VOLUME 23, NO. 2 OCTOBER 2003

The Automotive Powertrain Industry Journal

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14 Transmission Digest

“After 20 years, we still remain what we havealways been – not a packager and distribu-tor of lubricants; rather, a company apply-

ing the innovative opportunities of science to thedevelopment of a broadening product line,” saysFrank L. Erickson, Lubegard’s founder and president,describing the approach his company has used in themarketplace since its beginning.

Next year, Lubegard’s parent company,International Lubricants Inc., marks its 20th anniver-sary. Erickson says that since 1984 his company hasbeen a leader in research, development and manufac-turing of patented high-performing ester-based syn-thetic lubricants and related products for automotive,industrial, marine and agricultural applications.

“Lubegard was born,” Erickson reflects, “when Dr.[Phil] Landis and I began discussing some of the sci-ences he’d created during his many years as head ofMobil Oil Applied Lubrication Research Group. Dr.Landis is a recognized worldwide leader in the mech-anistic studies of elimination, rearrangement and py-rolysis reactions of additive preparations for fuel andlubricant applications, and of catalytic organic reac-tions and petrochemicals. Our goal was to formulatea direct molecular replacement for sperm-whale oil.A daunting task, considering the costs of the materi-als involved.”

Sperm-whale oil andits derivatives wereused as additives in vir-tually all automotive lu-bricants. The productswere so effective thatvehicles’ transmissionfluids generally werenever changed, and thetransmission lasted thelife of the car. Some 30million pounds ofsperm-whale oil wasused every year. Tosupply the demand,hundreds of thousandsof whales were harvest-ed, bringing that speciesto the brink of extinc-tion.

In 1972, theEndangered Species Actoutlawed the killing ofwhales and the use ofmaterials derived from those whales. For years, in en-gine oils, the automotive industry relied on other ani-

mal-basedproducts such astallow or lard.For transmis-sions, these sub-stitutes provedto be inadequate, lead-ing to poor over-all drivetrainperformance,premature drive-train failure andtransmissionfailure due toincreased heat,

according toErickson.

“In the devel-

Frank L. Erickson, Lubegard founder and CEO, withKen Thomas, director of professional sales. Theplaques in the background represent more than 100U.S. and foreign patents.

At the Seattle head-quarters bottling facility,the 4,000-gallon blendingtank works with larger,5,000-gallon holding tanksin the background. Theresult is a full productblend cycle every fourhours.

Dr. Phillip Landis has beenstudying the basic science behindLubegard’s molecules for most ofa lifetime.

20 Years of Technology

October 2003 15

opment of our patented science, we had the opportu-nity to make products that were friendlier to the envi-ronment, benign in their effect on users and superiorat addressing many common fluid-related difficultiesexperienced in the hostile environment of vehicletransmissions,” Erickson said. “You see, it’s at themolecular level that lubricants are different. Blendingof various components allows that molecular struc-ture to translate to the characteristics needed to, inthe case of a transmission additive, fight oxidation,heat buildup, converter chatter etc.

“Only Lubegard’s LXE Technology has been ap-proved, endorsed, recommended and used by OEMs.We have eight known service bulletins from the

OEMs, which tell their dealerships to use our productto fix specific transmission problems! That’s prettystrong evidence in favor of Lubegard. Also, our Dr.Tranny Kooler Kleen Transmission Flush is repack-aged for six OEMs. No other company can say that.Ours are the only products that are safe for yourtransmission and safe for you.”

International Lubricants Inc. holds more than onehundred U.S. and foreign patents, and its research ef-forts ensure that it remains on the cutting edge ofnew product development and product improve-ments.

“Lubegard’s success in the automotive aftermarket

• Liquid wax ester (LXE®) was first developed and patented as a synthetic replace-ment for sperm-whale oil. Structurally, LXE is closely related and performs similarlyto sperm-whale oil.

• In contrast to polyunsaturated triester plant oils, it is a monoester of a mo-nounsaturated fatty acid and a long-chain alcohol. It has certain inherent properties– lubricity, seal-swell control and heat-transfer characteristics. It can be derivatizedto provide additional antioxidant, anti-wear activity, and friction modification.

