Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 5 - 15

MOTOR MAINTENANCE
IMPLICATIONS OF SUBPAR OIL & LUBRICANT MAINTENANCE
WITH TERRY WRIGHT OF INVENTORY EXPRESS
BY BLAKE MARCHAND
Terry Wright is the owner and President of Inventory Express Lubricants out of London Ontario, servicing Southwestern Ontario. They have been in business for
11-years now, although Wright has over 30-years of experience in the industry behind him. Wright started in the oil and lubricant industry as a driver for a family
company, working his way through various positions into management.
" I got to see pretty much everything, " he said of the various positions he held, " so when the starters pistol went, I was ready to go. "
By the time the family company was sold, he was ready to move on and started Inventory Express.
WHAT SECTORS MAKE UP YOUR BUSINESS?
Inventory Express specializes in bulk oil and lubricant delivery across automotive, heavy duty, farming, construction, and industrial sectors.
" We're probably 60% automotive garages, " Wright said, " we do schools, police departments, defense departments, we do industrial - not as much as I'd like
but were getting more and more all the time as we grow. "
Wright noted that looking toward the future of his industry, the industrial sector will be important. Although it may be a few years until we get there, electric
vehicles will have an impact on the direction businesses like Inventory Express.
" Everything needs to be lubricated, that's the blood of any machine. And that's here to stay. As long as we have machines, even if they're robotic, they still have
to have lubricants. The whole plant needs lubricants. "
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUBPAR OIL AND LUBRICANT MAINTENANCE?
" You get what you pay for, basically, that's the bottom line. Sometimes you can get away with shopping at the dollar store, other times you come out of there
and the product lasts 2 minutes. Lubricants are the same thing. There are advantages with synthetics, and they tend to be more money... some of the more
expensive lubes are expensive for a reason. "
" It's the lifeblood of the company, " Wright said of the importance of providing special attention to industrial machinery, " if the machinery is down you have
people sitting around or laid off. With these lubricants, you can't just go to Wal-Mart and pick it up off the shelf. Maintenance is a big deal, its really important that
we use the right products and they're maintained on a regular basis. "
" For wear and tear, dry start ups, and heat distribution, " are where the advantages are to using synthetic oil, Wright said. Which ultimately comes down to
prolonging the life of equipment. Limiting unexpected downtime is a major concern for the industrial sector, he said, and machine health protects against that.
As he mentions, lubricant is the lifeblood of machinery, although that can sometimes be taken for granted.
For Wright, maintenance is a big deal. " It's like the old commercial, pay me now or pay me later. It will catch up with you, " he said with respect to not
maintaining regular maintenance schedules.
Industrial supplier, Grainger echoes this sentiment while discussing bearing failures, " The importance of lubrication maintenance is clear: neglect will lead to
failures. Small gaps can lead to bigger failures - 40% of all bearing failures can be tied to just poor lubrication. Wear and tear due to inadequate lubrication on
parts even this small adds up, with a single bearing failure potentially requiring full shutdown. "

C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5

https://inventoryexpress.ca/

Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 2 Issue 5