Message from the President

Hello Friends and Delegates,

Iam very pleased to note that NLGIIndia Chapter (IC) is organising its 25th Lubricating Grease Conference on New Frontiers in Grease Industry: Moving Towards Net Zero from 3–5 March 2023 at Hotel Grand Hyatt, Gurugram, India. Celebrating NLGI-IC’s Silver Jubilee, it’s both a very proud and nostalgic moment for me as I have seen this organization growing from day one like my own child and reaching such heights is an extraordinary achievement. I congratulate each and every one involved in this remarkable journey. I vividly recall this Chapter started in 1997 with a humble beginning and HQ at my small office in the Indian Oil R&D Centre with little financial support from NLGI. The majority of the burden was then shouldered by Indian companies both from the public and private sectors. Since then, this organization has become not only financially independent but also one of the best societies in the world and a must-go place for everybody involved in the field of lubricating greases.

Lubricating greases, though comparatively small in terms of total lubricant volumes, is indispensable with regard to lubrication and as per industry estimates and the majority of roller bearings are still grease lubricated. In some industries, it’s even considered a wedge product due to its merits and unique characteristics. Off late, the lubricating grease industry is going through unprecedented challenges due to availability issues and the exponential rise in lithium prices. As per the latest NLGI production survey, lithium greases still constitute approximately 70% of the entire global grease production and in the case of India, it’s around 84% (where lithium for manufacturing lithium greases is pretty much imported). Therefore, there is a pressing need to look for lithium alternates, and this Conference is just the right forum to exchange useful ideas and resolve such complex issues.

Incidentally, NLGI-India Chapter’s 25th anniversary coincides with NLGI’s 90th anniversary and we have some great plans to celebrate this special occasion during our Annual Meet scheduled from 4–7 June 2023 in San Diego, California. I take this opportunity to invite you all to join the special event.

This Silver Jubilee Conference is being organized by Mr. Sudhir Sachdeva (under the aegis of Siddharth Grease & Lubes Pvt. Ltd.), who is not only a founder member of NLGI-India Chapter but also very passionate about greases. I am sure this will be a memorable Conference and I wish all the success to him and NLGI-IC Board.

With regards,

Dr Anoop Kumar President, NLGI (Sr. Staff Scientist, Chevron Products Company Division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc.)