Archives: Podcast

Selim Erhan has a Ph.D. in Organic-Polymer Chemistry from Western Michigan University. He started his career as a research scientist at the National Center for Agricultural Research Service of the U.S, Department of Agriculture (USDA). At USDA, he worked on finding industrial applications for vegetable oils in areas such as rubber, paper, agricultural sprays, pharmaceuticals, […]

In Episode 26 of F+L Webcast, David Barned, senior vice president and general manager of the North American Business Unit of Master Fluid Solutions based in Perrysburg, Ohio, U.S.A., discusses supply chain issues during the Covid-19 pandemic and post-covid challenges. David became senior vice president and general manager of the North American  Business Unit of […]

Hind Abi-Akar recently retired from Caterpillar, the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. While at Caterpillar, Hind, who has a PhD in Materials Science, worked in the Fluids Group where she was involved in the development of Caterpillar lubricants. She also represented […]

Anand Bhargav is global segment manager for main-tier PCMO [Passenger Car Motor Oil] and Small Engines segments at Chevron Oronite Pte Ltd based in Singapore. Bhargav, who has more than 25 years of lubricant additive industry experience, joined Vicky Villena-Denton, CEO, and editor-in-chief of F&L Asia Ltd, to share his perspective on emerging trends in […]

Jeffrey (Jeff) Brown has extensive experience bringing new technologies to market and is a pioneer in the field of renewable chemicals.  Prior to co-founding and becoming president and CEO of Novvi, he was a vice president at Amyris, a synthetic biotechnology and renewable chemical company headquartered in Emeryville, California, U.S.A., developing new products from synthetic […]

Eric G. Holthusen, group chief technology officer at Petronas Lubricants International Sdn. Bhd. (PLI), has a wealth of experience in the lubricants industry and has forged a distinguished career since joining Shell in Hamburg, Germany, in 1989. During his time at Shell, Eric held a variety of roles in lubricants and fuels technology, testing, and marketing. In 2001, […]

In this episode, Dr. Nuwong Chollacoop, Renewable Energy Research Team Leader at the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) in Thailand, shares the latest biodiesel and electric vehicle (EV) trends in Thailand. Thailand currently mandates all petroleum diesel being sold in Thailand to be blended with 7% biodiesel.  Thailand is the world’s third largest […]

An OEM-led consortium is trying to transform how global vehicle fluid specifications are being defined today to meet society’s carbon neutrality goals by 2035 and 2050. Carbon neutrality goals are definitely going to drive the performance standards and specifications coming out of the International Fluids Consortium (IFC), said Mike Kunselman, business development manager of Michigan, […]

Indian Oil Corp. (IndianOil), a Fortune 500 company, remains a clear lubricants market leader in India, three decades after India deregulated its lubricants market. In this interview, Dr. SSV Ramakumar describes his journey from a young chemist fresh from obtaining his doctorate in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee to becoming the esteemed director of […]

Monica Johansson has been on a running streak for 1,170 days. Her goal is to take 20,000 steps a day. She runs about 20 minutes every day. She also runs four to five ultramarathons a year. An ultramarathon is anything above a regular marathon, which is 42.195 kilometers. Johansson has worked for Volvo Cars since […]

Dr. Boris Zhmud, born in Russia, now based in Stockholm, Sweden, has more than 20 years of professional experience in lubricants and lubrication engineering. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and has several patents. He currently consults on tribological problems for companies in Europe, including in Germany and in the UK. […]

In today’s environment, it is no longer politically correct to espouse the importance of the internal combustion engine in light of the climate change movement. Episode 16 of F+L Webcast with Eugene Tan takes a different perspective on the role of lubricants in the context of climate change. Tan, senior advisor of GXS Partners, a […]

In this episode, Rebecca Warden discusses the work of the Advanced Fluids for Electrified Vehicles (AFEV) consortium at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Warden, who is the manager of the Fleet and Driveline Fluids Evaluation Section at SwRI, is co-project manager of the AFEV consortium. During her 12-year career at SwRI, Warden has been involved with […]

Over the past couple of decades, China has implemented multiple vehicle emissions regulations. Efforts to curb air pollution have been offset by substantial growth in the vehicle population and urban air quality has suffered as a result. China VIb, the second phase of China VI, is expected to launch in 2023. When China VIb is […]

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) published the latest ACEA European Engine Oil Sequences on April 30, 2021, with first allowable use commencing on 1 May 2021. For the first time, ACEA has split the light- and heavy-duty specifications, with only the light-duty standards updated. The heavy-duty and passenger car efforts are moving at different […]