Using cheaper alternatives, mixing products, or applying one type across multiple applications may appear attractive at face value. But the Southern African Institute of Tribology (SAIT) warns that such decisions come with a high price to pay.
By Jimmy Swira
Industries are bearing the burden of rising maintenance costs. Organisations are offsetting this by purchasing affordable lubricants. Some are more ‘creative’ by using one lubricant for different applications. Going beyond, others even ‘innovatively’ mix different lubricants – necessity, the mother of innovation?
Nonetheless, unbeknown to organisations, these seemingly cost-effective ways can have huge implications on machine condition, potentially availability, and most certainly revenue.
Need for prudence
Therefore, Southern African Institute of Tribology (SAIT) advises companies to exercise prudence as they seek bargains in lubricant prices to avoid falling for counterfeit products. The organisation laments the proliferation of knock-offs of popular brands. This has become a major concern in South Africa, especially in the mining, industrial, and transport sectors. Many substandard products enter the market through informal supply chains, repackaging, and illegal imports.
SAIT’s major concern is that, if timely interventions are not taken, this situation could have serious impact on companies and the industry at large. This is given the importance of lubricants to machinery health.
For this reason, SAIT sees raising industry awareness as the most potent weapon against counterfeit lubricants. The committee members inform end-users about the downsides of the lubricants.
Effects of counterfeits on equipment health
While counterfeits may appear to be huge bargains, the damage they can cause far outweighs the perceived gains. And it may not be worth experimenting with them at whatever cost. Martin Van Rooyen cautions: “These lubricants often do not meet OEM specifications and lack the necessary additive packages required for proper equipment protection.”
Costly consequences of counterfeits
Using counterfeit or substandard lubricants comes with unintended costly consequences. A company may have to put up with the following issues:
• Increased Equipment Failures
Many counterfeit products have incorrect viscosity grades or degraded base oils, leading to lubrication breakdown. In addition, inadequate additive formulations lead to accelerated wear.
• Operational Downtime
Equipment failures result in unplanned shutdowns. This significantly impacts productivity and increases repair costs.
• Increase in Maintenance Costs
Reduced oil change intervals increase maintenance costs. Frequent oil changes require new lubricants. The more the change, the more the consumables.
• Environmental and Safety Hazards
Poor quality lubricants increase the risk of contamination. They can cause excessive emissions, contamination, and fire risks due to instability under high temperatures.
• Legal and Warranty Issues
Many OEMs void warranties when substandard lubricants are used. This leaves businesses with high replacement costs.
Downside of using same lubricant
Using one lubricant for different applications is not cost-effective, but turns out to be very costly in the short run. There are details end-users may not know or deliberately ignore, vitally:
• Each application has a specific lubricant appetite. Lubricants are developed and formulated for each of those applications. Therefore, the application of an incorrect lubricant cannot give optimum protection or cost of ownership.
• Incorrect viscosity leads to inadequate lubrication.
• Thermal breakdown due to operating conditions beyond lubricant specifications.
• Chemical incompatibility causes deposits and varnishing.
• Excessive wear causes reduced equipment lifespan.
Mixing different lubricants
Neither is mixing different lubricants smart nor pennywise. No potent lubricant hybrid is created – instead, the worst occurs.
Van Rooyen enlightens: “Mixing lubricants often results in additive depletion, altered viscosity, and chemical incompatibility, which can cause foaming, sludge formation, and component failure.” Evidently, not a good experience during peak production.
Recommended steps
To manage abovementioned challenges, Van Rooyen recommends the following steps:
a. Lubricant procurement
Van Rooyen’s advice to industry when shopping around for lubricant is to carry out the following steps thoroughly:
• Ensure that the correct lubricant is used for each lubrication point on all equipment.
• Source lubricants from reputable suppliers with proven track records.
• Verify product certifications and conformance to industry standards.
• Conduct oil analysis to ensure compatibility with existing systems.
When followed diligently, these steps will ensure optimal procurement process, he assures.
b. Best practice in application of lubricants
However, getting a genuine lubricant brand is not a cure-all to lubrication challenges. For the lubricant to enable optimal asset performance, the following steps are crucial:
• Using the correct lubricant grade and specification for each application.
• Following OEM-recommended change intervals and maintenance schedules.
• Ensuring contamination control through proper storage and filtration.
• Monitoring lubricant condition through regular analysis.
• Adopt a lubricant policy! Implement strict quality control measures for lubricant storage and handling.
• Integration of lubrication condition monitoring with predictive maintenance strategies.
• Regular training and competency assessments for lubrication personnel.
• Collaboration between maintenance teams and lubricant suppliers for optimisation.
As for lubricant application, Van Rooyen precisely sums up SAIT’s advice: Use a lubricant according to specifications.
The long and short of SAIT’s overall message? Don’t be tempted to cut corners on lubricants — it rarely ends well, if at all it does.
Exciting developments
On a different note, organisations are at an advantage of having technologies for different applications at their disposal to enable them to optimise lubrication and improve asset performance. The most exciting developments in recent years include:
• Low-emission lubricants: Development of CK-4 and FA-4 engine oils for modern high-efficiency diesel engines.
• Nano-additive technology: Advanced lubrication molecules enhancing wear protection.
• AI-driven condition monitoring: Using machine learning for predictive lubrication strategies.
• Bio-based lubricants: Environmentally friendly alternatives reducing carbon footprints.
