Contents ISSUE No. 191 February 2026 9 14
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46 49
Regulars:
Editor’s Comment ....................................................................................... 3 Presidents’ Reports ...................................................................................... 4 Industry News & Moves ............................................................................... 6 UEIL News ................................................................................................. 56 VLS ........................................................................................................... 59 In conversation with David McLean, Chief Marketing Officer, Duckhams .... 60 Local Market Report, Saudi Arabia ........................................................... 63 ICIS Base Oil Report ................................................................................... 65 Forthcoming Events .................................................................................. 66
From ICE to EV fluids: How are shifting mobility trends redrawing the global base oil demand map? Which base oil will prevail? Anuj Kumar, Senior Project Manager and Sharbel Luzuriaga, Senior Project Manager, Kline + Company
Enhancing hydraulic efficiency using Secondary Polyol Ester®
technology
Martin Greaves, Zach Hunt, Jeff DiMaio, Nathan Knotts, VBASE Oil Company
Biodegradable base oils Srđan Sokolović, MBA, PhD, Business Development Expert, Owner of Sowa Solutions
Re-refined group III base oils – Revolutionising the future of used motor oil Tony Weatherill, CEO & President, ReGen III
Synthetic base stocks and advanced additives: Meeting the demands of modern industrial gear oils Matt Thom, Product Manager, Lubrizol
Lube-Tech: Optimising lubricant molecules at the genetic level Dr. Raj Shah, Director, Koehler Instrument Company, and Gavin Thomas Joseph, Contreras and Mathew Roshan, Student Interns, Koehler Instrument Company
Where is the friction? Identifying hidden tribological contacts in industrial lubrication Raul Fernandes, Application Engineer, Interlub
Lube Media STEM Ambassador Programme Tina Reading, Editor, and Laurie McHale, Media Coordinator, Lube Magazine
Two lubricant exhibitions deliver a single message Michael Herson, Director, The Strategy Works
Selling lubricants smarter: The leadership shift lubricants can’t keep delaying Steve Knapp, Chief Executive Officer,
Plan.Grow.Do.
Editor’s Desk
February is a month for fundamentals. The rush of January has passed, the year’s big ambitions are on the table and now the industry gets back to the serious business of what really underpins everything we do.
For lubricants, that foundation is base oils.
This issue of LUBE is dedicated to
the materials that sit quietly at the heart of every formulation, whether mineral, synthetic or bio based. As markets evolve, feedstocks shift and sustainability targets grow sharper, base oils are no longer just a technical consideration. They are now a strategic one.
We are seeing it across the industry. Bio based lubricants are moving from niche to necessity. Synthetic base stocks are expanding into applications driven by electrification, efficiency and extended drain intervals. At the same time, traditional supply chains are under pressure from geopolitical uncertainty, refinery changes and regulatory demands. Choosing the right base oil today is as much about future proofing as it is about performance.
What makes this moment particularly interesting is how quickly these conversations are moving from the lab to the boardroom. Sustainability targets, customer expectations and regulatory frameworks are forcing all of us to think differently about what goes into our products and how we talk about them. This issue brings together voices from across the supply chain to explore how those decisions are being made and what they mean for the years ahead.
It is also the time of year when many of us will be seeing each other in London at the Argus and ICIS base oils and lubricants conferences. These events have become an essential part of the industry calendar, if you are attending, I look forward to catching up with you there!
As ever, I would like to thank our contributors, advertisers and readers for helping make LUBE what it is. This magazine exists because of the expertise and openness of this industry, and that has never been more important than now, as we navigate one of the most transformative periods in lubricants history.
Enjoy the issue and I hope to see many of you in London very soon.
Tina Reading, Editor, LUBE Magazine
editor@ukla.org.uk
Spring RAF Lunch 2026 27th March 2026
The RAF Club, Piccadilly, London W1J 7PY In association with Sponsored by
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.191 FEBRUARY 2026
3
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