Re-defining lubricant technology

Axel Christiernsson is a global leader in the development of customised lubricant products for industry. Philip Yorke reports on a company that’s seen significant growth and looks at its latest products and its ambitious plans for the future.

The company was founded by Axel Abraham Christiernsson in Stockholm, Sweden in 1888, in order to develop and manufacture lubrication products. By the 1920s the core product was lubricating grease. However, in 1982 the company changed its strategy in order to produce a diverse range of ‘private label’ products from its new high-tech factory in Nol, Sweden. In 1991 it decided to focus its European activities in Heijningen, in the Netherlands, following the acquisition of the Timac grease plant and in 1997 the Axel Christiernsson company was acquired by Fairford Holdings.

Major investments followed with a further important acquisition in France that not only strengthened its European presence, but also added new, dedicated production lines for food-grade lubricants. More recently in 2011, Axel Christiernsson purchased the majority of the assets of Jesco Resources Inc. in the USA.

Today the company is seeing rapid growth and in 2010 had doubled its 2002 turnover to reach sales of more than SEK 500 million.

Raising performance at higher temperatures

The great majority of the grease used by industry today is based on a patent that was filed almost 60 years ago. Since then much of the product development has relied on the optimisation of the original formula. However, the latest high-tech grease products are being built on advanced, polymer-based thickeners, which offer many advantages over more conventional products. One particular example of these advantages is clearly demonstrated in the recent field tests of bearings used in wind turbines. These resulted in the bearings benefiting directly from a significant extension in their re-lubrication intervals. In another example, tests on the bearings of an aluminium rolling mill showed that the new grease offered superior emulsion-resistant properties. The conclusion is that investing early on in more specialised and efficient grease products, can not only prove far more cost-effective, but in theory they will also outlast the components for which they were designed to lubricate.

Graham Gow, business development manager at Axel said, “In an attempt to raise the upper temperature limit for multi-purpose lubricating grease, a new generation of socalled ‘complex grease’ products has been introduced. The market share for this type of product has risen dramatically, especially in the USA, but Europe is not far behind”.

In addition to an increasing demand for higher-performance grease specifications, the need for more environmentally friendly products continues to grow. The different EU authorities are already starting to implement the new regulations. With this in mind the

GR Produkter AB

Axel’s main supplier of grease cartridges in Sweden GR Produkter AB have supplied Axel since 1992 with the high quality grease cartridge named Hugo with a delivery on time rate of over 99%

Ergon

Ergon is expanding its marketing efforts of Base Oils, Process Oils and Transformer Oils in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. From its roots in the petroleum industry’s service areas, Ergon has grown into a network of sophisticated companies employing more than 2500 people worldwide. Ergon is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi in the US.

The main business segments within Ergon are Refining & Marketing, which consists of Ergon’s two speciality oil refineries, marketing and product distribution. Then Asphalt & Emulsions, which includes the marketing and distribution of Ergon’s pavement preservation, paving and specialty asphalt products.

Located in Waterloo, Belgium, Ergon Europe MEA Inc., is an operating division of Ergon Refining Inc., for process, base and electrical oils produced at the company’s naphthenic base oil refinery located in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Ergon has a longstanding supply relationship with AXEL, in Europe and in the US with the recently acquired grease producer JESCO.

company is continuing to invest in semi-synthetic and bio-degradable products. This is reflected in the specific version of Axel grease products developed for wind turbines, which are already based upon a semi-synthetic fluid, but can possibly be made using biologically degradable oil and therefore, would be classed as eco-friendly products.

Unique customer offering

Axel’s customer offering combines two distinct value streams Axel Products and Axel Premium Services. All lubricating grease products from Axel are defined by their unique, dedicated ‘Customised Label’ policy, which means that every product leaving an Axel factory is developed specifically to meet the individual needs of a customer. Axel will never market any parallel brands itself. This consistent and well established strategy is unique and therefore allows customers to partner with the company in complete confidence, knowing that it does not compete at the end-user market.

The word ‘consistency’ can also be applied to the lubricants industry, as this is the most important physical property of any lubricating grease and one of Axel’s greatest strengths. The company has transformed itself from being a local manufacturer in Scandinavia to being a leading supplier to the European business-to-business market with ambitious plans to extend its global reach.

A company spokesman said, “Our customers have strong regional or international brands in the lubricants and friction reducing industry. We will continue to satisfy customer demands through our in-depth specialist competences in product development and our reliable manufacturing resources. In this way we can operate as an integral part of our customer’s supply chain.”

Strategic outsourcing gaining ground

Axel Christiernsson has three major production facilities in Europe; one in Nol, Sweden, another in Heijningen, the Netherlands and one in Niort in France. In 2010 the company produced more than 25,000 mt of lubricating greases based upon over 200 different formulations. Axel has continued to invest heavily in its manufacturing facilities in order to expand capacity and to meet the increasing demand for its high-quality products.

In today’s economic climate, outsourcing has proved to be an extremely attractive and economical option for many former grease manufacturers, who are now able to put their trust in the hands of Europe’s leading specialist grease producer.

Axel operates a flexible production system with pressurised and open kettles, as well as Stratco contactors in addition to other specialised equipment. The company’s diverse range of equipment and flexible operating solutions means that it is competent to manage any kind of specific manufacturing technology. n