Total Lub International Magazine: What role do lubricants play in cement production? Michel Lapeyre: Lubricants play a major role in how well our processes work. Any unplanned downtime can cause substantial operating losses. That's why we keep a close eye on lubrication. At Lafarge, we have dedicated staff to monitor lubricants. We also expect our lubricant suppliers to be extremely available. They need to be ready to step in very quickly. Total can do that, and we're delighted with it.
T.L.I.M.: Do your processes involve large amounts of lubricants? M.L.: It's not the quantity of lubricants that matters, but the quality and diversity. Of course, some of our machines use huge quantities of oil (large reducers use 2,000 litres, for instance). In other cases, lubricants are used for specific and highly critical applications (kinematic chains, for example) where we only use small quantities. And that's where we can see Total's technical know-how at its best. They are just as responsive, and the quality of the service is just as good, with large or small quantities of common or ultra-specific products alike. Altogether, Total supplies us with some fifty different greases and oils.
T.L.I.M.: What can you say about the services Total offers? M.L.: We're happy with them, especially with the analyses that help us to assess lubricant efficiency and detect machine wear. I feel that Total and Lafarge Ciment could optimize such analyses by working more on experimental feedback. That would help us to cut machine servicing and downtime even further. I also regard Total's contribution to some of the technical innovation processes as a service. Their engineers contribute their experience in lubricants and their determination to find the right solutions. They work closely alongside our teams. In that sense, Total goes above and beyond its duties as a supplier. It's also a partner.
