industry that you find most exciting?

A significant trend in our space is maximizing lubricant life. This is done using various contamination control technologies, transitioning to more advanced, specialized formulations, and through in situ additive replenishment. Lubricants that can last the lifetime of equipment in many industrial applications are technically feasible.

I see a day when the key parameters of critical lubricants are monitored remotely through sensors, and proactive measures are automated based on the condition of the lubricant. Ultimately, these efforts result in lower lubricant costs, increased uptime, and lower operational risk.

What is a regular day like for you in your role?

A typical day for me starts well before the sun comes up, which is my most productive time of day. In my role at Fluitec, I get involved in strategic planning, innovation, networking, technology evaluation, R&D, and sales support. However, a day doesn’t go by when I’m not involved with a technical challenge of some kind at a client’s site. These are my favorite moments; there is always much to learn from customers.

What is your area of expertise within the field of lubrication?

Over 20 years ago, in the same week, I got a call from a major turbine OEM and the US Navy about sticking valves. This has led me down a wonderful path of trying to understand oil degradation and deposits. Back in the day, there was very little research on this, but many have contributed to what is now a substantial body of knowledge over the years.

I’m happy to have contributed in a small way, culminating last year in publishing the book “Preventing Turbomachinery Cholesterol: A Story of Varnish” with Sanya Mathura. Although there is still plenty to learn about oil degradation, my focus lately has been sustainable lubrication through technological innovation.

If you had a superpower, what would that be?

Ability to manipulate gravity. My favorite activities involve gravity, like skiing, hiking, and climbing. Being able to jump off of anything or climb up anything would be incredible. Plus, how cool would flying be?

What best prepared you for your career journey?

A theme throughout my career has been hanging out with people smarter than me. I started my career by making long road trips and sales calls with a brilliant, recently retired lube engineer from Esso. I spent a lot of time with Dr. Akira Sasaki, the father of understanding oil degradation and oxidation.

Dr. Dave Wooton taught me so much about how oil molecules change. Today at Fluitec, I work with a team of outstanding scientists and leaders who continually teach me new things. My biggest advice to those early on in their careers? Surround yourself with smart people and be constantly open to learning. 

How do environmental concerns factor into your work, and what steps are you taking to address them?

A central tenant of our company is reducing the environmental impact of our operations and that of our customers. Our measurement scale is carbon footprint (CO2e), and we have put a lot of energy into carbon accounting using Life Cycle Assessment.

In 2023, we produced our first Impact Report, which identified that for every kilogram of carbon we generated in our company, we saved our customers 6 kg of CO2e. We are continually investigating methods to lower our carbon footprint further.

Our customers, in general, are more concerned with reliability improvements and risk reduction, which is fine with us as these perhaps have the biggest impact on reducing carbon footprint. 

Can you share a particular challenge and how you overcame it?

My favorite customers are skeptics. They question everything I say and want independent verification. They are focused on science and not easily swayed. We had one such customer in Australia experiencing high compressor bearing temperatures, threatening to shut down their platform.

Even though this was highly urgent, with significant money at risk, they went through a meticulous Management of Change process, ran simulation tests at an independent laboratory, and thoroughly checked all of our references. Even then, they slowly added our Solvancer® technology to their oil reservoir, carefully monitoring every operational aspect of the compressor train.

The good thing about working with skeptics is that they become our strongest advocates once they can prove that technologies work. Science trumps all. And in this case, it helped onboard one of our biggest customers.

Welcome to Precision Spotlight, our fresh Q&A series where we shine a light on industry professionals, delving into their insights and experiences in the world of lubrication. In this Precision Spotlight we interview one of our Editorial Advisory Board Members, Bryan Debshaw.

What is a regular day like for you in your role?

Every day is different; I get to bounce around our Indy headquarters with laboratory operations, finance, accounting, and human resources, to meeting with customers. I enjoy meeting with customers the most; it is always great to get out to the customer’s site and see the solutions they are putting in place to improve equipment reliability.

If you had a superpower, what would that be?

If I had a superpower, I would want speed. The equipment reliability and maintenance space is incredibly slow to change, and, with speed, I could get to places faster and help initiate more change in the industry. So many opportunities to improve equipment reliability are lost as customers struggle with putting out fires rather than doing the right things to prevent equipment failure in the first place.

What is your area of expertise within the field of lubrication?

