When Lubrication Causes Problems
7 May 2026
We all associate lubrication with reducing friction, preventing wear and ensuring smooth equipment operation. We even use the term ‘lifeblood’ to emphasise its importance. However, today’s webinar challenges this notion by highlighting the potential pitfalls of lubrication and their costly consequences.
This webinar comprises four presentations, each featuring real-world case studies. These presentations explore the various issues that can arise and provide valuable insights into how to avoid similar problems in your own operations.
Our goal is to equip you with a sharper eye for warning signs and a few hard-won lessons, allowing you to avoid costly mistakes without experiencing them first-hand.
A new feature in the lubrication analysis webinar series will be the panel session with Q&A. Here, the participating industry expert speakers will discuss topics of interest to you. In advance of this, you are invited to submit questions or share cases where you require some feedback or analysis. Expect insight from a wide range of meaningful perspectives. To submit questions and topics, please contact: karen.cambridge@bindt.org
Registration
The webinar is FREE to attend and registration is required in advance at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_q4-CX4sZQc-nswEzNBeWIw
Organised by the BINDT Lubrication Analysis Working Group.
| Programme | ||
| 10.00-10.10 | Welcome and introductions | Jade Thompson SKF (UK) Ltd, UK |
| 10.10-10.30 | What harm can the wrong oil do? |  Adam CutlerOil Analysis Laboratories, UK Adam is widely known as a lubrication analysis expert in the industry. Having managed lubrication analysis, technical and diagnostics at two of Europe's largest laboratories, in 2018, he founded Oil Analysis Laboratories to test fluids beyond industry norms. In addition, Adam operates LearnOilAnalysis.com and its associated YouTube channel, delivering free training material to students in over 100 countries on lubrication analysis. |
| 10.30-10.50 | The merits of condition-based lubrication An alternative strategy to eliminate unnecessary oil changes, Danny will provide a short case study showing where a large asset base benefitted from taking a brand-new approach to oil change scheduling. By moving away from calendar-based schedules to the deployment of a simple go/no go oil condition analysis strategy using low-cost onsite testing, the company was able to highlight only those systems that required oil replenishment. The result was that 90% fewer oil changes were needed in year one, and over three years, the result was the permanent elimination of 50% of all previously scheduled oil changes. For an asset base of over 2900 rotating systems, this represented a significant return on investment and improvement in HSE risks. |  Danny ShortenJohn Crane Ltd, UK Danny is the global Subject Matter Expert – Lubrication Management – for John Crane Business Solutions. His focus is on improving machinery reliability via the optimisation of lubrication-related activities across all critical industrial infrastructure. He is a time-served mechanical engineer who specialised early on in the physical testing of lubricants, then moved on to serve as a lubrication engineer to UK industry. Later working with Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, he was involved in oil and grease condition monitoring (CM), maintenance strategy optimisation, training and the practical application of ship classification rules support worldwide. He was awarded the BINDT COMADIT Prize for his contribution to society via CM in the marine sector and, having moved back into the large-scale industrial sector with John Crane, is currently chair of the ISO Working Group which has just completed an additional certification scheme under ISO 18436 Part 10 for the training and competence requirements for an asset condition management specialist for those individuals who oversee the CM strategy. |
| 10.50-11.05 | Comfort break | |
| 11.05-11.25 | Using big-data to overcome lubrication issues This real-life case study walks through how a customer transitioned from frequent lubrication-related failures to saving over €0.5 million in the first year of embracing improved program management and big-data analysis. | Gwyn Simmonds Polaris Laboratories, UK Gwyn has 25 years of experience in the fluid analysis industry. He currently manages global sales and marketing teams supporting international lubricant manufacturers and global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). He has experience in laboratory testing, data interpretation, technical support and global sales and marketing. Gwyn has managed some of the largest fluid analysis programmes globally and regularly speaks at high-level industry events. |
| 11.25-11.45 | Title to be confirmed | Dzmitry Korachkin Swansea Tribology Services Ltd, UK Dzmitry holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and brings nearly two decades of experience in the oil analysis industry. He leads Swansea Tribology Services, an independent oil CM laboratory supporting a diverse client base that includes major OEMs and global oil companies. At Swansea Tribology Services, Dzmitry oversees the laboratory’s operations and remains hands on with analytical work. His technical contributions include developing advanced wear debris analysis methods, expanding the lab’s capabilities in contaminant identification and helping shape the design and functionality of the company’s online results portal. |
| 11.45-12.00 | Panel session with Q&A | |
| 12.05 | Close | |
For further information, contact:
Events and Awards Department, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road, Northampton NN1 5NX, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1604 438300; Email: conf@bindt.org
