“We aim to develop breakthrough technologies”

August 13, 2018 2:27 pm

Glen Sharkowicz,
Director of Brand Strategy- Commercial Marketing, South Asia Pacific

Manufacturers in India are waking to the benefits of technologically superior world-class lubricants. As an industry leader in lubricants, ExxonMobil has specialised lubrication products and services across industries, sectors and applications. In an interview with OEM Update, Glen Sharkowicz, Director Commercial Marketing, ExxonMobil™, talks about their decade long legacy in customising and delivering next generation technologies in lubrication solutions to customers.

How do you analyse the latest trends and factors that propel market growth of the lubrication industry?
From a global perspective, India is an exciting market. India’s lubricant industry has been on a strong growth path in the past few years, thanks to green field projects, capacity expansions and embracing of new technology in key sectors such as energy, manufacturing, process and metals. Today’s discerning and quality conscious customer is demanding superior performance and high technology products that deliver smart results and sustainability benefits. Even as Indian industry is benchmarking with the best in the world to emerge as a global manufacturing hub, we are witnessing deployment of cutting-edge technologies and best-in-class resources in the Indian domain. These technologies demand the finest new-age lubrication solutions.

What are Mobil’s new-age lubrication solutions for the industry?
The Mobil SHC™ Series of synthetic oils are the result of close working between our scientists and application specialists with key Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). This new-age lubrication solution provides exceptional performance in the continually evolving industrial equipment designs. The Mobil SHC brand of lubricants are recognized and appreciated around the world for their innovation and outstanding performance, and the range of offerings under this series has been tailored to suit needs across industries and sectors. The Mobil SHC series meets or exceeds the requirements of various industry parameters and quality benchmarks, with builder approvals and recommendations from Fives Cincinnati and Siemens AG Flender gear units. ExxonMobil is proud to work with many successful OEMs around the world. We’re equally proud of the fact that our lubricants have endorsements and recommendations of leading equipment builders across the globe.

Can you share which applications would find the Mobil SHC Series lubricants most useful?
The scientifically engineered Mobil SHC series lubricants, formulated using the cutting-edge patented technologies, are recommended for use in a wide variety of circulating, gear and bearing applications where high temperatures are encountered. The Mobil SHC series is ideal for applications where operating temperatures or bulk oil temperatures are such that conventional lubricants give unsatisfactory life, or where improved efficiency is desired. They are particularly effective in applications where the maintenance costs of component replacement, system cleaning and lubricant changes are high. From filled-for-life gearboxes and remotely located gearboxes to mixer roll bearings, plastic calendars and severe centrifuge applications, the Mobil SHC series find itself in a range of applications.

How imperative is R&D in the lubrication sector?
Research and development is at the core of our culture of innovation and customization. Each year, ExxonMobil globally invests around $1 billion on R&D alone. As a company, we place tremendous emphasis on R&D, working side-by-side with the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers to develop the most effective products and maintenance solutions. This process of innovation begins in our Research & Engineering facilities and is conducted by working closely with leading equipment builders in our quest to provide our customers with products that have global consistency.

ExxonMobil is founded on a culture of science and technology. We employ more than 2,200 scientists and 5,000 employees at our research and technology divisions around the world. Our scientists and engineers are working to develop technologies and products for an increasingly safe, cost-efficient and environmentally responsible world.

How important is the focus on energy efficiency and to minimise environmental impacts for ExxonMobil? How do you approach sustainability?
We at ExxonMobil aim to develop breakthrough technologies that have a positive impact on society in a manner that is safe for our employees, communities and the environment. Long component life helps reduce worn equipment disposal and maintenance-related waste, accruing energy efficiency benefits. Many of our advanced-technology lubricants lower overall traction versus mineral oils, helping to reduce the amount of fuel or energy consumed while operating, and have potential to reduce energy costs and associated emission. Purely in environmental terms, ExxonMobil’s commitment to energy-efficiency has helped minimise the environmental impact through its technologically advanced products and services. This has been enabled through optimized oil drain intervals, which in turn helps reduce used oil volumes and product packaging.

Sustainability has become integral to life, be it nations, communities or industries. It is no longer a mere choice, but is now embedded into the very core of every activity. At ExxonMobil, our ultimate goal is to improve our customers’ competitiveness through our commitment to being the technology leader with the highest level of application expertise, in a sustainable way. Our innovative products and services help deliver tangible performance benefits in the areas of safety, environmental care and productivity.

What makes your products superior in maintaining productivity, durability, and safety for machines?
After many decades of serving the industry, we have the proven lubricants and expertise to help manufacturers take every step of the way. Mobil Industrial lubricants are formulated with product compatibility in mind. Our lubricants are designed to work together and minimize the impact of cross-contamination. In addition to our high performance lubricants and fluids, we provide a range of technical services to help keep the machine running at peak efficiency while also extending machine and oil life, reducing downtime and lowering operating costs. On the productivity front, our products and services are designed to protect the equipment’s lubricated components from wear and corrosion, which helps minimize unexpected downtime and maximize uptime; thus, effectively increasing productivity and sustainability. In terms of safety, innovations in product formulations and services deliver long lubricant life, which can help minimize employee-equipment interaction and mitigate the potential risk of employee injury. Committed to helping companies be safer, more productive and more aware of environmental care practices, Mobil takes a proactive, predictive approach to maintenance and used oil analysis.

What are your plans to further strengthen the SHC portfolio in India?
Our upcoming launch, the Mobil SHC™ Elite, will be a breakthrough synthetic gear and bearing circulating oil that has been specifically engineered to deliver long lasting protection for machines operating under extreme temperatures in industries such as general manufacturing, pulp and paper, metals and energy.

The Mobil SHC Elite will deliver 12 times the oil life of mineral oils and double the oil life of regular synthetic oils, even in continuous high operating temperatures and extreme operating conditions. This will qualify it as a potential replacement for glycol-based lubricants and mitigate the risk involved in mixing glycol-based products with incompatible mineral oils and most synthetic lubricants. This oil will also protect equipment during intermittent temperature spikes and provide up to a 3.6 per cent energy efficiency benefit versus mineral oils. Delivering energy efficiency and advancing productivity for improved profitability, the Mobil SHC Elite series will be the perfect choice for industries.