My expertise lies in continuous improvement and implementing behavioral and organizational change. I have repeatedly seen people failing, not for lack of technical knowledge but for the inability to facilitate behavioral change. The simple concepts of driving compliance, taking action, and doing root cause analysis are often lost.

What best prepared you for your career journey?

I was introduced to equipment maintenance and reliability during my time in the Air Force, working on F4s and F16s. Looking back, I did not appreciate it then, but we had all the elements of a successful reliability program. After 10 years in maintenance, I received my commission as an officer. I had the opportunity to learn more about leadership and organizational change.

What has been the most important innovation in lubrication in recent years?

Telematics and cloud computing have open opportunities to improve equipment reliability and lubrication. It requires good data for decision-making; even tools like AI are only as good as the data inputs. Telematics and everything being a connected device now allows us to capture so much more information than was ever possible before.

That, combined with cloud computing and the ability to store and aggregate massive amounts of data, will allow for even better decision-making. Often the challenge in doing root cause analysis is gathering enough data to understand what happens. Today the customer has access to much more data than ever before.

How did you get started in the lubrication industry?

In the beginning, the only thing I knew about oil analysis was every time the airplane flew, we pulled an oil sample and would have the results back within an hour. It was not until I met the founders of POLARIS Laboratories® that I learned the commercial applications of what we did in the military, and that began my journey of learning lubrication.

What are some emerging trends in the lubrication industry that you find most exciting?

 Sensor technology and the ability to utilize multiple data sources from different condition monitoring technologies together. We have been experimenting with this for years at POLARIS Laboratories®. Through our API integration capabilities with DataConnect, we have developed integrated solutions for our customers.

If there was only one thing you could change about our industry, what would that be, and how would you do that?

The industry needs to learn to change faster; sometimes, lubrication and maintenance practices move at the speed of molasses. More staffing, training, and resources are required to keep up with improvement opportunities. Often, equipment fails needlessly, and opportunities for improvement are missed.

Can you share a particular challenge and how you overcame it?

In 2017 I signed up to run the Tahoe200; this was a bit on the crazy side as I have never run anything longer than a marathon. I had one year to figure out how to do this and put a plan together. I started signing up for other Ultra races, first a 50 mile, then a 100, and 2 weeks later, a 50 miler, and then I realized that I needed a plan to prevent blisters to succeed in the Taho200 mile run.

Conventional wisdom was to use athletic tape and tape the areas on your feet that got blisters. I needed clarification because the tape only added layers to the problem and did not lower the coefficient of friction. So with some research, I found Rungoo – a very thick and nasty lubricant for your feet; it is waterproof and does not absorb into the skin. This made me think about what we tell our customers, keep your equipment clean, dry, and well-lubricated.

I took the same advice for my feet; I ran with gaiters to keep the rocks out, stopped every 40 miles to thoroughly clean my feet, and kept them well lubricated. I finished the race free of blisters, but I lost most of my toenails, but that was another problem I needed to solve for my next race.

What are some emerging trends in the lubrication industry that you find most exciting?

The importance of used grease testing. Grease testing offers the opportunity to improve the reliability of greased components and optimize the amount of grease used.

How has the industry evolved since you began your career?

When we started, customers were manually filling out paper forms and getting back paper reports. Today, everything should be digital, from submitting the sample to receiving and interpreting the report to connecting all maintenance data in one system.

How do environmental concerns factor into your work, and what steps are you taking to address them?

Through our testing capabilities and the services we provide, we help our customers reduce their carbon footprint. I think this really gets missed by many companies in the industry. We help optimize lubricant drain intervals, resulting in companies using less lubricant. We also help extend equipment life, reducing carbon emissions from making new equipment.

What is your approach to ensuring efficient and effective lubrication in various applications?

Establish standard work, measure standard work, make results visible, identify the gap, and use problem-solving tools to reduce the gap. Small and incremental change can have a significant impact – the continuous improvement journey and the reliability journey go hand in hand.

Can you share an example of a successful project you’ve worked on and what made it successful?

We started our lean journey more than 10 years ago and are still learning daily. Our focus on continuous improvement and employee engagement through problem-solving has been tremendous. I greatly underestimated the work it would take to change company culture, but it has been tremendously rewarding.

Tell us one of your most memorable experiences working with a customer.

We welcomed over 140 customers during last year’s Reliability Summit, our annual maintenance and reliability conference. Seeing so many customers sharing information, learning, and working to improve their programs was great.

