With DEUTSCHE PENTOSIN-WERKE GMBH, FUCHS acquired the market leader in the technologically sophisticated segment of dual clutch transmission fluids in 2015. The majority of motor vehicle manufacturers and suppliers in this field rely on PENTOSIN products. The long-established company from Wedel develops its fluids in close coordination with OEMs and produces them in batches of up to 1,000 tons in a largely automated system. Through another acquisition, STATOIL FUEL & RETAIL LUBRICANTS AB, FUCHS has also significantly strengthened its presence in Northern and Eastern Europe.
22.03.2016
Breaking new Ground
The trend toward hybrid and purely electrical vehicle drives presents many opportunities. After all, even electric cars will always need transmissions. The company is ready to face the new requirements resulting from this.
If the lubrication in an automatic transmission fails, this can potentially have very serious consequences. At a certain engine speed, the car begins to shake and vibrate as though it has developed a life of its own and wishes to eject its passengers. Experts refer to this phenomenon as “judder”. It happens when a clutch encounters the so-called stick-slip effect, whereby the discs almost stick to one another and begin to jolt at the resonant frequency of the bodywork.
Transmission fluid can therefore definitely be considered a critical component in terms of comfort and driving pleasure. The same also applies to consumption and CO² emissions. As Dr. Edgar Steigerwald explains, even modern dual-clutch automatic transmissions still hold potential savings. “Fuel economy is today the key trend among OEMs.”
TOP ECHELON OF TRANSMISSION FLUIDS
Steigerwald is a chemical engineer and Head of Development at DEUTSCHE PENTOSIN-WERKE in Wedel – a company specialized in automotive lubricants that has been part of the FUCHS family since 2015. He and his team work tirelessly on optimizing transmission fluids and transmission performance. The development and testing process, which is networked closely with the manufacturers, is critical in this regard. Steigerwald sees the key strength of the company in this field: “Development is the nerve center of PENTOSIN.” Indeed, the company has regularly succeeded in developing oils to meet highly specific requirements. This is particularly true of dual-clutch transmission fluids (DCTFs). Due to the design of these modern automatic transmissions, DCTFs must deliver exceptional performance. As such, they represent the top echelon of transmission fluids.
Thanks to its acquisition of PENTOSIN, FUCHS is top of the class in this category. Most OEMs trust PENTOSIN and have each certified products designed specifically for their transmissions as the exclusive choice for initial filling and servicing. Sales volumes of the corresponding product ranges are constantly on the rise, with new generations of DCTFs continually being added for new transmission manufacturers. The fluids are popular among both high-volume car makers and exclusive sports car producers. Steigerwald: “We have the opportunity to massively reduce friction. This is necessary in transferring high torque levels effectively to the road.”
The best-selling DCTF is FFL-2. FFL-2 is a reference-grade product that is hard to beat, as the Head of Development explains:
“We have sold many thousands of tons of this product and it has proved extremely successful in the field.”
Automatisierte Produktion: Computergesteuerte Pumpen und
Ventile sorgen für die richtige Mischung.
Oil is filled into the test rig for a batch release test.
King of endurance: the FFL-2 is what started the success story.
DETAILED RECIPE
Demand is developing so fast that the Wedel location has already had to increase its production capacities many times. Two large blending tanks today allow batches of 600 or even 1,000 tons to be produced. The production operations are essentially run by specialist personnel in a control room. From here, everything can be controlled via a computer with four monitors: It is possible to display each tank and its fill level, each agitator, each pump, just as each valve and its current flow rate. The formula of the respective product and the precise production procedure is stored on the computer. This can be seen as a kind of recipe that specifies in detail which base liquids and additives are to be pumped into the mixing tank in which composition and which order, as well as how long the mixer pumps and agitators have to stir.
Once the procedure has been completed, which can take several days, the result is a homogeneous mix. Samples are taken and subjected to thorough testing, first in the laboratory and then on test rigs in line with product-specific and customer-specific procedures. Only when all test results fulfill the requirements will the batch be released for delivery. It is then time for tank trucks to load the fluid and transport it to the transmission manufacturer for initial filling. In addition, some of the fluid can be filled into containers of various sizes in the filling plant ready for transmission fluid changes and topping up at workshops, as well for general sale.
Engine and hydraulic oils are also produced in Wedel in a similar process that is operated from the same control room, although in otherwise separate production lines. The facility also uses smaller blender tanks, in which small batches can be produced manually. Among other things, these smaller batches are used in test runs to specify certain parameters for large-scale production.
NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY IN THE NORTH
FUCHS acquired the Stockholm-based STATOIL FUEL & RETAIL LUBRICANTS AB (SFRL) in October 2015 making it market leader in Scandinavia. The business in Central and Eastern Europe has also been crucially strengthened, as SFRL generates around a third of its €140 million annual sales revenue in Poland and Russia, as well as the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The lubricant manufacturer with a portfolio of 750 products most recently belonged to the Canadian convenience store chain Couche-Tard. The chain had acquired SFRL from Norwegian oil and gas group STATOIL in 2012 as part of the gas station subsidiary STATOIL FUEL & RETAIL. It is therefore a company steeped in tradition with a well-known brand.
FUCHS may continue to use the STATOIL lubricants brands for three years. The Mannheim-based lubricant specialist also took over the entire workforce of 470 employees. FUCHS has also signed a 5-year lease for the current production site and plans to construct a dedicated facility in Sweden in the mid-term. The FUCHS family now has over 60 locations and 33 production facilities worldwide.
A LONG SUCCESS STORY…
PENTOSIN’s beginnings stretch even further back. Heinrich Freudenthal founded DEUTSCHE PENTOSIN-WERKE in Hamburg back in 1927 to produce high-quality veterinary products. Within just a few years, the family business also began to make a name for itself beyond Germany’s borders. Shortly after this, however, the founder realized that the automotive industry had a very bright future ahead of it. He therefore began developing lubricants and brake fluids. At the start of the 1960s, a second production site was then opened in Dormagen. This location is still used to produce anti freeze and brake fluids to this day. The main facility, including administration, laboratories and research and development, relocated from Hamburg to the nearby town of Wedel in 1972. Since this time, the location has been further expanded several times through purchases of neighboring plots of land.
Including a small office in Brazil, PENTOSIN employed 190 people in 2015. The business has grown continuously in the last few years, not least thanks to the technological advantage the company enjoys in the field of dual clutch transmission fluids. In the year prior to the acquisition by FUCHS, it generated sales revenues of €135 million.
… WITH A PROMISING FUTURE
The company has no intention of resting on its prior successes, nor can it afford to. After all, there are many existing and potential customers out there. These often come with new requirements, which need to be met through further development of existing oils, as Head of Development Steigerwald explains: “There is really not a single day that can be described as boring.”
The team of developers must also keep a keen eye on future trends in the automotive sector. Firstly, requirements with regard to fuel saving and durability are constantly on the rise. For example, one supplier is keen to double its transmission fluid change interval from 60,000 to 120,000 kilometers – while at the same time halving the volume of fluid in the transmission, which would accelerate aging effects. However, the developers are confident that they can also overcome this challenge. Secondly, the trend towards hybrid and purely electric vehicle drives is seen as a great opportunity. After all, vehicles will always need transmissions, even electric ones. The company is ready to face the new requirements associated with this – for example when properties that have never before played a part in automotive lubricants such as electrical conductivity or breakdown voltage then suddenly become relevant.
Above all, however, the worldwide market for dual clutch transmissions is likely to continue growing for years thanks to the exemplary combination of efficiency and comfort these units offer. PENTOSIN is also top dog in this field. There are therefore many reasons why the success story still has many chapters left to write.
Dr. Ralph Rheinboldt
Europe Executive at FUCHS PETROLUB SE
Questions for
Dr. Ralph Rheinboldt
Europe Executive at FUCHS PETROLUB SE
Having acquired STATOIL FUEL & RETAIL LUBRICANTS AB, FUCHS now has a much stronger presence in Northern Europe. Besides new sales opportunities, does the acquisition also cover other aspects?
With the acquisition of STATOIL FUEL & RETAIL LUBRICANTS AB (SFRL), FUCHS has achieved a market-leading position in the Nordic countries. In addition to this, it has been possible to expand the market position in various countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Thanks to SFRL’s very broad customer base, we now have access to customers that are new or virtually new to FUCHS. We are also improving our logistics in the Nordic countries, which will make us an even more attractive partner for existing FUCHS customers. From the technological perspective, the FUCHS product portfolio is being supplemented, for example with products for the offshore sector or products that are particularly well suited to cold climate zones.
The idea behind the second major acquisition in 2015, Deutsche PENTOSIN-Werke GmbH, is not quite as apparent. after all, FUCHS has always done a great deal of business with motor vehicle manufacturers and automotive suppliers.
Yes, that’s true. FUCHS is a recognized partner to the automotive and automotive supply industry. The PENTOSIN acquisition was not so much about gaining access to individual customers or customer groups, but more about product technology. With the PENTOSIN products, FUCHS has extended its product portfolio in the first-fill business among both German and inter- national vehicle manufacturers. This technological gain, coupled with FUCHS’ global positioning, offers massive opportunities that we will utilize.
