Executive Summary
According to readers, the primary factors to consider when selecting a lubricant for machinery include OEM recommendations, viscosity, cost and operating conditions. The goal is to use lubricants that not only meet technical requirements but also support operational efficiency and safety. Regarding ROI on lubricants, readers report that they consider factors such as equipment uptime, maintenance costs and extended equipment life to assess the benefits. The effectiveness of a lubricant is gauged by its ability to reduce downtime, lower maintenance expenses and enhance equipment longevity, contributing to overall operational savings.

Q.1. What are some of the main factors you consider while selecting a lubricant for your machinery?

Performance, global availability, approvals and environmental, health and safety (EHS) concerns.

Proper viscosity, meets OEM requirements, cost.

Load capacity and cost.

OEM lubricant standard requirements, ASTM performance characteristics of lubes available, proficiency of maintenance staff to handle extra grease products (simplicity above overall performance) and application methods versus cost benefit.

When selecting a lubricant, consider factors like viscosity, operating temperature, load and speed, material compatibility, corrosion protection and the environmental conditions the machinery will face.

Price, main technical specs, danger phrases, ability to be detected in case of a leak.

The lubricant must meet the OEM technical requirements or demonstrate equal or better performance in the applications. Also, the supplier must have technical, commercial and supply chain capabilities to not put our operations at risk.

More parameters are needed.

OEM approvals and its performance.

1.) The viscosity is the first. 2.) Vendors supply availability. 3.) Consolidation as much as possible.

Lubricity along with oiliness, oxidation resistance, aniline point and flash and fire points.

Operating conditions, additives and the application.

Manufacturer’s specification and if we manufacture or sell the lubricant.

First check is to see what the OEM recommends, then compare that against the conditions in which the machinery operates such as speed, temperature and load. Comparing the information will help you determine things like viscosity and performance features you need for the lubricant.

Operating conditions/parameters, cost, ease of application.

Technology balanced with supply and cost. The best is not necessarily the most expensive.

1.) Rated viscosity, 2.) lifespan of the lubrication and 3.) additives in the lubrication.

Application, duty cycle, operating conditions and asset criticality. 

Equipment manufacturer’s recommendations, operating conditions and lubricant change interval.

The geographic location of the plant where my machine will be commissioned. The additives to prevent oil varnish. 

Technical specifications, relevant industry approvals, longevity and cost.

Oxidative stability, viscosity, detergency.

Equipment lubricant specification, operating environment.

Compatibility with mating surface and materials, lubricant behavior in the range of operating temperature values, the influence of humidity, debris and contaminations on the operation of lubricated contact and manner of lubricant supply, appearing of micro-arcs.

Load carrying capacity of the lubricant, consistency at elevated temperature, antiwear additives.

First performance.

Application, environment, brand, reputation.

Market performance. Market results data.

Meets industry and OEM specifications. Field trial performance when comparing products.

The viscosity, the thermal stability/oxidation stability, the additive package.

Product performance, reputation of the supplier, on-time delivery, technical support, availability of a condition monitoring program, services provided beyond lubricant sales, product cost.

Characteristics that solve the problems.

Long life performance and the cost.

Fit for purpose, meeting the specifications, reliable brand and supply reliability.

Specifications and approvals.

Compliance with the technical requirements of the equipment.

1.) The part to be lubricated. 2.) Operating parameters (pressure, temperature, speed, load, etc.). 3.) Equipment age. 4.) Manufacturer recommendations, etc. 

In this order: 1.) Quality. 2.) Price. 3.) Availability.

Load, speed, temperature, type of machinery and the in-house reputation of the manufacturer’s representative making the recommendation.

Viscosity, brand.

It will depend on the machine and mechanism, the speed, temperature and surrounding environment. With this data, the viscosity and characteristics of the lubricant suitable for the application are selected.

Viscosity, viscosity index, additives.

Equipment/component type, operational requirements (i.e. temperature, vibration, load, speed) and operating environment (dust and moisture).

Manufacturer recommendations, operating conditions such as operating temperature and ambient temperatures for selecting the proper viscosity.

Cost.

Quality, performance and pricing.

OEM recommended viscosity and type.

Speed, load, temperature, environment (dust, water, etc.).

Q.2. Briefly describe how you measure/monitor the return on investment (ROI) on lubricants.

Reduction of oil changes and waste disposal.

In the overall scheme of things, the cost of lubricants is low on the list while its importance is very high on the list, thus the ROI on lubricants is very high, regardless of first cost.