Welcome to Precision Spotlight, our fresh Q&A series where we shine a light on industry professionals, delving into their insights and experiences in the world of lubrication. In this Precision Spotlight we interview one of our Editorial Advisory Board Members, Rafe Britton.

How did you get started in the lubrication industry?

Like many people, by accident! I was working as a Drilling Engineer for ExxonMobil on the PNG-LNG project. When it ended, we discovered that my wife was pregnant with our first child, and I wanted to move home.

My boss was kind enough to scout internally for a job and found a role as a Lubrication Engineer, and I could be based out of my home. I can remember my reaction to this day – “That’s great! What’s a lubrication engineer?”

But once in, I was hooked. The fact that I get to see “how the sausage is made” in so many industries makes this the most exciting job in the world.

As an industry, we can be humble enough to admit that no kid grows up wanting to be a lubrication engineer. Still, we can make a good case for being one that retains the most people that fall into it by accident.

What is your area of expertise within the field of lubrication?

I’m a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. If I had to pick something technical, it would be the lubrication of gas engines—particularly oil analysis.

Gas engine operators live and die by the quality of their sampling program, so I like to help teams perfect sampling techniques and schedules and then help with the data analysis and interpretation on the back end to get the most out of their assets.

If it’s non-technical, then I’d say communicating through video. I’ve spent much time trying different techniques on my channel, “Lubrication Explained,” and I like to think I’ve improved how I explain concepts over the years.

This has all culminated in my training platform – “Lubrication Explained Pro,” where I’m creating application-based online training content for the industry.

What are some emerging trends in the lubrication industry that you find most exciting?

Sustainability is a big one, mostly because I think it’s driving improvements in the reliability of plant equipment. Most of the sustainability efforts in the lubrication industry focus on increasing equipment life, oil life, energy efficiency benefits, and diverting waste streams from re-use. All of those things make businesses economically more sustainable.

The next card to fall is the use of more sustainable lubricants.

Most industrial lubricants today are mineral oils or petrochemical-derived synthetics. Several startups are innovating with different (mostly ester) base oils and bio-based additive chemistries.

Still, it will require OEMs to get on board with the new formulations before we see wide adoption. That would be an exciting change because the chemistry fundamentally differs from what we’re currently working with, and the industry would need a long time to adjust.

If you were to be described as an industrial lubricant, which one do you think you would be?

A synthetic circulating oil. Pretty good at doing most things, but not a specialist in any particular item. As an aside – circulating oils are highly underrated. A good one can often help rationalize many products as they can simultaneously serve as bearing lubricants, circulating oils, compressor oils, and light-duty gear oils. You’d usually be hard-pressed to tell the difference in performance between a good circulating oil and its more specialized cousins.

How do you stay updated on the latest research and advancements in the lubrication industry?

I subscribe to Precision Lubrication Magazine! In all seriousness, the quality of the contributors here is impressive, so this magazine will become an excellent resource over the next few years.

Outside of that, my learning method is unique. I have a podcast called “Lubrication Experts,” in which I interview subject matter experts from around the world. Suppose I want to understand a new technology, get updates on the latest developments in a particular field, or better understand some fundamental concepts. In that case, I find the best expert in the world and ask them all the questions I would like answered. It’s a bit of a privilege to be able to do that.

But of course, I can only interview so many people, so I read widely (actually, I use an app called Speechify to read web articles to me) and attend conferences. You might think you can find everything online, but it’s the spontaneous conversations that occur face-to-face where you’ll hear a lot of valuable information about the industry or people’s experiences.

What advice would you give someone starting their career in lubrication?

Dive into the technical side of things but take it slowly. Our industry is a marathon and not a sprint. There’s just too much breadth for one person to be able to take in over a short period; pretty much everything that moves needs lubricant, so you’ll be learning for the rest of your life.

Also, network – I hate that term because it has “icky” connotations. But the reality is that our industry is not particularly big, and the number of experts continues to dwindle as our “golden generation” starts to retire. So soak up as much information as possible from others and learn from their mistakes. I’ve found almost everyone friendly and generous with their time.

Finally, the best technical solution often won’t lead to the best outcome for equipment reliability. Remember that teams use lubricants, and those teams are made of people. So many organizational and intangible factors go into developing a solution, so look at the problem from all angles, including the non-technical ones.

What is the most common misconception about lubrication that you’ve encountered?