• The LXE molecule is a large ester chain with one double bond making it moreoxidatively stable and imparting fluidity. The double bond is critical for providing asite to add functional groups, such as phosphorous or sulphur. Shown in the diagram,carbon atoms are blue, hydrogen are yellow and oxygen atoms are shown as red.

• And for those of us without a Ph.D. in chemistry, what that all boils down to is this: LXE functions primarilyby removing heat from frictional surfaces, which can see surface temperatures in automatic transmissions ofmore than 300-500° F. LXE absorbs the heat at metal surfaces and transfers that heat to the metal housing, whereit is dissipated.

• The LXE Technology is a 40-42-carbon atom synthetic ester (44 is sperm-whale oil) with 20-22 carbon acidatoms and 20 carbon alcohol atoms. The secret to this technology is that it makes an ester grouping right in thecenter of the structure that binds the molecule together, making the new synthetic ester flow at low tempera-tures, oxidatively stable, with very little unsaturation; thus, it’s much more stable than any other syntheticmolecules.

The Secret of Esters

Sam Memmolo, often found working in the Lubegardbooth at trade shows, serves as the company’snational spokesman.

continues next page

Expanding the use of science, International LubricantsInc.’s R&D department (from left): Kevin Vyas,chemist; Jason Erickson; Pat Burrow, AG engineer;and John Nagel, chemical engineer

16 Transmission Digest

has been the real reduction of excessive heat by up to40° Fahrenheit,” says Pat Burrow, head of researchand product development. “Transmission technicianshave known this for years, that for every 10°Fahrenheit of heat reduced you double the life of thefluid, and for every 20° Fahrenheit of heat reducedyou double the life of the transmission. Lubegard’sLXE Technology is simply unsurpassed. It is moreheat stable than any other product ever sold; so heatstable, independent laboratory testing provesLubegard outperforms the nearest competitor by over

100° Fahrenheit.” Burrow should know. He joined ILI last year,

bringing with him 22 years of experience working forone of the world’s largest independent testing facili-ties.

The Next-Generation MoleculeRecently, ILI has been paying much attention to

the applied development of a new molecule,Synergol® TMS. According to Burrow, “The moleculeis the first non-active, low-phosphorous-based sur-face molecule, which, when added to existing ATFs,drastically reduces wear on parts and metal surfaces.

It makes all ATFswork at their opti-mum, improvingthe surface layer’sperformance in allcomponents, whichis why it will workin all ATF applica-tions.

“Synergol’s lubricant perfor-mance will extendfar beyond normalfluid life.Synergolincreases its effec-tiveness over time,providing continu-ous protection toall internal parts ofthe transmission.Lubegard is cur-rently using the Synergol TMS combined with LXEtechnologies to provide the most advanced and com-plete transmission-fluid performance additives everinvented.”

Lubegard reports sales of its “Platinum” product,using Synergol’s next-generation technology, haveclimbed to more than 100,000 bottles. The “Platinum”product is marketed mainly for use in the fast-lubesegment of the aftermarket because of its ease of useand the elimination of confusion of matching a bot-tled product to specific vehicle applications.

Erickson added: “Synergol TMS, with its uniqueability to eliminate the undesirable presence of zincproducts, is a prime solution for tomorrow’s engineoils, where it also can be used to reduce unwantedzinc. OEMs have eliminated zinc products in trans-mission fluids and would like to do the same for en-gine oils. We look to Synergol TMS as a leadingtechnology to provide the solution to that problem.”

Manufacturing & ProductionIn the past year, ILI has updated its Seattle manu-

facturing facility with a state-of-the-art bottle-fillingline and product-blending capabilities. A 4,000-gallonblending tank is supported by 5,000-gallon holdingtanks. The configuration results in the capacity to per-form a complete blending cycle every four hours.