To measure the ROI on lubricants, I monitor factors such as equipment performance, maintenance costs and downtime. Key metrics include extended equipment life, reduced repair costs, improved fuel efficiency and minimized operational disruptions. By comparing these benefits to the cost of the lubricants, I can calculate the overall savings and efficiency gains, providing a clear picture of the ROI.

The short answer is based on the equipment uptime. If switching to a synthetic or other premium product will impact equipment reliability, it is a minor expense compared to the overall payoff/benefit.

Failures or problems related to lubricant. If you reduce the problems, the operation and maintenance (O&M) cost will be lower than the alternative option with higher failure rate. With a similar performance level, obviously lubricant cost can be a secondary importance parameter. 

Is your decision on selecting the lubricant for your machinery driven in majority by cost or performance?
Cost         12%
Performance 88%
Based on an informal poll sent to 15,000 TLT readers.

We basically follow the monthly oil consumptions. In case of a lubricant change, we plot the potential savings taking these consumptions and the price into account.

I have standards for measuring/monitoring one lubricants.

Reduced maintenance cost.

Mainly on root cause failure analysis (RCFA), on failed equipment. Even though the equipment may have not failed due to lubricant, we can see if the lubricant was performing its job to protect the equipment moving parts from early wear.

Evaluate the quality of the lubricant—does it extend the oil drain interval or prevent unwanted downtime for a critical machine? Calculate the savings from the extended oil drain interval or unwanted downtime and gauge this against the initial cost of the lubricants.

We don’t use enough to consider ROI a factor, other than the machinery performs as intended with little downtime.

Equipment uptime is the primary measure of lubricant ROI. Uptime coupled with equipment life expectancy are the key metrics of lubricant ROI.

Availability of equipment during operations.

Predictive monitoring and maintenance of the equipment being lubricated. The “world’s best lubricant” is most likely not so. It is very important to avoid imagineering.



Do you predominantly rely on analysis results from an oil condition monitoring (OCM) lab or from onboard test kits/online condition monitoring equipment?
OCM lab                                  47%
Onboard test kits/online condition monitoring equipment 8%
Both                          45%
Based on an informal poll sent to 15,000 TLT readers.
The ability of the lubrication to perform its function during its lifespan is assessed by the duration of operation, the physical condition and operational health of the machinery it is lubricating. With oil analysis to determine how effective the current oil can be, matched to the hours of run time, the equipment in service can perform longer, minimizing downtime and wider spans between maintenance and oil changes.

Uptime of equipment.

Carry out a cost-benefit analysis. Track key performance indicators (KPIs). Monitor consumption.

We measure lube life relative to wear evidence.

We monitor it through lubricant analysis and online purifications according to the status of the analysis.

Performance and sustainability.

Machine downtime that is directly related to a lubricant issue. Amount of lubricant (oil or grease) that is purchased year over year.

Failure rate.

Oil condition monitoring data. Historical data on failures/downtime and root cause.

Increased reliability: Improved equipment reliability and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Decreased maintenance costs: Reduced parts and labor costs due to fewer repairs and downtime. Extended equipment life: Longer machine life.

Total cost of ownership of the lubricant, meaning comparing the cost of the product with the performance and life of the lubricant in service. That includes maintenance costs, downtime for oil changes, ability of the oil to be reclaimed and disposal cost.

Reduction of breakdown maintenance cost.

Lubricant life, equipment life.

Hours worked.
 
Lubricants are such a small portion of the cost of operating our machinery; looking at the specific ROI wouldn’t be of great value. However, looking at the machinery reliability data and combining that with a serious analysis of the failure causes points us toward the better lubricants for the application.

Normally lubricants are part of maintenance expenses budget. We do not evaluate ROI for this. If we go for higher performance lubricants, then we could do an ROI for the price difference.

Find total cost of repairs over a specified period, estimating the percentage of repairs that is attributed to mechanical wear of tribological components, then estimate percentage of repairs linked to poor lubrication. The percentage cost that could have been avoided by the implementation of effective lubrication program can then be estimated—opportunity cost.

Cost versus performance and machine life. Downtime, turnover, replacement costs—all come into consideration.

Monitoring lubricant’s physical properties and cleanliness. Extending the lubricants remaining useful life through condition monitoring.

Costs of lubricant use per unit production.

Editor’s Note: Sounding Board is based on an informal poll sent to 15,000 TLT readers. Views expressed are those of the respondents and do not reflect the opinions of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. STLE does not vouch for the technical accuracy of opinions expressed in Sounding Board, nor does inclusion of a comment represent an endorsement of the technology by STLE.