Univar Solutions is much more than a chemical distributor. How would you describe your role in supporting innovation across the lubricants industry?
I think a common misconception is that innovation is simply about having access to the newest ingredient or technology. In reality, it’s about understanding what the customer is trying to achieve and then connecting the right supplier technology, formulation expertise, and application knowledge to solve that challenge.
Our business spans lubricants, metalworking fluids, and greases, so we have a broad view of the technologies and applications across the industry. We also have technical teams and Solution Centers that can support customers with formulation development and performance testing. That allows us to work with customers beyond the point of simply supplying raw materials.
Brad-Chem by Univar Solutions is another example of how we bring technical capability into the business. Brad-Chem has long-standing expertise in specialty additives, tacky additives, solid lubricants, and corrosion control, with capabilities like blending and customization, regulatory support, and deep industry knowledge.
To me, innovation is really about bringing those capabilities together. It’s about helping customers take a performance challenge or an idea and figure out what is technically possible, what makes sense for the application, and ultimately how to move it forward.
Which technical service areas are customers relying on most today, and why?
What we’re seeing is that customers are looking for more than technical information. They want help making decisions. There are a lot of technologies and formulation options available, and customers are balancing performance with regulatory requirements, sustainability goals, raw material availability and, of course, cost. That can make choosing the right path more complicated.
This is where formulation support and performance testing become particularly valuable. Customers want to understand not only whether a technology works, but whether it works for their specific application and what the trade-offs might be.
We’re also seeing the importance of flexibility. Sometimes the challenge is finding an alternative chemistry to specific raw materials, or maybe it’s optimizing an existing formulation. Our technical teams can help customers work through those questions rather than simply presenting them with a list of products. That ability to connect the technical details back to the actual application is where we can add a lot of value.
How is Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions helping customers navigate these challenges and accelerate innovation?
The opportunity here is to make the formulation process less complicated for our customers. We bring together a broad portfolio of lubricant and metalworking fluid products with technical expertise, supplier relationships, and application knowledge. That means we can look at a customer challenge from multiple angles rather than starting with a single product.
Sustainability is a good example of how we help customers navigate challenges and accelerate innovation. Customers are increasingly looking for different solutions to meet regulatory changes, but sustainability cannot come at the expense of performance. Our portfolio includes bio-based solutions, as well as technologies that can support things like reduced energy consumption, metal protection, emissions reduction, and extended service life.
The important part is understanding which of those opportunities actually matters for a particular application. We call our technical team “The Technical Superheroes” – a name that reflects their deep expertise and the critical role they play in solving these complex challenges, which I believe is where we stand out in the industry.
How do you help customers identify the right ingredients and technologies for next-generation lubricant formulations?
The starting point should always be the application and the performance requirement. Once we understand what the customer needs the formulation to do, we can work backwards to identify the technologies that could make sense.
Our breadth across lubricants, metalworking fluids, and greases gives us the ability to look across different formulation approaches and supplier technologies. We also have technical resources that can help customers move from raw materials selection into formulation development and testing.
And that is where having a broad portfolio becomes particularly useful. We can help customers compare options, understand the role different materials play in a formulation and, where needed, validate those options through technical support.
It’s less about finding the single right raw material and more about finding the right solution for the application.
What trends will have the greatest impact on lubricant formulation over the next five years?
Over the next five years, we expect sustainability, electrification, energy efficiency, and evolving regulatory requirements to have the greatest influence on lubricant formulation. The opportunity lies in developing formulations that deliver both performance and measurable operational benefits while supporting environmental objectives.
Where we’ll see some of the most interesting innovation over the next five years is not just new materials, but new ways of thinking about the role those materials play in the overall operation.
Lubricants, metalworking fluids, and greases have always played an important role in protecting equipment and enabling manufacturing. A lubricant can reduce friction and wear, control heat, and help extend equipment life. Metalworking fluids are critical to cooling, cleaning, lubricating, and protecting during manufacturing processes. Greases provide long-lasting lubrication in applications where oils may not be practical.
That means the conversation is moving beyond simply asking, “Does this lubricant meet the specification?” and toward questions like, “What does this formulation enable the customer to do better?”
Sustainability will be part of that conversation as well. I don’t see performance and sustainability as separate conversations. The interesting opportunities are where a formulation can support both, whether that means improving efficiency, extending service life, reducing waste, or helping a customer meet evolving environmental expectations.
Why is it important for Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions to participate in Lubricant Expo Europe 2026, and what can visitors expect at your stand?
For me, the value of Lubricant Expo Europe is really the opportunity to have conversations with the people who are working on these challenges every day.
We can talk about our portfolio of lubricant, metalworking fluid, and grease solutions, but I think the more interesting conversation is what customers are trying to solve. We’ll also be bringing Brad-Chem by Univar Solutions into that conversation, with its expertise in specialty lubricant and corrosion control additives.
Visitors at our stand will also see our Materials that Matter concept and content hub, which is really about putting the role of these materials into context. Lubricants, metalworking fluids, and greases can be easy to overlook because they are often doing their work behind the scenes, but they help keep equipment running, enabling precision manufacturing, extending equipment life, and supporting productivity.
I encourage visitors to come by with a challenge, an application they’re exploring, or simply a technology or innovation area they want to understand better. We have a broad team and portfolio, and the best conversations usually start with the problem rather than the product.
Univar Solutions will be at Lubricant Expo Europe on stand 860. Interested in booking? click here to speak to one of our team >>> book a stand