That lubricants are a consumable. That’s partly the industry’s fault because many suppliers have conditioned end-users to expect ever-lower prices. This behavior devalues lubricants and their role in equipment reliability. The reality is that lubricants are multi-faceted; they are both an asset and a tool to protect your plant’s assets. When used correctly, they can significantly improve equipment reliability.

Welcome to Precision Spotlight, our fresh Q&A series where we shine a light on industry professionals, delving into their insights and experiences in the world of lubrication. In this Precision Spotlight we interview one of our Editorial Advisory Board Members, Sanya Mathura.

What is a regular day like for you in your role?

There is no regular day! Every day brings new adventures and opportunities to learn more about the industry or bestow information to others.

I have many roles, so my days are packed. As Managing Director at Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd, I run the everyday business of supporting clients with challenges they may be experiencing or working with my affiliates to develop new training or other ways we can share knowledge.

I’m also the series editor for the “Empowering Women in STEM” book (published by CRC Press, Taylor & Francis), so I also spend significant time with the authors for upcoming books in this series.

Additionally, I’m the co-chair for LRVS (Lubrication & Reliability Virtual Summit), which brings together the community to share knowledge and experiences from across the globe.

This year, we’re doing something a bit different, where we will be hosting three regional events; the APAC region (12 June), the Americas region (20 September), and the EMEA region (18 October). We’re trying to bring the communities closer to provide more value for everyone.

I’m also on the editorial board for Precision Lubrication, so I’m constantly pitching ideas to the team and trying to increase the value we can bring to our readers. If I had to summarize my day, it would be spending time to help others get more value to the world through knowledge sharing while advocating for more women in STEM.

If you had a superpower, what would that be?

Teleportation, so I wouldn’t have to go through airports and all the delays! We all have a superpower embedded in us. Many of us get caught up in everyday tasks and don’t realize how much of an impact we make on the world.

Every person brings a unique light and energy to this world which cannot be replicated. We need to take the time to understand our superpower and unleash it with its full force into the world. We could use much more light in this world, so make sure you unleash your superpower!

What is your area of expertise within the field of lubrication?

I’ve been handling various types of equipment in different sectors for years; industrial, marine, transport, commercial, etc. I am a certified MLE (Machinery Lubrication Engineer) by ICML (International Council for Machinery Lubrication) and have written several books on Lubrication Degradation.

My first book was “Lubrication Degradation Mechanisms – A complete guide” published by CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, and my second was “Lubrication Degradation – Getting into the root causes” co-authored with Bob Latino of Prelical Solutions, also published by CRC Press, Taylor & Francis. My third book was “Machinery Lubrication Technician (MLT I & II) certification exam guide,” co-authored with Michael Holloway and published by Industrial Press. So, I may know a thing or two about lubrication.

What best prepared you for your career journey?

Being able to adapt to new situations or challenges. Being open to challenges and accepting that, in some cases, certain things have not been done before helped me along the way. While I hold my bachelors in Electrical & Computer Engineering, I’ve got my Masters in Engineering Asset Management.

After leaving university, I worked in the industry for some time in the electrical field but soon found my way into the reliability sector.

I loved that lubrication was able to bring all aspects of engineering together, and I was able to troubleshoot challenges for clients.

Although there have been instances where being young and female was not in my favor, being able to adapt to the situations which I faced and overcome the challenges have helped me greatly.

What has been the most important innovation in lubrication in recent years?

Sensors are game changers. Being able to transmit critical data while acquiring lots more data points have been crucial in trend monitoring and has evolved over the years. Twenty years ago, operators had to rely on the data taken from an oil sample at the frequency it was sampled (every month or semi-annually or even less in some cases).

There are better ways to trend data, and with the evolution of IoT and all of the advancements in AI, it will be interesting to see how sensors develop in the future.

While particular tests can only be done in a lab over a period of time and these must be taken at specific intervals (months or weeks), these results are not being discredited. However, once used correctly, sensors can provide users with the initial information that something may be happening in their system.

This is ideal for helping prepare the team for any preventive maintenance work to be done in the future. It will be interesting to monitor how sensors form a more significant part of condition monitoring in the years ahead.

If you were to be described as an industrial lubricant, which one do you think you would be?

An ISO 32 turbine oil! These oils must perform under harsh environmental conditions and contain mainly pure base oil and 1% additive. That 1% additive makes the difference and can quickly determine whether the oil stands up to the conditions.

We are all struggling with the balance of life and performance in the workplace, but as with turbine oils, we can’t focus on one area only (such as oxidation); otherwise, other areas may not perform as well (such as wear).

