Industry News: In Conversation With Shankar Karnik of Exxon Mobil

Shankar Karnik is the Asia Pacific Mobil SHC Brand Manager, ExxonMobil.

Q1. How do you see the Mobil grease market in India?

The Mobil Industrial Lubricants’ product portfolio in India is well positioned to support the economic and industrial growth taking place in the country. We have an excellent balanced portfolio of state-of-the-art, well proved, high-performance lubricants that can cater to the needs of many industrial market sectors - including power generation, general manufacturing, plastics, food and beverage, pulp and paper, metals, cement, construction and mining - all backed by ExxonMobil's technology leadership & unmatched industry expertise. Customers rely on ExxonMobil because of the quality of our products, our reliability, technological excellence and close association with many leading original equipment manufacturers and builders. Our products have demonstrated the ability to withstand performance stresses and are backed by technical services designed to provide customers with smooth operations.

Q2. What is your product portfolio & do you have any plans to increase your portfolio for the steel sector in particular in India?

We offer a comprehensive range of greases that are each expertly formulated to meet the demanding operating conditions often found in steel mills. From gearboxes and bearings to U-joint shafts and hydraulic systems, Mobil Industrial Lubricant offers a solution for every process and equipment in a steel mill — each one formulated to offer outstanding protection and oil life Our comprehensive line of synthetic and premium lubricants for iron and steel machinery includes:

Mobil SHC 600, Mobil SHC Gear, Mobil Rarus SHC 1000 air compressor oils, Mobil Vacuoline 100 circulating system oils for plain bearings in rolling mills and Mobil Vacuoline 500 heavy-duty circulating oils for No-Twist Rod mills.

Among greases we have:

Mobil SHC Polyrex^TM – a family of high-performance bearing greases that are capable of delivering exceptional equipment protection even under temperatures as high as 170 degrees Celsius.
Mobilith SHCTM^TM – synthetic high-temperature greases for use in plain and rolling element bearings, kiln roller bearings and in slag transfer rail car bearings, grease filled industrial gear cases subject to high temperatures, where conventional semi fluid greases will not provide acceptable lubricant life and in non- driven heavy-duty truck trailer wheel hubs.

And our premium range includes:

Mobilgrease XHP^TM – multipurpose lithium complex grease developed for a wide variety of applications and severe operating conditions common in the steel sector
Mobil Centaur XHPTM^TM – a family of calcium sulfonate greases that deliver a balanced combination of water washout and water spray-off resistance, as well as excellent corrosion protection in these severe wet environments, making them ideal for steel and mill equipment.

Besides our comprehensive line-up of lubricants and greases, we offer a range of valuable services to our customers to help ensure they can fully realize the benefits our products offer and, equally important, so they can help avoid common issues. ExxonMobil engineers have the technical experience and skills to help our customers maximize their productivity, reduce maintenance costs and increase the operational efficiency of their equipment.

Our range of PES (planned engineering services) includes lubricant evaluations and audits, equipment checks, and more.

Signum used oil analysis and interpretation
Hydraulic system inspections
Grease training on application and use
Centralized grease system analysis and optimization
Troubleshoot services

Q3. What kind of productivity levels do you expect your products to deliver for machines particularly in the steel sector?

Today, industrial equipment manufacturers are increasingly designing new equipment that is extremely compact and operates at higher temperatures and pressures than ever before As a result, maintenance professionals in the steel sector can benefit greatly from learning more about how to choose the right grease that will deliver the performance they need to protect their equipment over the long haul.

We specifically design our iron and steel mill oils and greases to meet or exceed industry and original equipment manufacturers' expectations.

Our products are thoroughly tested before they are commercialized, and as a result, they are formulated to meet global quality standards and are compliant with rigorous ExxonMobil management systems for manufacturing, customer service, laboratories, safety, health, and the environment.

For companies in the steel sector, our line-up of Mobil-branded greases is designed to deliver a number of key benefits. These include helping to increase equipment operating efficiency, potentially reduce energy and resource use, and extend oil life. As a result, companies can benefit in several ways. On the financial side, improved productivity can translate into increased bottom line benefits. From the operational side, increased equipment uptime can help translate into longer equipment life. From a health/safety standpoint, using appropriate Mobil-branded greases that deliver long-lasting performance can help minimize oil consumption and reduce the amount of time maintenance personnel need to conduct oil changes.

All of these benefits go hand-in-hand. And that’s why ExxonMobil works so closely with the world’s leading equipment manufacturers. To ensure our greases deliver the optimum performance for their intended applications and that we deliver the highest level possible of application expertise.

Q4. How do your products depict Energy efficiency?

Energy efficiency is a key issue for companies in the manufacturing sector. Obviously, from an operating and financial perspective, reducing energy usage can have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

Also, minimizing energy consumption can help companies demonstrate to their partners and customers that they are committed to sustainable practices.

I am proud to say that the latest additions to our flagship Mobil SHC line of synthetic industrial lubricants not only deliver exceptional, long-lasting performance and protection, they also feature valuable energy efficiency benefits. The latest additions to our Mobil SHC family include the next generation of our popular Mobil SHC 600 Series of synthetic, circulating lubricants, and the Mobil SHC Gear Series, a family of supreme performance synthetic, industrial gear oils.

In controlled laboratory gearbox testing and statistically validated field tests at customer locations, these Mobil SHC synthetic lubricants were shown to deliver energy savings of up to 3.6 percent when compared with conventional oils.

Based on these exceptional results, these oils have earned ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company’s official designation for “Energy Efficient” industrial lubricants. They will now feature ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company’s proprietary “Energy Efficiency” logo on product packaging.

This Energy Efficiency logo is a visible statement that users can easily recognise and be confident that they are purchasing and using ExxonMobil’s potentially energy-saving industrial lubricant technology.

With the outstanding balanced performance and additional energy efficiency benefits that Mobil SHC Gear and Mobil SHC 600 lubricants deliver, we can help our customers maximize their productivity and bring them closer to achieving their sustainability goals.

Q5. How much do you think the steel industry grow in India and in turn help your growth?

The steel sector is one of the key industries of the national economy, and effectively supports the smooth and quick development of national economy.

We specifically design our lubricating oils and greases for the iron and steel mill to meet or exceed industry and original equipment manufacturers' expectations. Thoroughly tested before they are commercialized, Mobil Industrial Lubricants meet global quality standards and are compliant with rigorous ExxonMobil management systems for manufacturing, customer service, laboratories, safety, health, and the environment. From continuous steel casting, to steel plate rolling, to cranes - products must deliver in harsh.

ExxonMobil shares the industry's commitment to meeting the demand for steel in a safe, sustainable way, offering innovative products and services that help drive business solutions and progress. Many of Mobil Industrial’s machine oils can help contribute towards reduced energy consumption and resource use through

improved energy efficiency,
long oil life,
extended equipment life.

ExxonMobil has a Steel Sector Global Marketing Program to meet the growing needs of Indian industry. As part of this program, ExxonMobil offers its customers in the steel sector a comprehensive line-up of advanced technology lubricants and greases along with its application expertise and technical support. Moving beyond offering highly advanced products, ExxonMobil seeks to provide the Indian steel sector a seamless customer experience with a complete package of lubricants solutions and services for unsurpassed production efficiency and productivity.

In India we continue to expand our footprint and our field engineering services organization by deploying more engineers on ground so as to be able to reach out to more and more customers. We continue to evaluate the market and when a critical mass is achieved, we will plan additional investments potentially in breaking water facilities.