Conference Speaker Wes Cash, Noria chats with Lubricant Expo North America

Thursday, 30 November 2023

Lubricant Expo North America were lucky to interview conference speaker Wes Cash, Vice President of Services at Noria. It was great to hear about his role, his thoughts on the lubricant sector, his conference session and more.

Can you tell us about your role at Noria?

I serve as the Vice President of Services at Noria.  My daily functions are primarily to support a team of consultants that are performing lubrication audits, engineering services, trainings, and general consulting projects with customers across the globe.  I also work directly with customers performing many of these services myself.

 

What excites you / keeps you up at night? 

I love working with the staff at the industrial facilities I visit to help them improve reliability through lubrication excellence.  I love teaching and seeing people realize there are better or easier ways to maintain their equipment.  It is rewarding to hear from past customers how by improving their lubrication program, it has improved their lives both personally and professionally.  The people aspect is what keeps me excited and focused on lubrication.

 

What are the top three trends and challenges driving your sector at present? 

Lubricants are considered a consumable, so they are more selected on price rather than matching them to the application based on performance.  General lack of understanding about the fundamentals of lubrication and best practices related to contamination control.  Plants have reduced headcount and lubrication activity often gets overlooked and seldom gets the focus it needs.

 

You are leading the session on Ensuring Uptime and Reliability by Implementing a Quality Lubrication Program. What is the importance of having a quality lubrication program? 

Nothing touches the machine parts more intimately than the lubricant.  Without a program that ensures the right lubricant is applied in the right way at the right time, in the right amount the machine suffers.  Lubrication is not a one-time function; it is continual and needs someone to oversee it to make sure it is happening in the right way.  It is a cradle-to-grave process from selecting the proper lubricant all the way to disposing of it (or reconditioning) once it has exceeded its useful life.  When done correctly the reliability and throughput of the equipment is incredible, when done poorly the costs are astronomical.

 

What are you hoping to see at Lubricant Expo North America? 

I’m always interested in seeing new technology in the field and very curious about the future of lubricants in terms of material and additive technology.