ILMA Compoundings September 2017 - 34

"The combination of smaller
sump sizes, higher coolant volumes
and developments in tooling have
all dictated the need for products
that are extremely low foaming/
misting, biostable, oil-rejecting and
operator-friendly," Brauer continued.
"By addressing these issues through
additive selection, formulating and
alternative blending techniques, we
have been able to create products that
maximize the investment our clients
spend with us and, in turn, provide
them with products that enhance their
production capabilities."
Brauer also notes that as a midsize company, CGF has reaped the
rewards of being able to pivot quickly
to accommodate changing market
conditions or client specifications,
something larger companies often
struggle with.
"The market has responded favorably to our products and approach to
business, and we see many good years
of growth ahead," Brauer said.
Stokey also spoke about faith in the
manufacturing industry in general.
"Troubleshooting of customer problems can go online or live through the
use of today's technologies," he said.
As the overall manufacturing industry
makes more use of technology, smaller

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SEPTEMBER 2017

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

companies will be able to compete more
effectively with larger ones. To stay
competitive, he recommended that companies continue to challenge the status
quo, continuously improve and keep
embracing opportunities to change.

RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS
Sales of industrial lubricants are closely
tied to sales of industrial cutting tools.
Lubricating industrial equipment is,
after all, one of the primary purposes of
industrial lubricants. Similarly, cutting
tools and lubricants are important
inputs into some of the same industries,
meaning that the trends that contribute
to booms and busts in one industry
likely have an impact on others.
Of course, there are many other
uses for industrial lubricants, including gears, bearings and virtually any
other industrial application. In so
many ways, lubricants help ensure
fluid processes and make a variety of
applications run more smoothly and
efficiently, with less wear and tear on
machines and parts.
Clearly, ups and downs in the cutting
tool industry alone can't be entirely
responsible for ups and downs in
the industrial lubricant industry;
however, as Stokey's experience and
observations show, a variety of heavy

"Clearly, ups and downs
in the cutting tool industry alone can't be entirely
responsible for ups and
downs in the industrial
lubricant industry."
industries contribute directly to the
fortunes of the cutting tool industry.
And those same industries intuitively
impact the industrial lubricant
industry. Automotive and aerospace
are great examples. So, it can be said
that while there is some causation
between the fortunes of the lubricant
and cutting tools industries, there is
also a great deal of non-causal correlation, as both industries represent
significant inputs into shared downstream industries.
More broadly, it's probably safe
to conclude that the manufacturing
economy, as a whole, controls the
fates of both industries. There have
been a couple of lean years recently,
but for the moment at least, things
are looking up for both cutting tools
and lubricants.
Grensing-Pophal is a freelance writer based
in Wisconsin.
http://www.ILMA.ORG
ILMA Compoundings September 2017

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