In industrial plants, lubrication is no longer a routine maintenance task. It is a frontline strategy for protecting uptime, extending equipment life and controlling costs with leaner workforces.
Lubricant insights
- As industrial plants push for greater uptime and efficiency, lubrication has become a critical factor in reliability, energy use and overall asset performance.
- Modern lubrication programs are increasingly shaped by longer-life lubricants, stronger contamination control and more disciplined maintenance practices.
- The facilities that treat lubrication as a strategic priority, not a reactive afterthought, are often the ones that achieve the best long-term operating results.
This expert Q&A is with David Turner, CLGS, CLS, OMA-I, a longtime lubricants industry expert whose work centers on helping industrial operations strengthen lubrication practices, improve equipment reliability and support better maintenance decision-making.
In the discussion, he focuses on how lubrication and lubricant selection are evolving in industrial plants as manufacturers seek higher reliability, longer service life, lower maintenance costs and better performance across critical equipment.
The expert: David Turner, CLGS, CLS, OMA-I, Senior Technical Services Representative, Lubricants, CITGO Petroleum Corp., Houston. He has a decade at CITGO and more than 44 years of experience in the lubricants industry, bringing expertise and leadership to his role.
What are the biggest shifts you see in the needs and priorities of industrial plants and how are those shifts influencing the way the suppliers develop new products and services?
The biggest shift I see coming along is the fact that there are less people doing lubrication in many plants. The people are stretched thin and plants are trying to do more with less. The result of that is that lubricants that are used need to be longer life, longer service interval products, so that there’s time to get all the points lubricated. You need lubricants that last longer, so you don’t have to go back to those places as often. Longer-life lubricants, sometimes synthetics in place of mineral oil products or just products that are built for a longer life in service, are becoming more necessary.
When manufacturers evaluate new solutions for plant operations, what problems are they most urgently trying to solve right now?
It depends on the facility. Some facilities have very good lubrication programs and they’re looking at things like extending service life. Others are still in reactive mode and they’re only taking care of what’s broken today, which is not a very efficient way to do maintenance.
How have customer expectations changed in recent years in terms of safety, efficiency, reliability, ease of use and return on investment?
The expectations are for higher quality, longer life, better efficiency lubricants. Using hydraulic fluids as an example, people want hydraulic fluids that are more efficient, like higher viscosity index hydraulic fluids. For other products, the ease of use and correct packaging that’s most easy for them to use in their plant are important factors.
Products that perform well, hold up in service, don’t break down and don’t cause equipment failures are important features of reliability. A reasonable price on products that perform well is considered a good investment.
What common challenges do plant engineers and managers face when trying to modernize operations while still maintaining production uptime?
If you’re trying to update equipment or install new equipment, it’s just like rebuilding a road. You must keep the road open while you’re improving the road. So, you divert traffic into two lanes instead of four. It’s the same in a plant, even though you may be maintaining or increasing capacity on a piece of equipment, you still must maintain production.
The biggest challenge is maintaining production uptime while modernizing operations. Space within a plant is a challenge. If you’re installing new equipment, you have to work around existing production when installing something new. Safety can also be a challenge when bringing new equipment in, while working and perhaps having contractors in an area that normally doesn’t have contractors in the production area.
In your view, what separates the most successful industrial facilities from those that struggle to improve performance over time?
It’s facilities that have good maintenance programs and good lubrication programs. Many industries just don’t seem to understand how important quality lubrication is. Making sure that you get the right oil in the right reservoir or the right grease in the right grease zerk on a machine is essential. Mixing oils or mixing greases is just asking for trouble. Companies that have really good maintenance and lubrication programs tend to be the ones that have the very best performance.
What broader economic, regulatory or workforce trends are having the greatest effect on product design and development for industrial users?
The challenges in manufacturing are driven by both machinery and workforce issues. A major trend is that younger workers prefer technology-focused careers, making it difficult to attract and retain skilled manufacturing employees. Unlike in the past, long-term careers in manufacturing are less common. Regulations such as Occupational Health and Safety Administration and Environmental Protection Agency remain important for protecting workers and the environment, even if enforcement fluctuates. The rising costs and economic pressures push companies to operate with smaller workforces, increasing strain on employees.
How are manufacturers balancing the need for innovation with the need for proven, dependable performance and mission-critical plant environment?
