It is wonderful to be able to reflect on 30 years of growth and development, not just of OATS as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, but also of the lubricants industry. Coincidentally this is the 160th Edition of the OATS Bulletin.
The past three decades years have seen one of the world’s more remarkable periods of evolution and the world is a very different place as a result. You can read a full version of the OATS white paper: "30 Years On", but there are some noteable highlights that are worth mentioning in this Anniversary View from the Bridge.
It is hard to believe now, but in 1984 few people possessed a mobile phone and satellite television was in its infancy, with just 50 satellites orbiting the earth.
Politically, Ronald Reagan was still in the White House, Deng Xiaoping was launching the Chinese economic revolution and Mikhail Gorbachev had yet to come to power and introduce Glasnost and Perestroika.
That same year, a small company - OATS - was founded by two recently-retired oil company executives: Brian Harris and Mike Dixon, aimed at providing lubricant recommendation books for the UK lubricant industry.
Since then, there have been many significant moments in world politics and for the lubricants industry. As far as lubricants specifications are concerned, arguably the biggest milestone was the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 which formally recognised the need for emission controls to try to reduce the speed of climate change. The continuous economic pressures to improve lubricants performance were enhanced by legislation born out of the Protocol, combined with voters’ attitudes towards ensuring a safer environment.
With regular product upgrades and accelerated innovation of high-performance, ‘multi-tasking’ lubricants, there was an increased need for data systems capable of answering the marketing and consumer question: “Which Oil”?
A new Millennium
In the early 2000s websites began to supplement technical service desks - in some cases replacing front line technical support altogether and “The Cloud” was starting to become a major feature on the digital horizon.
The 2008 financial crisis led to sharp falls in lubricants demand and more rapid adoption of cost saving approaches, although the post-crash financial stimulus encouraged China to drive for even faster growth and, with a constant revision to focus on greater internal consumption, the nation has been able to double the average standard of living each decade for the past 30 years. China’s lubricants market is now a similar size to the US, with draconian emission controls stimulating a potentially exponential demand for high-quality lubricants.
As the lubricants industry has continued to evolve up to 2014, so OATS has adapted and modified services to fit this rapidly changing scene. New systems have now evolved to deal with globalised OEMS, disparate requirements in varying operating conditions and the reduction of personnel in favour of digital solutions. The EARL Fusion platform will be the latest innovation to be launched by the company later in 2014.
What’s next?
In this hyper-connected world, expectations of response times grow ever shorter, whilst the need for pause and reflection become ever greater. Overcoming this tension will be a challenge for the next 30 years and is likely to lead to a combination of ‘more of the same’ and some exciting innovation.
For the lubricants industry, bio-degradeable lubes, fuels and other bio-products will have an increasing influence on product development and marketing. However, like hybrid and electric vehicles, the market may ultimately be driven by legislative necessity rather than consumer demand.
Ironically, despite our focus on our 'home' sector, it may not be oil that poses the greatest challenge for our planet in the coming years, but water. The management of this life-sustaining element on a global basis may well become the biggest issue we face as our world continues to develop.
Whatever the outcome, I for one will be watching the future with continued interest and wonder as we continue to innovate and explore. In the meantime, if you would like to know how OATS' 30 years of lubricants database experience can help your business, simply contact us by e-mail or follow our updates on social media via Twitter @Oats_Ltd, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Here's to the future!
Sebastian Crawshaw
Chairman, OATS