Fuchs Petrolub and L.B. Foster Co. have announced a strategic partnership to supply lubricants and friction management services to the rail industry in North America and abroad.
Fuchs is headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, but it indicated that the partnership will be run through its United States subsidiary, Fuchs Lubricants Co., which is based in Harvey, Illinois. L.B. Foster’s headquarters is in Pittsburgh, but it has subsidiaries in Canada, Europe and China.
In a Dec. 14 news release, Fuchs said its goal for the partnership is to increase its sales to the rail industry in North America and to expand supply of such products internationally.
“Through this partnership, customers in the rail industry can now purchase all their lubrication solutions and services from a single source,” Fuchs Lubricants Co. CEO and President Keith Brewer said in the news release.
Officials said Fuchs brings to the partnership its expertise in lubricant manufacturing, along with a portfolio of greases and fluid lubes used by train operators. L.B. Foster contributes offerings of services and equipment such as systems that apply grease to the top and face of rails.
L.B. Foster also developed a service named Total Friction Management, widely recognized in the rail industry, which helps train operators improve fuel economy and reduce wear by taking into account wheel materials and design and application systems, as well as lubricants themselves. The company supplies some lubricants but lacks the portfolio of Fuchs.