Companies want more efficient, longer-lasting lubricants with extended service intervals. However, many industries resist change and continue using familiar products they’ve trusted for decades. This creates a challenge for lubricant providers, as customers hesitate to switch without clear proof of improved performance and reliability.
What mistakes do plants often make when evaluating or implementing new solutions and how can they avoid them?
One mistake that they need to avoid is not relying solely on salespeople for lubricant recommendations. You should align engineering, maintenance and supplier technical teams to select the optimal product for the application. Avoid simply matching a new lubricant to what’s currently in use and base decisions on fundamental factors like speed, load, temperature and environment.
How important is cross-functional collaboration among engineering, operations, maintenance, safety and IT teams? And where do you see the biggest communication gaps?
Cross-functional collaboration between engineering, maintenance, operations and other teams (e.g., IT, safety, procurement) is essential. They all need to work together and be on the same page when making lubrication or equipment decisions, including opportunities for standardization. Poor communication between these groups is a major issue in many companies. Strong teamwork and communication help ensure decisions are consistent and not undermined, such as procurement choosing cheaper but unsuitable products.
Looking ahead one to two years, what major plant level priorities do you expect will most influence investment decisions across industrial facilities?
As far as lubricants are concerned, everybody’s cost conscious, so we’re going to continue to look for the most bang for their buck for lubricant purchase. They’re going to want to get the most performance at the lowest cost. As far as equipment, I think people are going to want to keep equipment in service as long as possible, rather than spending capital dollars on new equipment if it can be avoided.
How are lubrication practices evolving as manufacturing facilities place greater emphasis on reliability, uptime and asset performance?
Now, just as we kind of talked about earlier, they’re looking for higher performance, longer life lubes and greases that will allow for more uptime, better equipment performance, better equipment reliability, so that the amount of time spent on maintenance and even on lubrication is minimized. Lubrication practices means using higher quality lubricants to prevent any breakdowns of equipment or at least minimize.
What are the most common lubrication related mistakes you see in industrial plants and why do they continue to occur?
One of the most common issues I see is product misapplication. This often happens when people misread or misunderstand drawings or equipment tags and end up using the wrong lubricant. They may read the information without fully interpreting what it means. A common example is confusing ISO and SAE grades — while they can have similar viscosities, they are different products and should not be used interchangeably.
How often do plants underestimate the effect that proper lubrication has on equipment life, energy use and maintenance costs?
Using the correct lubricant type and viscosity grade has a major impact on equipment life and operating costs. If the viscosity is too low, components like gears can wear out quickly. If it’s too high, the equipment may consume unnecessary energy. Both situations drive up maintenance costs. A gearbox using the wrong oil might fail every six months, while the correct oil could allow it to run reliably for years. The same principle applies to greases since bearing performance depends on selecting a grease with the proper base oil viscosity and the right overall properties for the application.
What are the biggest challenges facilities face when trying to standardize lubrication practices across multiple assets, departments or sites?
Maintenance programs often vary from site to site within the same company, even when the equipment is identical. As a result, different lubricants may be used simply because products are purchased locally. Standardizing lubricants across sites can deliver significant benefits when the products are properly selected.
In some cases, lubricants can also be consolidated — for example, using a higher viscosity index hydraulic fluid to cover multiple viscosity grades. While this may cost slightly more per product, it reduces the number of lubricants to stock, simplifies purchasing and storage and lowers the risk of using the wrong product.
Standardizing lubrication practices is equally important. Consistent procedures and written standards ensure equipment is maintained correctly and uniformly across all locations, regardless of who performs the maintenance.
How should plant teams evaluate whether their current lubrication program is supporting broad maintenance or operation and operational goals?
They need to define clear key performance indicators (KPIs) for the plant, including lubrication, maintenance and operations and understand how these areas work together. The lubricants selected should directly support those KPIs, whether the goal is maximizing uptime, increasing production output or improving overall performance.
Where do oil and grease selection errors most often occur in manufacturing environments and what consequences do those mistakes create over time?
The most common mistake in oil and grease selection, especially with greases, is simply matching whatever product was used previously. In plants that have been operating for decades, multiple suppliers and product changes can lead to “product creep,” where the grease in use no longer matches the original equipment requirements.
To avoid this, it’s best to refer to the original equipment manufacturer recommendation or evaluate the application based on factors such as temperature, speed, load and environment. While this issue is less common with fluids because they’re typically defined by type and viscosity grade, using the wrong product can still have serious performance and reliability consequences.