“The investment in additional packaging and man-ufacturing technology gives us the ability to produce1,200 cases of ready-to-ship product in an eight-hourshift,” said John Nagle, director of manufacturing.“This new filling line can be used to fill as small as a2-ounce container or as large as a gallon (includingsealing and labeling), providing tremendous filling

The operator in the left foreground is dwarfed by twohigh temperature, high pressure multi-story reactors.Massive machinery is necessary to produce the baseLXE ester molecule at temperatures approaching 500degrees.

Much of the work pioneering theapplications of the Synergolmolecule took place atLubegard’s Seattle laboratory.

October 2003 17

mending onlyLubegard products.”

Lubegard MarketingManager Kristen Clarkpoints out that the com-pany’s brands arebrought to light bylongtime nationalspokesman SamMemmolo. “He is thehighly respected andnationally known co-host and writer of theTV series ‘Two GuysGarage,’ ‘Crank &Chrome’ and‘Shadetree Mechanic.’Sam travels to many ofthe trade shows andseminars where we par-ticipate. He has been with us for over eight years andhas been a valuable focal point for our marketing ef-forts to get the word out. Sam has been an ASE certi-fied Master Auto Technician with L-1 AdvancedDrivability Rating since 1977. He is also producer andhost of the nationally broadcast radio shows ‘Sam’s

Garage’ and ‘The Car Show.’“We officially launched the Lubegard 4th

ALL-STAR contest at the Powertrain Show inOpryland. We’re also distributing a game board toevery Transmission Digest reader inside of this issue.Everybody loves to play what has become a very pop-ular contest. This year, we have made it even moreexciting, having expanded the prize offering substan-tially. We are partnering with national, well-knowncompanies so that our customers can win virtuallyanything they want. We went from 57 prize options

Marketing manager KristenClark oversees a myriad ofadvertising, tradeshows, awebsite and otherpromotional projectsincluding the All-Starcontests.precision. With this new filling line, Lubegard’s cus-

tomers are assured the highest quality and a premi-um product.”

Sales & MarketingErickson says it hasn’t been easy to educate the in-

dustry to appreciate the benefits of LXE technology.The company continues to rely on a multi-faceted in-dustry educational effort that includes salespeople,professional speakers and hands-on demonstrationsof product characteristics. On any given weekend theLubegard sales and marketing staff hands out sam-ples and explains “how it works” to professionaltransmission and general-repair mechanics at tradeshows, distributor open houses and seminars acrossthe country and around the world.

“We strongly feel the proof is in the product,” saysKen Thomas, Lubegard director of professional sales.“Once technicians use it to cure common problems

and notice the reductionin fluid-related come-backs, they can’t stoptalking about it. The de-termination of our salesand marketing team hasmade Lubegard thenumber one productused by professionalautomotive techniciansaround the world. It isno small feat that thetop three transmissionchains (AAMCO,Cottman and LeeMyles) all agree, endorsing and recom-

Ken Thomas, director ofprofessional sales.

Administrative Personnell left to right; KyleneAnderson, Gretchen Erickson, Tom Pitton, CathyEvans, and Jennifer Crawford.

Lubegard’s sales team (from left): Eric Taylor, MaryDelano, Mike Delaney, Noriko Anderson, Ken Thomasand John Sweitzer

is the best!LUBEGARD is the ONLY product of its kind to be Used, Endorsed,Designated and Approved by Multiple OEM’s (Original EquipmentManufacturers). No other product of its kind has such anapproval or can make this claim.

Overwhelming #1 choice of professional transmissionrebuilders and car manufactures worldwide.

World leader in innovative lubricant and chemical technology. Over 80 worldwide patents involving Liquid Wax Esters, Synthetic Esters, Synthetics, Polymers and their Derivatives.

LUBEGARD because of its unique chemistry won the “Product of the Year” award from the prestigious Lubricants World publication.

INTERNATIONAL LUBRICANTS, INC.7930 Occidental South • Seattle, WA 98108 • PO Box 24743 • Seattle, WA 98124206-762-5343 • 800-333-LUBE (5823) • Fax: 206-762-7989 • www.Lubegard.com

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