Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1336798
ML www . machinerylubrication.com | January - February 2021 | 13 ML Are they approved by your OEMs? If you have equipment that is under warranty or prefer to stick with recommended lubricants from the OEM, you may want to select a supplier that has approvals from the equipment manufacturer. is can help avoid any issues when it comes to claims or even assuage the fears from engineering staff when installing new equipment. Do they specialize in your industry? Some suppliers produce specialized lubes for certain industries, processes, or even equipment. Asking if the candidate has any specialized lubricants can help in your decision. Also, the specializations may also be in the service or technical support aspects of their business. Both of these can be of benefit to your plant if your staff is lacking the knowledge and under- standing of lubricants and lubrication. What packaging and bulk delivery options do they offer? E a se of deliver y a nd tra nspor t of the lubricant within the plant impacts manpower, and potentially quality of the lubricant. e supplier should be able to deliver the lubricant in the appropriate volumes and in the appropriate container option to make reception and handling easier on your staff. What is their reputation for quality and service? is should be based on customer refer- ences as well as any reviews that can be found with trusted organizations. Choose a supplier that not only meets all the other demands of the contracts but also has a good reputation for quality and customer service. What experiences have you had with this supplier in the past? If you have used the supplier in the past, make a list of the pros and cons of their service and quality. Also review your current lubri- cants to determine if you are already utilizing a significant volume of a particular brand. ese can guide the decision to determine if a single supplier is a good fit for your organization. While there are many aspects to selecting a lubricant supplier, ultimately it is a decision that you must make to benefit your equip- ment, staff, and organization as a whole. Few partnerships have the ability to impact the reliability of your machinery more than your lubricant supplier. Building a relation- ship that is founded on quality products and quality service can serve as a foundation for a world-class lubrication program. With a great lubricant supplier and a detailed development plan, you can achieve the transformative cost savings and reliability improvements of world- class lubrication in your plant. ML About the Author Wes Cash is the Vice Pres- ident of Services for Noria Corporation. He serves as a senior technical consultant for Lubrica- tion Program Development projects and as a senior instructor for Noria's Oil Analysis I and Machinery Lubrication I and II training courses. He holds a Machinery Lubrication Engineer (MLE) Machine Lubrication Tech- nician (MLT) Level II certification and a Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) Level III certification through the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML). Contact Wes at wcash@noria.com.