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July - August 2022
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www
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machinerylubrication.com
M aintenance and Reliabilit y
AS I SEE IT
Jim Fitch
|
Noria Corporation
Are You Ready?
Supply-chain Problems Spark the Need for Backup Lubricants
Changing
to a more
reliable
lubricant
supply may
be your
best bet.
"
In the past couple
of years, Noria has
received a slew of
requests for help from
large users needing backup lubricants
for critical applications. Disruptions
in lubricant supply have been the
main impetus for these inquiries. As
we talked to many industry contacts,
we discovered that the problem is
widespread. A shortage of additive
stock appears to be the main culprit,
but in other cases, base oil supply-
chain issues were responsible.
Some users have been attempting
to deploy stopgap solutions to reduce
oil consumption. This includes
extending oil drains and doing
top-ups as opposed to oil changes.
Of course, one way to get oil to last
longer is by reducing additive and
base oil distress using the clean/dry/
cool strategy. In other cases, supple-
mental additives can be reconstituted
into the aging lubricant — some-
thing like a booster shot. However,
that assumes those additives can be
made available.
It may also be wise to keep larger
reserves on hand by doing away with
just-in-time inventory management
until reliable supplies return. Note
that the prolonged storage of lubri-
cants may present acute problems as
well. Do your homework on storage
stability issues from past articles
found at machinerylubrication.com.
However, these strategies may
be nothing more than a temporary
fix to chronic future problems.
Changing to a more reliable lubri-
cant supply may be your best bet.
At a minimum, you need to be "at
the ready" with a backup lubricant
that is immediately deployable in
your plant equipment when the need
arises. Don't wait until you're down
to your last drop; think through the
worst-case scenarios and the contin-
gency plans or remedies that you
have at your disposal.
