Fabio Dalla Giovanna Personal Profile
I’ve known Fabio since 2009, and over the years we’ve met up at lubricant conferences and related events. During this period, I’ve had the privilege to get to know him well. I consider him one of the ‘greats’ in the lubricant industry, therefore I’ve been trying to encourage him to agree to have his Personal Profile published in Lube Magazine, thereby sharing this with the readers. He is a very private person and has shown reluctance to be interviewed, however my perseverance paid off and eventually he agreed.
Fabio attended the Politecnico University in Milan, acquiring a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After leaving university he started his career with Stilmas, an engineering company, in the role of Head of Responsibility of Research Programmes. Stilmas was engaged with two National Research Institutes: ENEA (Italian National agency for new technologies); and CNR (National Research Council). The reason for the collaboration was to develop technologies, usually applied in the pharmaceutical fields, as well as the treatment of waste, particularly waste water from vegetable oils as well as waste water from the textile industries.
He was also responsible for the design of some equipment which was installed to be used in the everyday business activities of the company. After the successful implementation of the research projects, he was promoted to Project Manager for other key projects in the fields of water treatment and water potabilazation (a process to purify water to make it drinkable for human or industrial use). Still with a strong desire for technical research in the processing of purification for water and other fluids, four years later Fabio joined Viscolube, one of the largest waste oil re-refining companies in Europe.
“I started my job in Viscolube,” said Fabio “as Project Manager for a very exciting project in the South of Italy, where Viscolube wanted to diversify its activity dealing with toxic and hazardous waste disposal, using the correct and appropriate treatments, and therefore the idea to form a national platform for hazardous waste disposal was established. I worked on this project for several months but unfortunately the project was discontinued due to bureaucratic and political reasons. In the meantime, the idea to develop a new technology as well as to double the capacity of the existing plant of re-refining was approved by the Board, and I entered into the project with all my enthusiasm, working day and night on this idea. An idea that I considered very exciting. I didn’t know anything about re-refining and so I started to work with IFP (the French Institute of Petroleum, now named Axens) and some other engineers in order to understand the Oil and Gas processes.”
Today, Viscolube is still working with this process that has been patented and Fabio is one of the three co-authors. This process is recognised all over the World as one of the most innovative and successful technologies for producing base oils from waste oil. This plant has been successfully designed, licensed and built up in several countries in Europe and overseas. During his 25 years of activity in the Oil & Gas field Fabio has covered a variety of positions: from Project Management; Business and Development Director; Factory Director; Technical Director and Technology Director.
In 2007 he became President of GEIR (The European Re-refining Association). Then in 2012 he was appointed President of UEIL. During the 50 years of UEIL’s activities, never has someone in the field of lubricant re-refining ever held this position. In 2015, Malta hosted the UEIL Annual Congress and it was here that I had the opportunity to discover some of the interests and passions that Fabio has, other than working. Just before the Gala Dinner Fabio played his guitar and sang to an appreciative audience.
SJ
“Fabio, please tell me about your guitar playing.”
FDG “I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 14. I love music.”
SJ “Do you practice any sport?” FDG “Yes, sometimes I play tennis and I ski. I try to practice tennis
nearly every week when I’m not travelling. I ski during the winter season, I love to ski with my children.”
SJ “Please tell me about your children.”
FDG “I have two: a boy and a girl. My son is 18 and my daughter is 16. I’m very proud of them because they are very serious and diligent. I hope they will remain like this even in the future.”
SJ “When you’re working, what do you like doing the most?” FDG “I like working not only with technicalities and using knowledge gained from my studies, but also applying my creative skills and developing new ideas.”
SJ
“So you’re creative in your work and personal life. Describe your artistic character.”
FDG “I like to play the guitar and I like drawing. I try to express my artistic vein with these hobbies when I can. When possible, even in work, I try to make it less monotonous and more creative. I’m a Scorpio …”
SJ
“So Fabio, effectively you have a wide range of expertise in different areas of the industrial sectors from Process and Engineering to Industrial Operating Management positions including the worldwide promotion of your technology. When you were President of GEIR your lobbying activities have helped to strengthen the used oil recycling sector in Europe. And later, in your Presidency of UEIL, you have represented the European Lubricants Industry. Do you think that this technical and creative duality has favoured you?
FDG “I have never analysed my past experience in so much detail before, but probably you’re right Suzy. To pass from one role to another in almost 30 years of work has given me the opportunity to grow and to enrich, both from professional and cultural points of view. For sure technicality and creativity make a good combination in daily work activities and help to prevent the fossilisation of standardised processes as well as to constantly look for opportunities to improve.
SJ
“Looking to the future, what new ventures and ideas are on your horizon?”
FDG “I’m thinking that some improvements on the hydro-treatment plant will hopefully allow my company to be prepared to face new niches of the market previously unexplored and to improve the base oil quality without reducing the annual production. We carried out some tests in a pilot plant in Greece and the results are very encouraging.
Suzy Jarman Editor, Lube Magazine
LINK
f.dallagiovanna.viscolube.it
24
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.135 OCTOBER 2016
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