UKLA President’s Report
In the last few months the changes that have occurred in the automotive industry have been quite frankly staggering. The government announced the end of conventional petrol and diesel engine cars and vans by 2040, having to have an electrical content in the drive train.
Since this, the Geely owned Volvo Car Company has announced electrification by 2019, all vehicles produced will have an electric motor and now Jaguar Land Rover has also similarly issued a press release that electrification will happen from 2020 in all of its cars and 4x4s. The other headline in this equation is the bad press recently of diesel powered vehicles, specifically the levels of nitrous oxides (NOx) and soot particulates, resulting in a shift over to petrol/electric power.
So what does this mean in our industry? The change of PCMO engine oils to assist with economy and emissions are developing more quickly than ever before. We are seeing lots of 0w20 and 0w30 formulations being introduced and know that SAE 16, 12 and 8 are waiting in the wings sometime soon. Engines are getting smaller, usually turbocharged and with smaller engine sumps, longer service intervals that will use less lubricant.
There will of course be current “conventional” vehicles around for many years yet so will cushion the impact of change; however it needs to be prepared for.
It’s inevitable the new formulations will have more Group III+ and IV base oil content to help oil consumption issues and expect similar trends in driveline. One of my personal concerns is continuity of supply of these materials as we saw not too long ago with PAOs. Add in the swing to mainly petrol fuelled cars and what will that do to the shape and volumes of refineries finished products?
On a slightly different matter but related, I read recently about the shift to more plastic/composite components for vehicle sub assemblies in an effort to replace metal, hence lightening the vehicle, so for every 100kg saved OEMs can expect 0.4kg/100kms improvement in fuel consumption, an opportunity for injection moulders etc.
Vehicle body construction is similarly changing focussed on weight reduction, so new challenges in metalworking and pressing fluids. Challenging and exciting times ahead.
Martyn Mann UKLA President
UEIL President’s Report
The UEIL yearly congress that took place on October 25-27 in Bologna was very successful. The programme was focused on innovation and sustainability and offered to the over 200 delegates an excellent opportunity to discuss how our industry can be innovative and forward looking. The speakers were insightful and inspiring and the discussion following the speeches was very engaging, signaling a clear interest towards innovation within our industry.
The trends in the “lubricant world” and their impact on lubricants were a hot topic during the congress – from e-mobility to 3D printing. While the challenges related to a possible decline in lubricant demand were highlighted, it was also evident that the future also holds many opportunities, the key success factor being the ability to embrace the changes and adapt the business model to prepare for the future.
What appeared very clearly is that the world is moving fast and if we stand still we are actually going backwards. The picture that emerged from the congress in this respect was overall positive, as we saw several examples of how our industry is moving forward – from digitalisation, with digital platforms and algorithm- based marketing gaining importance for B2B business models, to product development, where several examples of combining performance with reduced carbon footprint were presented.
Bio-based materials are just one example of how our industry is engaging with sustainability. The project started in Germany by the Nasch consortium to collect information on the resources employed to produce lubricants is an important initiative taken by the industry to provide data on resource consumption.
In this respect, the need for UEIL as an association to take a more active stand on sustainability issues, building up on the work started by the Statistics Committee this year is evident. Producing sustainability data is one of the key success factors for our association raised during the key note speech, along with setting clear objectives, establishing clear deliverables and KPIs, working in a transparent and pro-active way and increase cooperation with other associations. The presence of a large ILMA delegation at the Congress offered in this regard an excellent opportunity to further strengthen the relationship between our associations.
And finally, starting from the keynote speech and continuing with the presentation on social media, the importance of developing our association’s communications emerged very clearly.
Our challenge as association in the future is not only to keep on building value – for our members and for the society at large – but also to communicate to our stakeholders the value we create in a clear and powerful way.
To conclude, I would like to thank you all for participating to the Congress in Bologna and for contributing to its success and I am looking forward to seeing you next year in Budapest.
Valentina Serra-Holm UEIL President
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.142 DECEMBER 2017
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