ILMA Compoundings - May 2020 - 3

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

Barbara A. Bellanti
Battenfeld Grease &
Oil Corporation of N.Y.
Richard Camper
Pacific Precision
Formulators Inc.
Dave Croghan
Maxum Petroleum
Lon Fanning
DuBois Chemicals
Catharine T. Golden
Etna Products, Inc.
Frank H. Hamilton III
South Atlantic Services, Inc.
Greg Julian
Advanced Lubrication
Specialties
Michael McHenry
Master Fluid Solutions
Kent Morris
Pinnacle Oil, Inc.
David Richards
RichardsApex, Inc.

STAFF
Chief Executive Officer
Holly Alfano
Associate Director
Martha F. Jolkovski
Senior Director of
Communications
Brenda Gillinson
Senior Manager of
Member Engagement
Tim Mack

Senior Manager of
Marketing & Digital
Communications
Amber Lopez
Meetings Manager
Meg Thaxton
Accounting Manager
Margaret Smith
General Counsel
Jeffrey L. Leiter
Associate Counsel
Matthew Levetown

EDITORIAL, DESIGN
Contributing Editor
Brenda Gillinson

Designer
Mark St. Amand

THE YGS GROUP
Senior Managing Editor
Sam Hoffmeister

Copy Editor
Amanda Holahan

Content & Copy Director
Craig Lauer

Account Manager
Max Lalwani

MEDIA SALES
President
Jack Davidson
Vice President
Serena L. Spiezio

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;
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and additional mailing offices.
ISSN 1042-508X
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Alexandria, VA 22314.

Essential ILMA

'm writing this month's letter from my home office. We are about 12 days into
the 15 that President Donald Trump says are needed to "flatten the curve" of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor of Virginia has closed all nonessential
businesses, requiring the ILMA staff and me to work remotely.
A lot changed very quickly. Oil prices plunged to new lows. The stock market
tanked. And a new phrase -"social distancing"- entered our vocabulary.
The cancellation of ILMA Engage was a major disappointment to our staff, with 90%
of the work having been already completed. But we soon embraced a new challenge:
to ramp up the flow of information and resources to members, anticipating what issues
would emerge. As the staff began meeting over video chats, we agreed that as a team, this
is our opportunity to shine and to reinforce the value of ILMA to members.
As states began to issue stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, ILMA wasted no
time reaching out to the National Governors Association requesting that lubricant
manufacturers be designated as "essential businesses." Thankfully, the governors
came through, and ILMA quickly developed information to help our members in
their new role as an essential business, while most other businesses were shut.
We quickly developed a COVID-19 Resources webpage, which has been updated
daily. We provided guidance on how members could manage employee issues that
would inevitably occur during a pandemic. What happens if an employee becomes
ill? What happens if an employee refuses to work? ILMA developed a "Frequently
Asked Questions" document on employment issues.
The slowdown and closure of businesses resulting from the pandemic had many
effects on ILMA members, and ILMA was there to assist:
* As Congress reacted to the crisis with a relief package, ILMA gathered critical
information for members on Small Business Administration loans and other
business assistance included in the legislative package.
* As members began preparing to apply for American Petroleum Institute (API)
licensing for GF-6, ILMA learned they were having issues with the availability
of the Romaszewski Oil Bench Oxidation (ROBO) test. ILMA reached out to
API, and on April 1, API invoked Provisional Licensing, giving members needed leeway to submit ROBO results. When API lifts its Provisional Licensing,
oil marketers with provisionally licensed formulations will have six months to
obtain and submit a passing ROBO result.
* Grease manufacturers and the National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI)
approached ILMA about the shutdown of the castor industry in India resulting
from the pandemic and how without access to that product, the grease industry
would be effectively halted around the world. ILMA, NLGI and the Society of
Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers developed a letter outlining the issue,
which was delivered to Trump administration officials and the Indian Embassy.
The letter asked for outreach to the Indian government to reopen the essential
castor industry and nearby ports.
We lost our much-anticipated meeting, our chance to connect and network with
friends and colleagues. But the work of ILMA never stopped. Rather, it intensified.
It is my hope that, as we helped to make the case that lubricant manufacturers are
essential, our members also recognized ILMA in that light.
Holly Alfano
Chief Executive Officer

© 2020 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.

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ILMA Compoundings - May 2020

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