Finding the right mix

摘要

Automotive lubricant suppliers have a difficult job. Faced with increasingly complex engines and gearboxes, their products are expected to protect larger and more irregularly shaped surfaces. And they have to do it with less oil. To meet the challenge, lubricant makers are asking car manufacturers to work more closely with them. The recent tie-up between Burmah-Castrol and BMW will see the lubricant firm's chemists and engineers involved from the design stage of new BMW projects. Other deals, such as that between Texaco and Jaguar, are not as comprehensive but follow the trend of bringing lubricant engineers and automotive design teams closer together.