UPCOMING INNOVATION LIKE COMPUTATIONAL TRIBOLOGY AND TRIBO-MODELING IS INCREASINGLY USED IN PRODUCT ENGINEERING.

Munish Nandwani

VP - Industrial & B2B, Total Oil India

What do you think are the technology trends that manufacturers are presently adopting for improving efficiency, fuel economy and reduce downtime of equipment? 

Lubricants are technology driven products. Equipment Technologies, OEM requirements, environmental norms, chemical regulations etc., drive lubricant development. The lubricant manufacturers need to continuously upgrade their product ranges as per technological evolution.

Currently, we see a significant shift in the Indian market from mineral to synthetic-based products. The lubricant industry is moving towards low viscosity grades for better energy efficiency. There is a sharp rise in the demand for products with higher performance, and specifications. For example the  API CI-4 Plus, API CJ-4 , or latest API CK-4 etc. BSVI compatible product range that is being introduced in the market. Oils with extended drain interval, biodegradability, compatibility with biofuels etc., are some of the other technological trends adopted by the lubricant manufacturers. Services such as analysis of oil-in-service are offered by lubricant manufactures to reduce the downtime of equipment. 

Upcoming innovation like computational tribology and tribo-modeling is increasingly used in product engineering. With the rise in electrification, lubricant manufacturers are spending a significant amount of resources on R&D to make the products for the future. Total Energies is a leader in development and manufacturing of fluids for hybrid/battery-operated vehicles or other systems.

What are the kinds of products and solutions used today in terms of oil and lubricants to ensure right performance of the construction equipment?

With the increase in complexity and constraints of vehicles, products and services have evolved to ensure the right performance of the components. Lubricants manufacturers spend a significant amount of time and resources on R&D and work in collaboration with the OEMs and additive suppliers to develop the best performing product. Performance specifications by API, ACEA, JASO, ILSAC etc. are updated regularly to ensure the optimum performance and life of the components. As engine, driveline & other technologies become more complex and OEM - specific; lubricants with OEM approvals are increasingly used to ensure the right performance. Synthetic- based products add further to the performance. 

Apart from the high-performance technical product, value- added services such as analysis of the oil-in service are used to monitor and ensure the perfect health of components. Total Energies is among the pioneers in this area with its AI-based state-of-art oil analysis system called ANAC. Oil Analysis report coupled with the OEM database & lubricants database indicates the condition of the various components very well. This helps in performing preventive maintenance and ensures the longevity of the equipment. 

To summarize, high - performance products with OEM approvals along with the services such as ANAC, will ensure the best performance of the components and reduce the total cost of ownership. 

Tell us about the stringent emission norms compliance and also about the challenges in the transition to adopt BS-VI norms.

On April 1st, 2020, the government announced the implementation of Bharat Stage VI emission norm,succeeding  BS-IV, and skipping the BS V in Heavy Commercial Vehicle (Trucks & Tippers). This is a major and important step towards controlling the vehicular emissions. For  construction equipment vehicles, CEV Stage IV and Stage V will be implemented in 2021 and 2024 respectively. All these new emission norms require a drastic reduction in key pollutants such as NOx, PM, CO,  HC etc. 

In order to comply with these emission norms, equipment manufacturers have made several changes in the post -treatment system, combustion system, ECU etc. DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter), Catalytic Converter, EGR (Exhaust Gas Recycle), SCR ( Selective Catalytic Reduction), NOx Trap etc. are some of the technologies adopted by the manufacturers. 

These new  norms also posed the challenge to the lubricant manufacturers. Oil needs to be compatible with these expensive post treatment- systems and at the same time provide the excellent engine protection.  TotalEnergies, thanks to its experience with EURO-VI in Europe & partnership with the OEMs, has launched a series of lubricants for these new generation vehicles. 

As far as contractors are concerned, selecting the right lubricant needs proper knowledge. How do you make sure that the right product knowledge is imparted to your customers? 

Due to the evolution of vehicle technologies, new emission norms, need for fuel economy, higher drain interval etc. lubricants have become technical products. So, proper knowledge is required to identify the right product for different needs. TotalEnergies as a major lubricant supplier, is committed to provide the proper tools and knowledge to assist our end consumers and contractors. 

We have a dedicated online training platform where the lubricant selection is taught through audio- visual modes and interactive exercises. We also provide lubricant recommendation based on equipment make and model in both, online (website & mobile app) and offline modes. Thanks to our partnership with numerous OEMs, our products have several OEM approvals. 

Additionally, our technical and sales teams make regular visits to the contractors and inspect the vehicle and equipment parc and propose the right products and services to ensure the best performance and lower downtime. 

Tell us about the emerging scenario in the construction lubricant market and the outlook for the sector. Also, to what extent has the second wave of this Covid pandemic affected the industry and likely to impact further?

India is the 3rd largest lubricants market in the world after China and the USA. All the major OEMs are present in India. Development of the road and infrastructure projects fuels the demand for lubricants in the off-highway segment. The implementation of BS-VI has made a significant change in the lubricant industry and the upcoming vehicle scrap page policy will upgrade the vehicle parc in the coming years, boosting the demand for the high performance lubricants. In the long term, as the EVs grow, industrial lubricants will continue to grow due to the government push for industrial sectors. Last Year, due to the Covid pandemic lubricants industries faced a significant slowdown. However, we observed a quick marker recovery in the last quarter of 2020 and quarter one of 2021. The pandemic has led to evolved services proposed by lubricant suppliers such as remote troubleshooting, more use of sensors, automations etc.

Hits: 28