Publisher’s Note

It has been estimated that over 40% of the equipment breakdowns are due to wrong choice of lubricants and/or improper handling of the lubricants. Besides this Lube Oil is the frst to hear the bad news about any problem in the machine, as it flows and is in contact with all the internal moving parts of the machine. Based on research, it has been determined that on an average oil analysis has resulted in earlier detection of the impending failure when compared to vibration analysis. This is quite similar to the blood flowing in our arteries which when tested could indicate an infection or disease. Periodic Oil Analysis plays a vital role in the machine reliability.

This issue of Machinery Lubrication India features a cover story and several other articles on the subject of Oil Analysis and how it could impact reliability of machines.

Besides Oil Analysis other predictive maintenance techniques however minor are also great and effective tools, like vibration, thermography etc requires a considerable amount of training. Sensory inspection, on the other hand, can be performed by non-maintenance personnel such as operators. This can be an advantage when the maintenance staff is occupied with reactive maintenance tasks. Something as simple as detecting an oil leak or a gearbox that sounds weird could and often does lead to the prevention of a catastrophic failure, avoiding huge losses on account of spares, manpower and downtime. Therefore, the value of utilizing your senses should not be underestimated or overlooked.

Further there has been a numbers of suggestions on lube tips submitted by regular readers of Machinery Lubrication based on their practical ideas and experiences. We keep sharing some of them in this issue.

Lastly a report on Base Oil gives the recent trends of price and consumption of both base oil and crude oil. As indicated in the report, India’s crude oil consumption is increasing at a fast pace and India looks to be one of the fastest growing markets till 2014. We always welcome feedback from our readers helping us to provide you with the most cutting edge articles and best industrial experiences.

We would like to wish our readers, advertisers a Happy Festive Season.

Warm regards,

Udey Dhir