How can plants improve the way they store, handle and manage lubricants to reduce contamination and preserve lubricant performance?
Proper lubricant storage and handling are essential to plant reliability because contamination from moisture, dirt or debris can quickly damage equipment. Lubricants should be stored indoors whenever possible, away from heat and direct sunlight, with containers kept upright and tightly sealed. Drums, pails and grease containers must always be closed properly when not in use to prevent contamination.
If outdoor storage is unavoidable, drums should be covered, elevated off the ground and positioned correctly to reduce moisture entry and corrosion. Because drums are not airtight, temperature changes can draw moist air and even water into the oil over time, including in new products. For this reason, lubricants should always be inspected before use.
In short, good storage and handling practices are critical to keeping lubricants clean and protecting equipment reliability.
What role does contamination control play in long-term health of rotating equipment and other critical plant assets?
New oil should not be assumed to be clean oil. Although oil is filtered at the blending plant before being filled into drums or totes, contamination can occur every time it is handled or transferred. For this reason, oil should be filtered before it is put into service. In critical applications, this may include both particulate filtration and water‑absorbing filtration.
Many plants also use kidney‑loop filtration on bulk oil tanks, continuously circulating the oil through filters to remove contaminants and ensure the cleanest possible oil is delivered to equipment.
On the equipment itself, all reservoirs should be fitted with desiccant breather filters. Because these systems are not completely sealed, they draw in air as oil levels change, which can introduce moisture and particles unless properly filtered.
In short, effective contamination control is essential to maintaining the reliability of rotating equipment.
How should facilities approach lubricant consolidation without increasing the risk of misapplication or reduced equipment performance?
Using products like synthetics or high‑viscosity‑index hydraulic fluids can allow a single lubricant to cover multiple applications, reducing the need to stock several different products. This simplification lowers inventory requirements and reduces the risk of using the wrong lubricant. Clear identification also helps, so color‑coding drums, transfer equipment and equipment reservoirs ensures the correct product is always applied in the right place.
What warning signs suggest that a plant’s lubrication program is too reactive rather than structured around long-term reliability
A warning sign of a reactive lubrication program would probably be that they’ve changed the supplier of their lubricants multiple times in a one- or two-year period. They try something, it didn’t work and they go try something else, it doesn’t work and the cycle keeps repeating itself. The problem is they haven’t taken the time to go back to those fundamental conditions and determine what is the right lubricant. It may be a factor of not having anybody within that facility who is versed at all in lubrication. We have heard the people in the past say, well, oil is oil. And that’s not true, as we well know.
How are leading manufacturers using lubrication analysis and condition monitoring to support maintenance planning and reduce unexpected failures?
I am a big proponent of condition monitoring or in-service oil analysis. Condition monitoring is not just oil analysis. It may be thermal monitoring of equipment. It may be vibration monitoring or even sound, which is how much noise a piece of equipment is making. All of these things can factor into the overall condition of the equipment.
Leading manufacturers, those who are doing it right, use various methods of condition monitoring of their equipment to make sure that everything is working properly. They use various methods of condition monitoring, including in-service oil analysis, to monitor and chart and track how their equipment is performing and look for any sign of change in performance. You want to do preventive or predictive maintenance, not reactive maintenance.
What practical steps can plants take to improve lubricant application practices for bearings, gearboxes, hydraulic steps or hydraulic systems and other critical equipment?
Proper identification of lubricants is essential to ensure the right product is used in the right application. Using methods like color‑ or shape‑coding helps prevent serious mistakes, such as putting engine oil in a turbine system or using low‑viscosity hydraulic oil in a gearbox that requires a heavy gear oil. Equipment and lubricant containers should be clearly labeled to eliminate confusion.
For critical applications, lubricants should be filtered before use to maintain cleanliness and reduce wear. In addition, all oil reservoirs and storage tanks, whether on equipment or in lube rooms, should be fitted with desiccant breather filters. These breathers prevent moisture and airborne contaminants from entering the oil as air is drawn into the system during normal operation.
How should maintenance and operation teams work together to make lubrication a more disciplined and consistent part of daily plant activity?
Responsibility for lubrication varies by facility. It can be maintenance, operations or dedicated teams. Regardless of who handles it, strong coordination between all groups is essential. Teams should follow schedules for correct lubrication intervals and understand proper oil/grease levels. Both underfilling and overfilling should be avoided to prevent equipment issues like wear or foaming. Regular communication ensures lubrication is done correctly and consistently.
