Is there a link between lubrication and Glasgow?

The city of Glasgow will host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties from 31 October to 12 November and this may have consequences for industry and maintainers.

Manufacturing is a capital-intensive sector with a large CO2 footprint. The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement target for net CO2 emissions shortly after mid-century has completely transformed the industrial manufacturing agenda and will drive a significant part of the capital allocation in the future. While end-of-life asset modifications and replacements are the best opportunity to significantly reduce CO2 emissions, a more basic approach to short-term success should be considered.
In total, 20% (103 EJ) of the world's energy consumption is used to overcome friction. The implementation of advanced tribological technologies can reduce global CO2 emissions by up to 1,460 MtCO2 and lead to savings of 450,000 million Euros in the short term. In the longer term, the reduction can be 3,140 MtCO2 and cost savings of €970,000 million.
By taking advantage of new surface, material and lubrication technologies for friction reduction and wear protection in machinery and other equipment around the world, energy losses due to friction and wear could potentially be reduced by 25% in the long term (15 years) and 10% in the short term (8 years).

Poor lubrication is responsible for over 36% of premature bearing failures for example and can negatively impact the maintenance budget by up to 40% due to excessive (un)planned maintenance and lower than designed mean time between failures (MTBF). Friction in general and premature failures in particular have the potential to negatively impact the performance and reliability of the manufacturing industry, resulting in low overall equipment efficiency (OEE), low operating profit and low return on investment.

In conclusion the selection of lubrication technologies specifically designed for friction reduction and wear protection should therefore be high on the agenda of every manufacturing manager, as this will contribute to CO2 emission targets while reducing the total cost of ownership, thereby improving shareholder value.

Laurent Vanhoudenhove, Entrepreneur and CEO of L42 SRL