In a staggering statistic, about 30% of the world’s energy is consumed in friction and wear processes when calculated from its impact on the four biggest carbon emitters, the automotive, manufacturing, energy storage and residential building sectors. At their best, lubricants and bearings can have huge impacts on this, optimising energy efficiency, minimising wear and extending machinery life, all of which are environmentally-friendly benefits. However the obvious counterbalance to this is the fact that they are mostly made from fossil fuels. The challenge for the industry is how to make them in such a way as to minimise harm to the environment whilst simultaneously optimising performance and reducing cost. For this to work, the supply chain is absolutely crucial and needs to remain secure, reliable, and carefully managed.
Currently almost all the world’s manufacturing industries are facing a labour shortage, a dearth of truck drivers, slow delivery times and soaring costs. There were seven record price increases for base oils and additives between December 2020 and October 2021. It feels like new inflation records are being broken on a weekly basis in 2022, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine and China’s struggles to return to normal on an industrial basis after the C19 pandemic. This session will include discussions of what possible trends we can expect to see from the global markets in the coming months and years and how they might impact the lubricant industry, its end users and their combined push for a more sustainable future.
Discussion topics:
– What have been the impacts of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and China’s struggles to recover from C19 on the lubricant value chain?
– How have global base oil and lubricant trading patterns changed and what can we expect from the coming years?
– In what ways can the issues in the supply chain be seen as an opportunity for a new way of working?
– Would increased vertical and horizontal integration provide a solution to this issue?
Confirmed Talks:
Closing the Lubricants Loop
- Apu Gosalia, Sustainability Expert, Fokus Zukunft
Global Base Oil and Lubricant Trading Patterns
Transforming Oil from a CO2 Footprint to an Asset
- Pascal Verhoie, Manager Sales & Business Development, SKF RecondOil
Global Base Oil and Lubricant Trading Patterns
- Dr. David Whitby, CEO, Pathmaster Marketing
Call for Paradigm Shift in Lubricant Supply Chain
- Giuseppina Pisaniello, VP Specialities and Additives, ENI