AXEL News & Blog

What does “sustainable grease” actually mean for your application?

Sustainability requirements in industry are evolving rapidly, driven by both legislation and customer expectations. At the same time, Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) has become one of the most visible and widely used metrics for environmental impact.
But while PCF is an important tool, it does not tell the whole story. When used on its own, it can lead to decisions that look good on paper – but perform worse in practice.

This article aims to explain why sustainability in lubricating grease cannot be reduced to a single number, and how a more application-driven perspective leads to better environmental and business decisions.

Questions we often hear from customers and the industry:

• •    Which lubricating grease is most sustainable for my application?
• •    How should we weigh carbon footprint against other environmental aspects?
• •    Is it really better to switch to a grease with lower PCF, even if its service life is shorter?

Do these questions reflect the challenges your business faces as well? Read on to get a better understanding.

On the HPM front, we are glad to share…

ACINOL 152 HQS (US) – All Colours are now approved against the NLGI HPM certification. In addition to the HPM core certification, Acinol 152 HQS (US) – All Colours also obtained the +WR tag for enhanced level of performance in the water resistance category as well as the +LT tag for enhanced level of performance in the low-temperature category.

On October 15th, AXEL arranged a seminar presenting joint research projects with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). There were more than 30 attendants, of which approximately 1/3 were virtually present from across Europe and USA.

A Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) is a new labeling element for the European market. UFI needs to be added to the existing product labels of hazardous mixtures in conjunction with submitting product information to ECHA, Poison Centres Notification (PCN). The purpose is to be able to provide more in-depth information in case of an emergency. The deadline is January 1st  2021, for both consumer and professional use products. AXEL is finalising its work to fulfil the obligations for the deadline. There is an ongoing dialog with our customers to create awareness on their obligations and collect information required.  AXEL's guide summarises the main information points related to the new requirements. You can contact us at HSE Support: hse.support@axelch.com.

AXEL Americas LLC, headquartered in North Kansas City, Missouri, was the proud recipient of the National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) Founders Award. In recognition of the three NLGI founding Companies, the Founders Award is presented to a company that has had a positive impact on the NLGI in the tradition established by these founding fathers. Accepting this award on behalf of AXEL Americas was Tom Schroeder, President of AXEL Americas LLC. Congratulations to Tom and the AXEL Team and a special thanks to the NLGI for this important recognition.

On October 8, 2020 AXEL in Tulsa, Oklahoma celebrated one year with no OSHA recordables. While AXEL’s commitment to safety starts with leadership, it must be supported by our employees. The Tulsa employees picked up the proverbial safety culture torch and never looked back. Each employee, from management to our temporary staff, plays a huge role in driving the safety culture on a day to day basis. Along with that drive, AXEL ensures employees are provided the necessary tools and resources to be successful. Examples include safety initiatives like “I see it, I own it, I act”, on-going training, personal protective equipment, policies and procedures, and open lines of communicators to voice EHS concerns or needs. The Tulsa employees were presented with hard hat stickers signifying their 1 year accomplishment along with a banner that each employee signed to be proudly displayed.

At our Rosedale, Mississippi facility in the USA, we commissioned and installed a new 45K pound kettle, including additional mills and finished goods storage tank capacity. These additions are enhancing our operation processes to greatly increase productivity, throughput and overall utilization and capacity. Once complete, our Rosedale facility will be able to produce a 45K bulk load in a single batch, in addition to the other more traditional packaging types. This is important for our high-volume customers and end users who prefer receiving their bulk loads produced in one batch with one Certificate of Analysis.

Junior Cobb assumed the role of Vice President of Operations for AXEL Americas overseeing our three plants in Rosedale, Tulsa and Schertz. Prior to this role, Junior was Plant Manager in Rosedale where he led the organization through aggressive growth and some challenging times. During his tenure, he helped manage the rebuilding of the plant after the fire in early 2016, developed a strong team, and facilitated rapid growth, while managing a significant level of added complexity in the business. Junior is a native of the Delta, having grown up in Cleveland, MS and earned a Masters of Natural Science Degree from nearby Delta State University. Junior and wife, Mary Susan, live in Tulsa with their daughter Sara Chesley and son Jax.

Just as in many other process industries, cement production presents numerous challenges across a range of equipment from conveyors and crushers to milling machines and rotary kilns.