Turn to
Turbochargers and lubrication
new trend in lubricants packaging P.20
Consumer choices lubricants survey P.18
www.lubesafrica.com
VO L .4 • J U LY-S E PT E M B E R 2 0 1 2
nOT FOR SaLe
P.8
EDITOR’SDESK
VOL 3 • JA N UA RY- M A RC H 2 01 2
MAIN FEATURE
Improving plant
maintenance
through
condition
monitoring
A guide to
oil analysis
July-September 2012 | Lubezine Magazine
PLuS: THe MaRKeT RePORT P.4
1
Publisher:
Lubes Africa Ltd
Editor:
Susan Mwangi
Design & Layout:
Andrew Muchira
Contributors:
Andrew Monk
Jonathan Njine
Edwin Kamau
Ken Koskei
James Wakiru
Lucy Wanjohi
Joseph Kitui
Joseph Ndung’u
Richard Mugambi
Photography:
Bettercom Media services
Lubezine library
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
Editorial
One year and
still counting!
W
elcome to volume four of Lubezine
magazine. This edition is a major landmark
in the young history of the magazine as it
marks one year since Lubezine came to the
scene. Thanks to our loyal advertisers and contributors, this
magazine has consistently rolled off the press every quarter
and continues with its objective of informing the industry on
matters technology and new developments in market.
One year is a long time for a dynamic market like this one.
Many things have changed and only those marketers willing to
change with the shifting dynamics will find the going bearable.
To mention but a few of these changes, ownership of major
lubricant marketing companies have changed or are in the
process of changing ownership, the emergence of independent
oil marketers has continued with each bringing on board their
range of lubes and thus intensifying the competition, multinationals that had earlier exited from the region are keen to
reintroduce their lubricants through distributors, etc.
Lubezine has been part and parcel of these changes by being
one of the most trusted sources of information in the market
for lubricant end-users, lube marketers and other associated
suppliers. Looking ahead, Lubezine is determined to continue
playing a central role in informing and bringing technology
news to the industry.
Preventive maintenance remains the surest way of optimizing plant operations. Fluid condition monitoring constitutes
one of the best available tools of continuously monitoring the
machinery health with an objective of avoiding expensive
breakdowns and down times. We extensively look at how and
why condition monitoring needs to be done. An in-depth look at
one way of monitoring the condition of the lubricant in service
through oil analysis is featured.
In this edition we feature GfK, an international research
company that has carried out a consumer choice survey on
lubricants. The survey was conducted in Kenya’s retail sector
consisting of small to medium sized spare shops, to measure
which lubricant grades, brands, packs and prices are prevailing
in the market. The research was significant in that it sought to
establish end-user preferences at the retail outlets. Any lubricant
marketer interested in understanding how this sector is evolving wil