Conversation with Jesse Dilk

Business Unit Manager Wind Energy, Klüber Lubrication NA LP

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Tell us about Klüber and its core philosophy.

Klüber Lubrication offers tribological solutions for customers within nearly all branches of industry, notwithstanding a specific focus on wind energy.

Our customers include manufacturers of components, machines, and systems as well as companies using such equipment for production and processing activities.

The development and manufacture of lubricants to fulfill our customers’ requirements has led to a portfolio of approximately 2,000 different products.

By matching competent R&D with customer-oriented consulting and services, our global teams have established Klüber Lubrication as a reputable partner to industry and trade.

With over 80 years of experience, numerous professional certifications, and world-class testing facilities, we are the leading partner for speciality lubricants.

Klüber Lubrication was founded during 1929 by Theodor Klüber, and the worldwide headquarters is still located in Munich, Germany.  Our 2,100 employees represent more than 30 countries and work in local contact with customers and partners.

Klüber Lubrication has been a brand of the Freudenberg Group since 1966. Freudenberg, headquartered in Weinheim, Germany, was founded over 160 years ago by Carl Johann Freudenberg. Freudenberg is a family-owned company with an international focus.

Our vision is to be appreciated for our values by providing superior quality and customer value along with innovative solutions that save energy and resources.

What are your duties with Klüber?

I am the market manager for wind energy throughout the USA and Canada, and a member of a global business unit that focuses on products plus services for the wind market.

What does Klüber do for the wind industry?

Wind turbines and their components are exposed to dynamic conditions that include high loads, vibrations, moisture, contamination, and extreme variances in temperatures. In addition, the maintenance of wind turbines is an arduous task and may be performed after relatively long intervals of time.

Selecting the right lubricants for initial lubrication of components as well as re-lubrication during operation is paramount. After all is designed, manufactured, and assembled, the lubricants must ensure efficiency, facilitate reliable operation, and protect expensive machine elements.  Oil, grease, pastes, and coatings are utilized to maximize the output of wind-power plants. The major lubrication points are gearboxes, yaw rings, main bearings, generator bearings, hydraulic systems, and pitch bearings.

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Klüber supplies lubricants that provide superior protection of mechanical and electrical components.  The products withstand long service intervals, resist corrosion, protect against variable loads, suppress false brinelling, and stay functional over a wide range of temperatures. For manufacturers and operators, these characteristics mean reliable operation and substantial re-lubrication intervals. We cooperate closely with OEMs and end-users to push the technical limits of machines and increase the output of power. Lubricants play a major role for a minor investment.

What Klüber products have advanced or improved wind?

We have created high-performance lubricants (oil, grease, and pastes) that improve the functionalities, efficiencies, and lives of major components (electrical and mechanical) within wind turbines.  Our Klüberplex and Klübersynth family of products are industry standards.

What sets Klüber apart when it comes to wind?

Klüber Lubrication models the conditions around mechanical and electrical components then builds the best lubricants for the given conditions. After successful implementation, we offer consultations and finish goods to prospective customers.  Alternatively, Klüber is well-suited toward developing custom solutions in partnership with manufacturers and end-users.

Different types of lubricants are often needed for different types of bearings in a turbine. How does Klüber approach a wind-industry customer?

We design and test a wide range of conditions to understand the interfaces of each tribological system, then build lubricants to perform effectively under extreme conditions.  In regards to product range and support, Klüber Lubrication is ideally positioned to be a global partner with a full range of solutions (lubricants) as well as a dedicated business unit (teams) for services and consultations.

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