Lafarge, the world leader in building materials, has counted total lubrifiants among its suppliers for several years. the oils and greases provided by total meet particularly stringent requirements and are often developed by engineers from both companies working together.
Today, Total's industrial-range lubricants are used in eight of Lafarge's eleven French plants, and on an exclusive basis in three of them. Although France is Lafarge's home market, its business extends far beyond France's borders, and Total also serves other countries in Europe (Poland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic), Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa), the Middle East (Lebanon and Turkey), the Indian Ocean, French overseas dependencies and territories, and in the Caribbean.
Lafarge is the world leader in the building-materials field and is active in five different areas: cement production, aggregates and concrete, gypsum, roofing and specialty products.
Sandra Domingos, Total Lubrifiants' Manager for Mines and Materials Markets, explains, "Total lubricants are used in the first four areas. Those four divisions involve particular types of activity, and require different types of lubricant."
Oils and greases used at Lafarge production sites need to be flawless. Some of them are used on extremely heavy-duty equipment, sometimes at the very core of the installations, as in crushers, reduction systems, kilns, and so on. Some have to withstand extreme operating conditions (including temperatures of up to 1,500°C, with lubricant temperatures sometimes hitting 170°C). "There's no room for error. How well the processes work depends directly on how well the lubricants work. And they not only have to guarantee that the process works well; wherever possible, they also have to improve it", Sandra Domingos continues.
To ensure the quality of its products, Lafarge requires Total to apply very strict procedures relating to product-listing, accreditation and approval. "Before being included in the list of approved supplies to a given Lafarge production site, lubricants are tested by a technical unit. After the unit grants its approval, the lubricants go through a long trial period at the plant", Sandra Domingos adds.
Throughout the trial period, which can last as long as a year, Lafarge technicians work closely alongside their Total counterparts. They jointly define formulas and operating conditions to match the specifications dictated by Lafarge.
Sandra Domingos adds, "It's fair to say that some of our products have been tailored specifically for Lafarge".
As well as its lubricant range, Total provides Lafarge with a number of services including lubricant analysis, maintenance software (TIG), field monitoring, spent-oil treatment, greasing and lubricating training for cement-related applications, etc.
To ensure that its products maintain spotless
quality standards, Lafarge expects Total to apply extremely strict product-
listing procedures.
?Service and technical support are two key
factors in our offer. They're vital for companies that expect a close hands-on relationship
with their suppliers, the only thing that can guarantee an immediate response?, Sandra Domingos concludes.
Working with the world's top-ranking building-materials producer gives Total exposure in
a vast geographical area in which the brand
is asserting its skills in a highly technical and particularly competitive field.
