ILMA Compoundings – December 2018 - 3

LETTER FROM THE CEO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Barbara Kudis
Allegheny Petroleum
Products Co.
Vice President
Chuck Decker
American Oil &
Supply International, LLC
Treasurer
Scott A. Schwindaman
Lubrication Engineers, Inc.
Secretary
Michael Damiani
Radco Industries, Inc.
Immediate Past President
Dave Croghan
Maxum Petroleum

Ann Ball
CIMCOOL Industrial
Products LLC
Barbara A. Bellanti
Battenfeld Grease &
Oil Corporation of N.Y.
Lon Fanning
DuBois Chemicals
Jarrett Flegel
Boss Lubricants
Catharine T. Golden
Etna Products, Inc.
Frank H. Hamilton III
South Atlantic Services, Inc.
Beth Ann Jones
Hangsterfer's Laboratories, Inc.
Greg Julian
Advanced Lubrication
Specialties
Kent Morris
Pinnacle Oil, Inc.
Ronald M. Powell
Moroil Technologies
David Richards
RichardsApex, Inc.

STAFF
Chief Executive Officer
Holly Alfano
Associate Director
Martha F. Jolkovski
Director of
Communications
Brenda Gillinson, CAE
Member Services/
Marketing Manager
Tim Mack

Communications
Manager
Amber Lopez
Membership Manager
Meg Thaxton
Accounting Manager
Margaret Smith
General Counsel
Jeffrey L. Leiter

EDITORIAL, DESIGN
Contributing Editor
Brenda Gillinson, CAE

Designer
Mark St. Amand

THE YGS GROUP
Senior Editor
Drew Bankert

Copy Editor
Amanda Holahan

Managing Editor
Sam Hoffmeister

Account Director
Tina Enck

MEDIA SALES
Executive Vice President
Jack Davidson

Advertising Account
Executive
Tima Good
tima.good@theygsgroup.com

INDEPENDENT LUBRICANT
MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
675 North Washington Street, Suite 275, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-684-5574 * Fax: 703-836-8503 * www.ilma.org
Editorial, Design, Media Sales, & Printed by The YGS Group
800-501-9571 * www.theygsgroup.com
Compoundings (USPS 003-447) is published monthly by the
Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association,
675 North Washington Street, Suite 275
Alexandria, VA 22314.
Annual subscriptions: Members, $75 of annual dues;
nonmembers, $185. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA
and additional mailing offices.
ISSN 1042-508X
POSTMASTER: send address changes to
Compoundings, 675 North Washington Street, Suite 275,
Alexandria, VA 22314.

Notes From UEIL

nce again, I joined European colleagues at the Union of the European Lubricants
Industry (UEIL) Annual Congress in Budapest, Hungary, in October. Over three
days spent engaging with lubricant manufacturers from around the world, it was
interesting to learn what issues concern them. The conference sessions revealed that what
keeps our European colleagues awake at night is not unlike the issues faced here.
WORKFORCE ISSUES
Like ILMA's American members, European companies grapple with attracting qualified
employees. During a conference session, a lubes industry recruiter noted that the supply
of STEM students is limited, and generally the younger generations are more focused on
technology and aspirational careers - something where they can make a difference, rather
than the more traditional careers offered in the lubricants industry.
Some strategies to help attract and retain qualified employees:
* Leverage industry seniors.
* Make sure to provide employees with career progression (job titles, salary increases,
etc.) even if these changes are merely symbolic.
* And finally, while there's so much focus on millennials and retiring baby boomers,
don't ignore the productive, reliable Gen Xers.
Don't overlook existing talent. I took note of this very insightful quote: "The real war
for talent is unleashing dormant potential in your existing workplace."
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
In Europe, a number of governments are mandating electric vehicles (EVs). The industry
is still coming to grips with the phase-out of the internal combustion engine (ICE) in
many countries. According to one stat, Europe just surpassed one million EVs, with more
certainly coming. We are all very aware that EVs don't require the oil changes that the ICE
vehicles do. However, as one session presenter stressed, EVs do require fluids like coolants,
and lubricant manufacturers should embrace that opportunity.
Fortunately, in the U.S., the ICE is alive and well, except in California, where they
continue to look at various schemes to eliminate it. However, it would be naive to ignore
the fact that the whole world of transportation is increasingly in the midst of major
change, and EVs are a part of it.
SUSTAINABILITY
There is always a great deal of discussion about sustainability at UEIL conferences, and
this meeting was no exception. UEIL announced the formation of a task force to work at
defining what sustainability means in the context of the lubricants industry. The task force
includes a diverse group of stakeholders representing re-refiners, synthetics, bio-lubes, etc., all
of whom hold diverse opinions on the issue. There's no question that finding consensus on
what sustainability looks like for lube manufacturers will be challenging, but UEIL is smart
to begin this debate. With the lubricants industry in the crosshairs of the European Union, it
is wise to be on the forefront of the debate with engagement of industry stakeholders.
Once again, the UEIL experience was thought-provoking and inspiring, offering a glimpse
into some of the challenges faced by businesses in Europe, as well as companies doing
business there. And with many common issues faced here in the U.S., it's always interesting
to compare notes with others from around the globe to gain perspective.

Holly Alfano
Chief Executive Officer

© 2018 Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association.
All Rights Reserved.
ILMA is pleased to present a variety of viewpoints in Compoundings magazine. Readers should keep in mind that bylined articles
represent the views of the named author or authors and not
necessarily the opinions, viewpoints or positions of ILMA

http://www.ilma.org http://www.theygsgroup.com

ILMA Compoundings – December 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings – December 2018