Lubrication management firm Trico will add a new oil analysis laboratory at its Pewaukee, Wis., facility that is expected to employ 15 people initially when it is completed this December.
According to Trico, the 15 new positions will include technicians, analysts and chemists to run lab equipment, develop oil analysis reports and provide technical expertise customers. Trico anticipates adding up to 27 people as that segment of the business grows in the next three years. The company said it will start hiring immediately.
It will provide our customers choices ranging from product placement to oil analysis service capabilities and leverage our entire network of industry knowledge, Robert Jung, CEO and owner of Trico, said in a statement.
The company said it plans to purchase state-of-the-art lab equipment to expand its core test offerings and make data transmission seamless to customers. The new lab also will also emphasize analytical ferrography, a cornerstone of the companys current oil analysis laboratory, to provide solutions to customers during critical situations.
It did not say how much the project is projected to cost. Analytical ferrography is the magnetic precipitation and subsequent analysis of wear debris from a fluid sample. This approach involves passing fluid over a chemically treated microscope slide which is supported over a magnetic field. Permanent magnets are arranged to create a varying field strength over the length of the substrate, which causes wear debris to precipitate in a distribution with respect to size and mass over the ferrogram. Once rinsed and fixed to the substrate, this debris deposit allows optical analysis of the composite wear particulates.
Trico offers assessments for lubrication management programs, equipment audits, oil analysis, training and a complete line of lubrication products. According to its web site, Trico provides more than 50 standardized tests for oil sample analysis, industrial lubricants, fuels and coolants. The company is 95 years old.