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a guide to buying lubricants P.10
The basics of oil additives P.16
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VO L . 3 • Ja n ua ry- M a r c h 2 0 1 2
nOT FOR SaLe
P.12
EDITOR’SDESK
VOL 3 • JA N UA RY- M A RC H 2 01 2
Editorial
Focus on
Kirinyaga
Inside Kenya’s
lubricants capital
Road
January-March 2012 | Lubezine Magazine
PLuS: THe MaRKeT RePORT P.4
1
Publisher:
Lubes Africa Ltd
Editor:
Susan Mwangi
Design & Layout:
Andrew Muchira
Contributors:
Denis Mwai
Daniel Kiige
James Wakiru
Joseph Kitui
Joseph Ndung’u
Ken Koskei
Margaret Mwaura
Rita Munyiva
Photography:
Bettercom Media services
Lubezine library
NOCK Ltd
Art Direction:
Zeus Media Ltd
[email protected]
Advertising &
Subscription:
[email protected]
www.lubesafrica.com
Subscriptions: Lubezine is free to qualified
subscribers who are involved in the lubricants
industry as manufacturer’s end-users, marketers
and suppliers to the oil industry. Lubezine is a
quarterly publication of Lubes Africa Ltd. All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be produced or transmitted in any form including
photocopy or any storage and retrieval system
without prior written permission from the publishers.
2
Welcome to the
new look Lubezine
Magazine!
T
his is the third issue of a magazine that continues
to quench the thirst for information of the regions
lubricants market.
Kirinyaga Road is in no small measure the most
significant market for lubricants in Kenya. Over the years,this
area situated in downtown Nairobi has gained a reputation
for quality products at the most competitive prices. It has also
produced some of the biggest distributors of lubricants in the
country. Lubezine reporter,Margaret Mwaura extensively covers
this area bringing you the reasons that make this area tick.
We welcome on board UK correspondent, Mr. Andrew Monk.
When faced with the need to reduce maintenance cost, many
purchasing managers opt for cheaper products.But Mr. Monk
shows in his article that through lubrication surveys, a plant can
drastically reduce maintenance cost by cutting down on waste
and utilizing the correct lubricants and lubrication principles.
He asks ... “How can anyone involved with maintenance ever
get to appreciate that an innovative grease that costs 100 times
their currently utilized conventional product, will give them an
annual saving in terms of reduced downtime and maintenance
costs twenty times what they would spend on this lubricant?’’
I must applaud Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for the
initiative it has taken to try and upgrade the minimum oils
grades from API CD and API SF to API CH-4 and API SJ for diesel
engine and petrol engine oils respectively. The concern that
stake holders have raised about the need for strict enforcement
of existing standards is quite valid and there is no doubt that
KEBS is up to the task. Indeed a journey of 1000 miles begins
with a single step and most definitely the country is headed in
the right direction, lubricants-wise, that is.
I cannot sign off without giving special thanks to our advertisers who ensure that every quarter this magazine is distributed
as a complimentary copy to a wide array of stake holders in the
industry. With the magazine now reaching close to 3000 professionals in the lubricants industry, Lubezine advertisers have the
most direct link to their desired audience.
The concern
that stake
holders have
raised about
the need
for strict
enforcement
of existing
standards is
quite valid
and there is
no doubt that
KEBS is up to
the task
Joseph Ndung’u
Lubezine Magazine | January-March 2012