Grease Industry Gathers in Tucson For Annual Meeting

Attendees networked at the National Lubricating Grease Institute's 76th annual meeting, held recently in Tucson, Ariz.

The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI), continuing its mission of providing information pertinent to the manufacture and use of lubricating grease, gathered this past June for its 76th annual meeting, held in Tucson, Ariz., at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. The event was attended by manufacturers, suppliers, technicians and end-users from more than a dozen countries.

The opening session keynote speaker, Ben Jones, who played the character "Cooter" on the classic television show "The Dukes of Hazzard", presented an enlightening biographic talk centered on his memoir "Redneck Boy in the Promised Land".

Dr. Lou Honary from the University of Northern Iowa provided the featured industry presentation on marketing opportunities in bio-based lubricating greases.

Technical presentations at the conference covered a wide range of topics, including OEM specifications, food-grade high-temperature grease and lubricating grease for plastic gears. For a full list of these technical presentations and to obtain a copy, visit the NLGI Web site, www.nlgi.org.

NLGI also offered three distinct education courses at the conference: Basic Grease, Advanced Grease and Application/ Maintenance Grease. More than 50 people attended these courses.

Each year, NLGI honors those who have made exceptional contributions to NLGI or to the industry as a whole. This year, awards were presented to seven individuals.

Attendees networked at the National Lubricating Grease Institute's 76th annual meeting, held recently in Tucson, Ariz.

Meritorious Service Award: Sandy Cowan, CITGO Petroleum

Fellow Award: Nick Samman, Petro-Canada Lubricants

Author Award: Paul Bessette, Triboscience and Engineering Inc., for his paper titled "Thickener Content in Organic Grease by Differential Scanning Calorimetry"

Clarence E. Earle Award: Nael Zaki and Tom Litters, Fuchs Lubricants, for their paper titled "Investigations on Low-Temperature Behavior of Lubricating Greases by Strain Sweep Rheometry"

Chevron Global Award: Chuck Coe, ExxonMobil, for his paper entitled "Shouldn't Grease Upper Operating Temperature Claims Have a Technical Basis?"

Shell Award for Excellence: Paul Shiller, Timken

The meeting concluded with several attendees sitting for the Certified Lubricating Grease Specialist (CLGS) exam, and a rousing closing reception and dinner with entertainment by Katy & Company.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity for networking, education and information gathering. Attend next year's conference (June 12-15, 2010) at the Hyatt Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Fla.

About NLGI

NLGI is an international technical trade association that serves the lubricating grease and gear lubricant industry. Its objectives include promoting research and testing for the development of improved lubricating greases and exploring means for better lubrication engineering and methodology. For more information, visit www.nlgi.org.

Machinery Lubrication (11/2009)