What training or workforce issues most often limit the effectiveness of lubrication programs in industrial facilities?
One of the biggest challenges to effective lubrication is that it’s often assigned to the newest employees in the plant. These individuals may not be well trained. As a result, people who are not fully prepared may be asked to lubricate critical equipment, which increases the risk of mistakes.
High turnover is another issue. Lubrication work can be physically demanding and dirty and once people realize the effort involved, many leave quickly. This constant turnover makes it difficult to build consistency, experience and reliability in lubrication practices.
How do poor lubrication practices contribute to recurring mechanical failures that plants may mistakenly attribute to other causes?
Many plants accept frequent equipment failures as normal, for example, a bearing that fails every six months or a compressor that fails annually. In many cases, these issues can be traced back to poor lubrication practices or improper installation methods. Bearings may be damaged during installation by using incorrect techniques, such as hammering them into place instead of properly heating and fitting them. This significantly shortens their service life.
Other factors like misalignment, vibration and poor leveling also affect equipment reliability. However, lubrication is often blamed when the real issue is mechanical. Rather than addressing the root cause, plants may switch lubricants unnecessarily.
At the same time, poor lubricant handling — such as using dirty transfer containers or failing to install desiccant breathers on reservoirs and bulk tanks — can directly lead to contamination and reduced equipment performance.
In short, both proper mechanical practices and good lubrication management are essential to achieving reliable equipment operation.
What should plant engineers and maintenance leaders look for when assessing the health and performance of an existing oil analysis program?
Plants should use an oil analysis program from a reputable laboratory or through their lubricant supplier and stay with the same provider long enough to build meaningful trends. Switching between labs makes trending difficult because results and methods can vary.
It’s also critical to collect consistent, representative samples — taken from the same location, using the same procedure and with proper purging each time. Consistency in both sampling and testing ensures results are reliable and comparable over time.
Finally, oil analysis reports should be reviewed and acted upon, not just filed away. The real value of oil analysis comes from using the data to make informed maintenance decisions.
How can plants make a stronger business case for investing in better lubrication management, storage, training and analysis?
Improving lubrication starts with better training for the people responsible for it. They need to understand how critical lubrication is and ensure the right product is applied in the right place, at the right time.
Proper storage is also essential; a clean, organized lubrication area with sealed containers, not a cluttered space with open or poorly handled products. Effective lubrication management means using the correct products and avoiding unnecessary duplication. Many plants end up stocking multiple lubricants with the same specifications from different suppliers simply because each piece of equipment came with a different recommendation. In many cases, these products can be consolidated into one without sacrificing performance.
Finally, oil analysis is key: choose a reputable lab, stay consistent, trend the results over time and act based on what the data shows.
How are sustainability goals and waste reduction efforts influencing the way facilities manage oil, grease and lubricant-related processes?
Utilizing higher quality products that remain in service for extended periods results in reduced oil purchases and less oil disposal. This approach enhances both sustainability and environmental performance. So, waste reduction and all of these things go into sustainability and waste reduction, managing the oil properly, consolidating where appropriate, using the right grease that has the longest service life for the applications it’s used in and then other lubricant related processes like
filters, for example. Perhaps crushing filters to squeeze the last of the used oil out of them, so that disposal of used filters is easier or less expensive than one that’s soaking in oil. Some of those things are possible.
What role do documentation, route planning and procedural discipline play in building a world-class lubrication program?
All of these elements are essential to building a world‑class lubrication program. Lubrication routes should be planned logically, ensuring the right people are performing the right tasks at the right time, while checking lubricant conditions and replenishing as needed.
Each piece of equipment should have clear procedures that define how lubricants are checked, how and when they are added or changed and how decisions are made based on in-service oil or grease analysis when available.
Everything should be documented, including standard operating procedures, oil analysis reports and the action plans that result from those reports. Consistent execution and documentation of these practices are critical to achieving a high‑performing lubrication program.
Looking ahead, what trends do you expect will most influence lubrication best practices in manufacturing, maintenance and operations?
Trends that will influence lubrication practices the most are higher quality lubricants and better lubrication practices. The use of longer-life lubricants, where they will stay in place longer and stay in service longer. Sustainability and waste reduction are expected to play significant roles in shaping lubrication practices in the coming years.
