Across mining operations, from mineral extraction and ore processing to material transport, refining, and the production of value-added materials, operators face constant pressure to improve productivity while controlling operating costs. Whether the objective is maximizing equipment availability, increasing throughput, extending asset life, reducing maintenance expenditure, or improving site safety, operations teams are continually seeking opportunities to improve performance.

Much of the industry's attention naturally focuses on automation, digitalisation, and more advanced equipment technologies. Yet some of the most significant opportunities still lie in the fundamentals. One of those fundamentals is lubrication.

From excavators, wheel loaders and haul trucks to crushers, conveyors, bulk material handling systems and hydraulic equipment, lubrication plays a critical role in keeping equipment operating safely and efficiently.

Understanding OEE

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a widely used metric for evaluating how effectively an operation is performing relative to its full potential. It comprises Availability (how often equipment is operating when required), Performance (whether equipment is operating at its intended efficiency), and Quality (the ability to consistently achieve planned output without process variability, equipment-related losses or unplanned interruptions).

Across heavy industrial operations, OEE provides a practical framework for identifying inefficiencies, benchmarking performance, and guiding continuous improvement initiatives. 

OEE is determined by equipment availability, performance and operational consistency. Effective lubrication can help minimise losses across each area, supporting improved reliability, productivity and equipment life.

Lubrication’s Impact on OEE
Lubrication is one of the most influential and controllable factors in maximising equipment output.

Heavy equipment operates under demanding conditions that often include extreme loads, shock loading, contamination, moisture, vibration and temperature fluctuations. Maintaining a strong lubricant film is essential to reduce friction, control wear and protect equipment from premature failure.

Impact on Equipment Availability
From an availability perspective, inadequate lubrication can quickly result in costly downtime.

Equipment such as drilling systems, excavators, haul trucks, conveyors, and crushers depend on both properly lubricated bearings and gears and carefully selected hydraulic fluids matched to the operating conditions. Choosing the wrong lubricant can lead to excessive wear, heat generation, reduced equipment life, and premature component failure.

Crusher bearings, conveyor drive systems and material processing equipment operate under heavy loads and are frequently exposed to contamination. Lubrication-related failures in these assets can disrupt material flow, reduce throughput, create significant maintenance costs and lead to extended equipment outages. Similarly, wheel loader articulation joints, excavator pins and bushings, and drivetrain components depend on effective lubrication to maintain reliability under continuous operation.

Hydraulic systems powering excavator attachments, hydraulic breakers, drilling rigs and lifting equipment are equally vulnerable. Fluid contamination, degradation or incorrect fluid selection will contribute to component wear, valve sticking and pump failures, leading to unexpected equipment outages and reduced operational availability.

Impact on Equipment Performance
Lubrication also plays an important role in equipment performance. Friction reduces mechanical efficiency, increases operating temperatures and raises energy consumption. Over time, these losses can affect equipment productivity and increase operating costs, for a wheel loader or an excavator it directly converts into high fuel consumption. Another example: degraded hydraulic fluids can reduce system efficiency and responsiveness, affecting machine performance and cycle times. In applications such as excavators or drilling rigs, this can translate directly into reduced productivity.

In gearbox-driven equipment such as conveyors, crushers and material handling systems, poor lubrication can increase internal resistance and reduce power transmission efficiency, forcing equipment to work harder to achieve the same output and to overheat (loss of power through friction is transformed into heat).

While these issues may not immediately result in equipment downtime, they can reduce operating efficiency, increase energy/fuel consumption and erode overall productivity over time.

Impact on Equipment Life and Maintenance Costs
Equipment life is closely linked to lubrication performance. Major components such as bearings, gears, hydraulic pumps and articulated joints are subject to continuous wear. Effective lubrication helps reduce metal-to-metal contact, manage heat and protect against contamination, extending component life and reducing maintenance requirements.

This is particularly important for slow-speed, heavily loaded components such as excavator bucket pins, wheel loader articulation joints, slew bearings, crusher bearings and conveyor pulleys, where lubrication failures can accelerate wear and increase maintenance costs.

In these critical components, grease selection can significantly influence wear rates, maintenance frequency and overall equipment life.

Effective lubrication is particularly important for slow-speed, heavily loaded components such as excavator slew bearings, helping reduce wear and support longer equipment life.

Selecting the right lubricant is a critical contributor to OEE. While OEM recommendations provide an important starting point, they do not always reflect actual operating conditions. Factors such as temperature, load, contamination levels, moisture exposure and operating cycles can significantly influence lubricant performance.