So we need to find the right balance of the additives and things that can help make us better suited for our environments. The ISO 32 grade can be found almost everywhere and has been applied to many applications. Plus, turbines are very cool.

What are some emerging trends in the lubrication industry that you find most exciting?

I absolutely loved the trend toward lower-viscosity oils. Seeing how OEMs and global lubricant suppliers collaborate to bring these oils to the market is intriguing.

For those who may not be aware of the changes within this area, know that there is a lot of planning, testing, and reformulating involved before bringing these oils to the market.

I remember when they were preparing to launch the 0w16 oils, and it took years of research before they were deemed ready. While the automotive sector has seen change more frequently than the industrial sector, we see the trend towards some lighter oils, even in the turbine oils area.

It is exciting to see how the oil is developed to withstand these challenges and the creative ways in which the OEMs are developing their components to also adapt to these changes.

If there was only one thing you could change about our industry, what would that be, and how would you do that?

I would change our approach to learning. Everything starts with learning something new, but it is also seen as an agent of change, one of the main reasons many people don’t readily accept it.

Learning something new doesn’t always have to take place in a classroom, it can be following the guy responsible for greasing the components around the plant. You would be surprised by the wealth of information you can gather on that one trip.

We need to break down the barriers which prevent us from learning or passing information along to each other.

During our time here, we collect so much information, and there should be a way to ensure that this information is passed along to the future generation so they can use it to solve the challenges of tomorrow.

How do you stay updated on the latest research and advancements in the lubrication industry?

Subscriptions to magazines such as Precision Lubrication, attending conferences, listening to podcasts, and reading published papers have helped me to stay updated.

We’re in an industry where things are constantly evolving, so having more than one source of information is critical. It is also essential to ensure you network with others within the industry. They can provide some great insight into areas with which you’re not familiar.

LinkedIn is also a good source of information, but I would also be wary of people who may have an opinion rather than actual data. As with any information which comes your way, you should always be able to ensure its accuracy before spreading it to the masses.

Tell us one of your most memorable experiences working with a customer.

There are so many to choose from! I’ve had such amazing experiences with customers, but the one thing that always makes it memorable is the lightbulb moments they have when they realize there’s a way to solve the issue and get the plant back up and running.

Once, I worked with this ammonia manufacturing company, and we were trying to figure out why the system accumulated varnish in it. One of their team members had compiled a very comprehensive report about the temperatures spiking and documented all of the stages they experienced with this challenge. This was amazing, as they put so much work and effort into it!

They took me around the five plants, and we did some troubleshooting on different ways we could solve the issues they were experiencing. The most memorable part for me was that they were willing to work with me and included me as part of the team from the onset.

Technical expertise outweighed the fact that I was a young female engineer, and that is what I would love to see more of in this industry. We can do much more together when we put aside preconceived notions of society and work together for the greater good.

What is the most common misconception about lubrication that you’ve encountered?

“Oil is just oil. There’s nothing special about it,” and “Nobody else has this challenge.” For the first statement, the owner may have never stepped onto the plant or the warehouse.

Lubricants are precisely formulated for the applications and environment in which they are used. It can be likened to saying that tea is just tea. There are many types of tea. Chamomile, mint, and lavender and each of them have different applications.

Similarly, there are gear oils, hydraulic oils, turbine oils, motor oils, and so many more. Using the wrong type of oil in a particular application can cost you unexpected downtime and possibly some new components. It’s never just simply oil.

Secondly, once a challenge has occurred, there is a guarantee that someone in some part of the world would have faced a similar challenge or can help in one way or another.

The critical aspect is finding that other person or getting access to the research involved in solving the issue. While the challenge may not be the same, the thought process involved in troubleshooting can help steer someone toward a solution.

So clients are not alone when they face challenges, or their plant is not the only one in the world facing a particular challenge. It can be solved, and the plant can return to its full functional capacity.

Any advice for others who may want to get into this field?

The main advice is to be open and absorb as much information as possible. Skills and techniques can be taught to anyone, but being able to work together to help solve problems is where people shine.

When first entering the industry, you need to leave the qualifications and academic accolades at the door of the plant. The real information and value you can bring will be from learning about the plant from those who have worked on it.

That information cannot be found in a book or online, it has to happen in real-time with you being present and willing to learn. Be open to let them teach you (or become your mentor), as this will help with the building blocks of your career.