Remember, buying lubricants by performance specifications
puts lubrication on a professional base. Vendors would rather deal
with people who understand lubricants and what
makes them work. When the user's understanding
increases, the vendor may see the need to increase
his or her own knowledge.
In the last 20 years, various organizations have
devised certification tests to evaluate vendor and
user knowledge in the lubrication field. This effort
has vastly improved the knowledge of everyone
involved. Now vendors know that if a problem
occurs, they will receive a rational hearing rather
than a screaming, emotional response. Vendors
become more service-oriented and better problem-solvers instead of mere order-takers.
At the same time, customers become better
problem solvers when they have records that show
the important parameters have not changed. They
must probe deeper to see if the problem might have
been caused by something they did or did not do.
Finally, by concentrating on performance specifications, total fluid management (TFM) will take on a
whole new dimension. If you choose to go this route,
no longer will you be at the complete mercy of the
TFM manager. The knowledge gained by focusing on
the lubricant specifications will enable you to ask all the important
questions and insist on critical reports.
www.machinerylubrication.com
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November - December 2013
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