Every lubricant selection decision has the potential to impact OEE:
Incorrect viscosity can increase wear and reduce availability
Inadequate performance of the additive package under load or elevated temperatures can reduce efficiency
Poor water contamination resistance can accelerate component deterioration
Incorrect grease selection can shorten bearing and component life

Harsh operating environments often amplify these challenges. Equipment operating in dusty, wet or heavily loaded conditions may require lubricant technologies that provide enhanced protection beyond standard specifications. Similarly, applications operating in high-temperature or confined-space environments, such as underground mining and tunnelling, may have additional requirements related to operational safety and risk management, including the need for fire-resistant hydraulic fluids.

Compatibility is equally important. Mismatches between lubricants, seals or hydraulic system materials can contribute to leakage, degradation and increased maintenance requirements.

In practice, OEM specifications should be viewed as the starting point. Optimising lubricant selection often benefits from collaboration with experienced lubrication specialists who can evaluate actual operating conditions and recommend products based on service demands.

Harsh operating conditions amplify lubrication challenges, making lubricant selection a critical factor in equipment reliability and OEE.

Predictive maintenance combines condition monitoring and lubrication data to identify developing issues before failure occurs, helping reduce unplanned downtime and improve OEE.

A range of technologies support this approach. Vibration analysis is widely used to monitor the condition of critical rotating assets, helping identify developing issues in bearings, gear systems and drive equipment before they result in equipment failure or unplanned downtime, while oil analysis provides direct insight into lubricant condition, contamination and equipment wear.

Thermal imaging can help identify abnormal heat generation associated with friction or component deterioration, while ultrasound monitoring can detect early-stage lubrication issues before they become visible through other measurement techniques.

The real value lies in combining these data sources. Information from CMMS and EAM systems, condition monitoring technologies and oil analysis programs can provide a comprehensive view of equipment health and lubrication performance.

No single technique provides a complete picture. However, when analysed collectively, condition monitoring data enables a shift from time-based to condition-based maintenance, helping reduce risk, improve decision-making and maximize OEE.

Inventory, Storage and Handling

Lubrication performance begins long before the lubricant reaches the equipment. Poor storage, handling and inventory practices can introduce contamination, accelerate wear and reduce lubricant effectiveness, ultimately affecting equipment availability and performance.

Effective lubricant management starts with clean, controlled storage conditions, sealed and clearly labelled containers, and segregation of products to prevent cross-contamination. Proper transfer and dispensing practices are equally important, as many lubrication-related issues originate during handling rather than in service.

Inventory management also plays an important supporting role. Excessive stock can lead to lubricant degradation before use, while insufficient inventory increases the risk of incorrect product substitutions. Aligning inventory levels with consumption patterns and monitoring usage trends helps maintain consistency, reduce waste and support reliable equipment operation.

Lubrication as a Driver of OEE

Across heavy industrial operations, lubrication is far more than a routine maintenance activity. It is a critical contributor to equipment reliability and OEE, influencing availability, performance and asset life.

When supported by predictive maintenance, effective lubricant selection, condition monitoring and disciplined lubricant management practices, lubrication helps create more reliable operations while reducing downtime and maintenance costs.

Whether protecting heavily loaded bearings, supporting hydraulic system performance, improving material handling reliability or helping operators extend equipment life, lubrication continues to be an often-overlooked driver of operational excellence.

5 Lubrication Best Practices for Higher OEE

• Choose lubricants based on the application, not just the specification: Consider actual operating conditions, including load, contamination, moisture, temperature and duty cycle, rather than relying solely on OEM recommendations.
• Prioritise the equipment that drives operational performance: Focus lubrication management efforts on critical assets such as crushers, conveyors, hydraulic systems and other equipment where failures have the greatest impact on operations.
• Look for problems before they become breakdowns: Use oil analysis, vibration monitoring, thermal imaging and other condition-monitoring tools to identify developing issues before they result in unplanned downtime.
• Keep lubricants clean from storage to application: Maintain clean storage areas, use appropriate transfer equipment and minimise contamination during handling and dispensing.
• Use lubrication data to drive continuous improvement: Use lubrication data, condition monitoring results and operating experience to continuously improve equipment reliability, availability and maintenance performance.

About the Author

Greg Savernik is a Senior Reliability Engineer at Quaker Houghton with over 30 years of experience across heavy industrial sectors. Throughout his career, Greg has built deep expertise in lubrication, asset reliability and condition monitoring, working with global industrial organizations to improve equipment performance, reduce operational risk and enhance maintenance effectiveness.