The Mobil Delvac™ lubricant brand, first established in 1925, has demonstrated remarkable resilience against global and technological challenges to become the gold standard across multiple industries. Over the last one hundred years, Mobil Delvac teams have helped to enhance cargo truck reliability, improve machine resilience in harsh climates and develop sophisticated lubricant analysis programmes for better operational planning.
For the mining industry, the Delvac™ brand is perhaps best known for its heavy-duty engine and gear oils, but the brand also supplies greases, transmission fluids and coolants. The Delvac brand of advanced line heavy-duty engine oil products also include synthetic and synthetic blend oils for diesel engines.
The rise of synthetics
The first synthetic oils were developed during the early years of Delvac™ in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the jet era of the 1950s that they really took off. After the Second World War, the need for more resilient machinery operations in extreme conditions and temperatures became clear, and engineers began looking for alternatives. They found it in synthetic lubricants which offered levels of purity that conventional oils couldn’t attain.
This purity provides better wear protection, extreme temperature performance, engine cleanliness, emission system protection and fuel economy. Despite its many advantages, synthetic lubricants took a long time to catch on. Customers trusted their conventional oils and saw no reason to switch.
However, with the dawning of the ‘jet-age’, synthetic lubricants made possible cutting-edge aviation technology, including modern jet-fuels, and facilitated the creation of more dynamic multigrade oil with less viscosity modifier due to the higher VI of the synthetic base stocks.
The Delvac evolution
100 years on and Mobil Delvac™ remains at the forefront of innovation and excellence, evolving to be compatible with a range of modern advances in technology. With every molecule carefully chosen by teams of experts, building on generations of insight and experience, Mobil Delvac™ synthetic lubricants are today used extensively in the mining industry. Products are formulated to provide superior protection against wear and tear, which can contribute to extending the life of heavy machinery. This is particularly vital for mining equipment, which typically operates under extreme conditions and high loads.
Mobil Delvac™ Global Brand Manager, Kapil Mittal, praises the brand’s dedication to innovation and perseverance: “We are proud to have played a key role in defining the industry for the past century, becoming a mainstay by matching the dedication, innovation and perseverance of the leaders we work with. We look forward to continuing to define and explore new frontiers as we move forward.”
The crucial role of lubricants
According to figures from GlobalData[i], the total number of trucks, hydraulic excavators, rope shovels, wheel loaders, motor graders and dozers across all operating mines at the end of 2024, was estimated at 173,885. As more mines ramp up and come on stream, the requirement for a robust equipment schedule grows and integrating the correct lubrication plays a key role in this strategy.
With a century of experience, the Mobil Delvac brand is today a recognised leader in advanced heavy-duty lubricants. Trusted by innovators and disruptors alike, Mobil Delvac products keep equipment running at peak condition, extend oil drain intervals, and help to reduce costs*through lower lubricant consumption and labour expenses.
Download the free whitepaper below to discover how Mobil products and services can help optimise your mine safety and efficiency.
[i] GlobalData: Global Surface Mining Equipment: Populations & Forecasts to 2030, December 2024. https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/surface-mining-equipment-market-analysis/
* Results are based on the experience of a single customer. Actual results can vary depending upon the type of equipment used and its maintenance, operating conditions and environment, and any prior lubricant used.
