Exhibitor Spotlight: The Road to EV Tech with Erik Reis
Erik Reis is currently the Automotive Industry Manager at Nye Lubricants, spearheading efforts at the company’s Detroit location. Erik has been an integral member of Nye Lubricants for 10 years, interfacing with a majority of automotive applications and promoting the multitude of benefits offered by synthetic lubricants. Learn what he said in his interview for the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo about the changes in the automotive landscape and the greater need for vehicle safety.
Which customer or market demands were the biggest drivers of your company's growth during the past three years?
Automotive is by far our largest market segment we sell to, comprising about 50% of our sales revenue. The vast array of products needing engineered lubricants and new, higher-tech applications with increased life cycle and performance demands will just continue to drive the need for specialty lubricants moving forward.
Do you anticipate that those demands will continue to be your biggest growth drivers for the next three years, or are you anticipating new trends?
The automotive landscape is changing at a dizzying pace. As we approach the reality of autonomous vehicles, and the greater need for vehicle safety, the need for lubricants to perform at the highest level will ultimately drive further growth. Synthetic lubricants not only allow parts to function, but also prevent warranty returns resulting in parts that greatly exceed performance expectations.
What are your areas of R&D focus, and what timeline do you anticipate for bringing your next new products to market? Can you tell us anything about those products?
Nye is continuously investigating the latest technologies in the chemical makeup of our products. This includes the latest in base oils, thickeners and additives. As cutting-edge technology continues to develop, there is an exponential growth in the range of component designs and devices. Nye’s Applications Development & Validation Testing (ADVT) lab at Nye focuses on component and simulation testing to help qualify application designs. This capability helps assess lubricant performance under simulating operational conditions to provide insight into wear, noise, compatibility, life cycle, fretting corrosion and insertion force reduction. Nye’s engineers can assist in this validation process as these testing capabilities allow us to provide the exact type of data that the customer needs in making critical design decisions.
What new trends do you anticipate and what market demands do you see evolving/changing over the next 5 years?
Vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated with more sensor technology, greater electrification, with many components running at higher temperatures. We expect this trend to increase as we begin to view our vehicles as an extension of the home or office. Electrical interfaces and sensors will need to rely upon synthetic lubricants to provide reliable service exceeding expectations in both safety and functional performance. When working to achieve greater fuel efficiency, synthetic lubricants are the solution for high temperature applications in aggressive environments.
What would you say are the key challenges and opportunities currently faced by the industry?
Competition in automotive is at an all-time high. Couple this with the array of new technologies and the emerging realization of autonomous cars, and everyone is looking for a competitive edge to be part of the future of the automotive industry. The demands are getting tougher, expecting longer life requirements and parts, especially safety sensitive components that ultimately do not fail. Developing cost sensitive, engineered capable solutions with a solid history of product quality and on-time delivery will ultimately be the way to capitalize on the challenges and present opportunities in this industry.
What is your company's approach to strategic partnerships or joint ventures, and what kinds of partnerships are you most open to exploring?
Nye constantly seeks out opportunities to provide value to our customers and support their efforts to lead in their respective marketplace. This typically involves partnering with innovative companies to develop high-performance solutions using our lubricant technology and engineering expertise. This may also involve co-development partnerships & JDAs, joint testing, protecting multiple parties IP through B-NDAs, and joint publications, which are all areas of interest in Nye’s efforts to partner for success.
What products will you be featuring at the show this year and what response are you expecting?
We will be focusing on electrical connector lubricants and lubricants pertaining to electrical systems. Based upon decades of experience with these applications, we understand the critical nature of using a lubricant, and choosing the appropriate lubricant to prevent field failures and image damaging recalls. This focus includes our studies on reducing both fretting corrosion and insertion force in electrical connectors.
Why are you exhibiting and what connections do you hope to make there?
Synthetic lubricants are a vital part of today’s technologically demanding automobile. If the objective to increase performance, support systems for better fuel economy, or improve safety standards and sensor technology, we have a lubricant solution. At the upcoming show we want to inform customers and attendees of who we are, what our products have to offer, and how these can greatly enhance the electric and hybrid automobile moving forward.
Nye will be exhibiting at Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, Booth #917. Click here to see the original article that appeared in the EV Tech Expo newsletter.
