Changing the way the


market sells lubricants Andrew Goddard, Chairman, Verification of Lubricant Specifications


Since the launch of the Verification of Lubricant Specifications {UK) Ltd in October 2013, much has changed in the sector.


Compliance programmes that were once a rarity are becoming more commonplace across Europe and beyond. Regulators, the industry and end users have become more aware of the increasing importance of valid claims in a market built on high performance technology and increasingly stringent emissions regulations.


ATIEL, the Technical Lubricants Association of Europe, launched its global policing programme around two years ago to ensure compliance of lubricants with ACEA’s automotive engine oil sequences. In Germany, FSQ’s compliance programme is already established and other countries such as Spain are considering launching their own programmes.


Addressing non-compliant products or even counterfeit oils is a global issue. API in America have long tackled products making claims against their standards. More recently the Far East, through the Asian Lubricant Manufacturer’s Association, and Africa have raised the issue about the best way to redress quality issues in their marketplaces.


Looking back to 2013, the UK market was very different from that of today. Products were being passed off claiming to be something which they evidently were not. Some companies were selling products at below the cost price that other companies could buy the raw materials. In the end, the customer lost out. End user confidence in lubricants and our sector had to be rebuilt, and VLS was the right vehicle to achieve this.


Since this time, VLS has adjudicated over 60 product complaints, the majority of which have been against automotive engine products. As an independent and impartial organisation working in the best interests of the end user, we established an independent panel of technical experts to oversee case claims and


34 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.151 JUNE 2019


appointed a secretariat to administer claims. A Board of Directors, separate to that of the parent organisation UKLA, was drawn together from additive companies, blenders and support services to decide on the outcome of cases and steer the organisation.


Needless to say, all cases have been, are being, and will continue to be handled in a totally confidential and anonymous manner.


In our first few years, there were a significant number of around 15 claims per year, which reflected that there was much to do to resolve market confidence in lubricants. More recently, as education and market standards have improved, the number of new cases has reduced to a steadier rate of around 5 per year. Anecdotally, additive companies now tell me that they are having meaningful conversations with lubricant marketers and blenders that had not been in contact prior to the formation of VLS.


As the number of cases decreased, VLS took the opportunity to extend its reach with end users. Already, we are proud to have as members companies that directly interface with the end user sector, from blenders to automotive parts companies and lubricant marketers. We decided to build on these relationships with the appointment of a PR & Marketing consultant to develop relationships with the trade media. We backed this up with significant and sustained advertising spend over the past two years to engage end users. By end users we mean garages, workshops, motor factors, motor mechanics and firms operating in the passenger car and commercial, automotive and fleet markets.


Members are constantly being kept up to date on the activities of VLS through a monthly newsletter, a website carrying all case outcomes, regular columns in Lube magazine and the publishing of our process and the way we handle marketing claims on our website.


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