TLT: How long have you worked in a lubrication-related field, and how did you decide to pursue a career in the lubricants industry? 
Poley: I’ve worked in the oil analysis industry from its inception in the commercial arena in 1960, joining the first laboratory of its kind for the specialized purpose of oil analysis that included wear metals, in early 1961, while still in the process of obtaining my chemistry degree. I had wanted to do research work in lubricants with a major oil company. I was eventually offered a job by a major oil company that would have paid substantially more, but I became entranced with oil analysis, making it my one and only career objective. 



TLT: What has been your most rewarding accomplishment throughout your career in the lubricants industry? 
Poley: Here are accomplishments I’d like to share: 1.) Starting my own laboratory and having success and standing, including more oil company business than any other competitor. 2.) Developing the first software (1979-1980) for automated data evaluation of oil analysis test results, leading to more comprehensive maintenance advisories. 3.) Writing a comprehensive book in 2019, updating the oil analysis industry: “Practical Fluid Analysis in the 21st Century.” 4.) Being honored as an STLE Fellow. 

TLT: What is the No. 1 piece of advice you would give to a person who might be interested in starting a career in the lubricants industry? 
Poley: There are numerous ways to explore. Seek the avenues that appear to be of most interest to you, or jibe with your talents, rather than most lucrative, at the outset. I wanted to be on a Nobel prize team at an oil company upon graduation; however, when I got a job offer that could possibly provide that, I agonized over it and decided not to abandon the work I was doing because I was hooked on what I did. I realized my job had a lot of fun in it, and good upside, such that I was exploring new ideas and becoming a significant player in those ideas. Ultimately, I confidently established my own laboratory operation, and it became one of history’s most respected oil analysis labs. 

TLT: Throughout the different segments within your career, which one has been the most interesting, challenging and/ or rewarding? 
Poley: Having only one career, I can truly state that I’ve participated in virtually every aspect of oil analysis: starting as a technician while pursuing my degree, then assuming the role of chemist upon graduation, then technical director, then vice president, mostly on the business side. This training while working enabled me to have the confidence to go into business for myself, ultimately leading to starting my own company, which was a recognized industry leader in its day. Being acquired was both sad and exciting until I temporarily semi-retired three years later. I came out of retirement in 2004 to refresh the software I’d developed, and I now specialize in helping others perform oil analysis for best effect and ROI. Sandwiched into all this is the amount of time I’ve spent in garages and plants and ships, etc., where I could actually see and better understand all the equipment types we serviced. I also met some great people; some became friends for life. This enhanced my knowledge and understanding greatly, and I was able to elevate the software’s capabilities even more. Almost as important, it was fun to do, and it’s why I still practice oil analysis.

TLT: What are some of the most technical lubrication-based concepts or topics you have encountered throughout your career? 
Poley: 1.) We used an atomic emission spectrometer to perform the wear metals analysis—a precision instrument. However, we didn’t at first know that, when testing for wear metals concentration, we were not measuring the entire amount of the metals in the test sample when particle size was above a particular threshold. For argument’s sake, particles as small as 10 microns, even 3-5 μ for some metals, might not be detectable whatsoever, dependent on the element. This clearly had negative consequences, especially in terms of decision making for pulling an asset from service for inspection, but I’m not aware of any notable work that resolved this deficiency, until X-ray fluorescence was explored. Today both options can be deployed, small and large, if one will, with the logic that larger implies a more urgent finding, in terms of a decision to tear down an asset and look for wear, thus directly affecting asset availability. 

2.) As testing of synthetic lubricants grew, we realized that some tests we utilized for hydrocarbon oils were not effective, and that other tests might be needed as well. 

3.) Infrared (IR) analysis came into the oil analysis world early and eventually provided a multitude of data points, e.g., oxidation, nitration, sulfation, followed by acid number, base number, etc., as more research fostered additional capabilities. 

TLT: What is the one thing you wish you would have learned earlier in your career? 
Poley: I wish I’d learned how to negotiate my position and salary. It’s part of the reason I chose to go back to college for another degree, this time in business. 

TLT: What do you see in the future of oil analysis? 
Poley: There still is unfinished business. If anything, there is more business than ever waiting to be developed. Here is one prediction that seems obvious to me: Brick and mortar laboratories continue to be good and dominant forces for in-service lubrication testing. More and more, however, brick and mortar faces the logistical fact that data for lube testing are delayed at least two days, often more, i.e., in terms of samples being sent as far as 100 miles away from where the asset resides, the plant. This obfuscates the ability to amalgamate oil analysis data with other CM data for a more comprehensive, precision evaluation and diagnosis, most notably, vibration sensor data. Most other forms of CM have migrated to sensors to provide real-time data. Unfortunately, though there are sensors for oil analysis, only iron (Fe) is offered as a wear metal. Further, Fe particle size detection is limited in particle size with such sensors. Full wear metals analysis is, therefore, not possible with sensors at the moment, forcing a bench test to get the necessary data—thus it is imperative to have onsite oil analysis to minimize data delays. 

Accordingly, onsite oil analysis can make a major difference in full data delivery in the shortest time, as well as allowing shop technicians to add their expertise to the advisory, i.e., the maintenance recommendation, the true objective of oil analysis. Once the notion of onsite analysis takes hold, “holistic CM,” my term for the transition, will ensure new horizons with mixed mode data analysis and diagnostics—heretofore not possible. It’s common sense, and it makes sense, assuring optimal advisories and ROI. 

For more information about the eight paradigm shifts in fluid analysis, you can reach Jack Poley at poleyj@bellsouth.net.