A Steep Learning Curve
The end of June marks a brief summer recess for conference season, in the EMEA region at least. And what a season it has been! Since I joined the LubesnGreases team in October, it seems as if I have been living out of a suitcase. I am delighted to report that my knowledge of this industry has expanded at a faster rate than my midriff. (The experienced conference delegates avoid grazing on pastries during the networking breaks.)
During this time, I have learned that this multifaceted business has something for everyone: chemistry, physics, legislation, logistics, marketing, motor trends and much more. What strikes me about every conference I go to is the passion people feel for their respective specialisms, from tribologists young and old to chemists and from base oil refiners to additive manufacturers.
I had the opportunity to sit in on the recent ELGI working groups, which focus on testing as well as legislation. I had few preconceptions before I entered the room, but was faced by the kind of lively discussion that would not have been out of place in an English pub!
Hopefully, this months edition of LubesnGreases EMEA will spark as much passion. Our roving Western Europe reporter Nick Augusteijn talked to UKLA about its new metalworking fluid handling guidance. My counterpart at the Americas edition, Caitlin Jacobs, looks at lubrication in space. Senior editor Lisa Tocci investigates shifting design of gears and their lubrication challenges. And David Wright, secretary of VLS, outlines some of the recent cases and challenges faced by his independent verification body.
There is another, bleaker talking point that will no doubt stimulate as much debate – the United States recent withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Iran is a major API Group I base oil exporter and the largest lubricant market in the region. Watch this space for the repercussions that renewed sanctions could have.