LUBE 30TH ANNIVERSARY Chris Kettel, How I founded LUBE 30 years ago...
As many of you will know, in 1988 when I was President of the, as was, British Lubricants Federation, members of the Council supported my view that we needed to improve our communication within the organisation and the lubricants industry as a whole.
The world then was very different to that of today. Russia began economic restructuring (perestroika), the first internet virus appeared called ‘the internet worm’ and the European Commission published a study on the advantages of a single market.
The lubricants market was dominated by the traditional seven sisters, global oil companies reflecting Rockefeller’s adage about looking after customers’ interests from ‘wellhead to pump’. The new breed of super independents, companies that operate without refining capability, had yet to exert their influence on the market as we know it today.
I instigated a review named LUBE in order to inform BLF members about industry news, technical articles, regulatory developments and company information. The first edition was circulated, all four pages, to the members. Happily it was well received and since then LUBE has been printed on a very regular basis.
Soon it became obvious that the outside world was changing. Lube began to reflect the growing importance of an interconnected industry, a globalising market for our products and the importance of Europe both as collective of trading states but also as a centre of economic and political influence.
At that time the lubricants market looked very different to that of today. The European OEM
50 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.147 OCTOBER 2018
association ACEA would not be formally established until 1991 although its predecessor CCMC (the Comité des Constructeurs du Marché Commun) was already functioning. The main industry standard for automotive lubricants was the Society of Automotive Engineers’ viscosity ratings as it still it today, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) who introduced SF for service gasoline engines and CE to take account of supercharged diesel engines. It would not be for another five years until the Euro 1 emission standard for passenger cars would be enacted by the European Union.
The advent of the Single European Act in 1992 brought about the single market in Europe. Through this the European Union firmly established Europe’s importance globally as a cultural, economic and political centre. When I look back to the second edition it is quite ironic that one of the articles is headed ‘The Single European Market – A Strategy for 1992 and Beyond’ with advice for member companies. Now in 2018 the same concerns are being addressed in reverse as the UK heads towards its EU leaving date. However, it should be stressed that the BLF was committed to its future working alongside Europe, which is a position that continues today through its successor the United Kingdom Lubricants Association.
Also, in the early days LUBE reported growing concern regarding the environmental issue relating to plastic packaging which 30 years on is still a very relevant subject. As the saying goes ‘what goes around comes around’!
Since 1988 the lubricant market has also changed. The REACH regulation protecting the public from chemical mixtures and substances that are injurious to Continued on page 52
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