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December 18, 2025 17 mins
Industrial Talk is onsite at SMRP 2025 and talking to Max Cundiff, Industrial Sector Manager at Chevron about "Asset Management Lubrication Solution".
The conversation features an introduction to three new podcasts within the Industrial Talk Podcast Network: "Ask Molly," focused on marketing and sales, "Business Beatitudes," on leadership virtues, and "The Human Patch," on cybersecurity. The main discussion is with Max Cundiff from Chevron Lubricants, who explains the company's integrated oil production process and the importance of lubricant quality. He highlights the issue of varnish in lubricants, which can be mitigated by Chevron's products, and discusses the company's research and development efforts. Cundiff also touches on the importance of fluid analysis and the potential for energy efficiency improvements in manufacturing.

Action Items

  • [ ] @Scott Mackenzie - Post Max Cundiff's contact information and LinkedIn profile on the Industrial Talk website so listeners can easily reach him.
  • [ ] Help customers enroll in Chevron's Lube Watch fluid analysis program, including advising on which tests to run, sampling frequency, and proper sample collection procedures.

Outline

Introduction of New Podcasts

  • Speaker 1 introduces three new podcasts under the Industrial Talk Podcast Network: "Ask Molly," focused on marketing and sales, "Business Beatitudes," centered on leadership virtues, and "The Human Patch," discussing cybersecurity from a human perspective.
  • "Ask Molly" aims to provide straight, jargon-free insights into the world of marketing and sales from an industrial perspective.
  • "Business Beatitudes" will explore leadership from a heartfelt perspective, focusing on virtues like generosity and humility.
  • "The Human Patch" will delve into the human aspects of cybersecurity, emphasizing the importance of human connections in cybersecurity efforts.

Welcome to Industrial Talk Podcast

  • Scott Mackenzie, introduces the Industrial Talk Podcast, highlighting its focus on transferring industry-focused innovations and trends.
  • The podcast is recorded live at the SMRP conference in Fort Worth, Texas, focusing on asset management, reliability, and maintenance.
  • Scott mentions the importance of the conference for professionals in these fields and introduces the guest, Max Cundiff from Chevron Lubricants.

Max Cundiff's Background and Role at Chevron

  • Max Cundiff introduces himself as the industrial sector manager at Chevron Lubricants, responsible for developing go-to-market strategies for industrial products and services.
  • Max has been with Chevron for 14 years, spending the last 10 years in customer-facing roles, understanding operational challenges and solving them.
  • Chevron is the only fully integrated oil company, refining crude oil into base oil, the main ingredient in lubricants, and controlling the process in-house.
  • Max explains the importance of research and development, spending years testing technology before commercializing it to solve specific industry challenges.

Challenges and Solutions in Lubricant Industry

  • Max discusses the issue of varnish in circulating oil systems, a byproduct of degraded lubricant, and the challenges it poses to equipment.
  • Traditional methods of dealing with varnish, like disassembling equipment or using solvents, can be costly and cause downtime.
  • Chevron's product, Bar Tech ISC, allows systems to run for extended periods without immediate downtime, reducing the impact of varnish.
  • Max explains the factors that contribute to varnish formation, such as temperature and water contamination, and how...
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