Robert Profilet

Dr Robert Profilet

Product Application Specialist, Industrial oils, Americas

With an undergraduate degree and PhD in chemistry, Rob began his career in industrial lubricants at Texaco in 1993, as a product development chemist. He held various roles in product development, product management and industrial marketing for Equilon and Shell from 1998 to 2006. After 8 years at Lubrizol, as their global commercial manager for hydraulics, Rob started his current role at Shell in 2014.

Read Rob’s top 5 tips on lubrication

1. Lubricants are to your machine what blood is to your body. Make sure you have a proactive maintenance programme – don’t wait for something to go wrong. Test the lubricant in your machine and ask questions about the results.
2. Always ask for help: at Shell, we have world-class technical advisors who can advise you on everything from picking the correct product to optimising your whole lubrication system. Training on proper lubrication will help extend the life of your equipment and reduce your total cost of ownership (TCO).
3. Consider synthetics oils. They have better oxidative stability and can help lower your equipment’s energy consumption. The initial cost is higher than traditional mineral oils but will generally result in lower overall costs.
4. Keep your lubricants cool, clean and dry. Heat, contaminants and water all shorten the life of a lubricant. Keep them cool, clean and dry and they will last longer – and so will your equipment.
5. Make sure you’re aware of new technology. Newer lubricants can be more compatible with equipment components, like seals and paints. New technology such as lubricants containing GTL (gas to liquid) base oil can give you premium performance, as it allows rapid air release, long oxidation life and low foaming.