Fuchs Petrolub
Encyclopedia
Fuchs Petrolub AG is the world's largest independent manufacturer of lubricants, and related speciality products. The company's headquarters are at Mannheim
, Baden-Württemberg
, Germany, where the company was founded in 1931.
s and transmission
, for motor cars, motorcycles, agricultural, plant and stationary engines), metalworking lubricants, industrial, civil engineering, and hydraulic products. Fuchs also produces the Planto range of biodegradable products.
The products themselves gained a high international regard. The Silkolene company developed specialist lubricants for aviation, including oils for the Merlin
engine, as used in the Spitfire
, Hurricane
and Lancaster
, to name a few. Silkolene dedicated many years on technical cooperation with the US Air Force, and was also involved with the supersonic
passenger aircraft, Concorde
. The company amassed expertise with synthetic lubricant technology, and Silkolene became a recognised world leader in the field of synthetic lubricants, including esters.
Synthetic lubricant technology continued, and in the early '90s, developments continued to include Aerospace engineering, along with motorsports, including rallying and motorcycle racing. An early partnership was with Honda UK Motorcycle Race Team
. With positive market exposure, coupled with a very high degree of research and development (R&D), and success in competition, Silkolene products became the market leader in the UK.
Presently, Silkolene products continue to be manufactured at Belper
in England. They are now also made in Germany, the US, and SE Asia.
In the 2-wheel automotive segment, the Fuchs Silkolene brand sponsors many different classes of motorcycle racing, including prototype based racing: MotoGP, and production based "SuperBike
" and "SuperSports" racing: World SuperBikes
, World SuperSports, British SuperBikes. The brand has also been involved with Motorcross, and Speedway. Fuchs have a current long term partnership with Kawasaki motorcycles, although they also sponsor Honda
, Suzuki
and Yamaha
. Silkolene have also participated in the Isle of Man TT races
, arguably, the toughest test in the world for any motorcycle.
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany, where the company was founded in 1931.
Fuchs products
Fuchs produces a wide range of products, which include automotive lubricants (engine motor oilMotor oil
Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...
s and transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
, for motor cars, motorcycles, agricultural, plant and stationary engines), metalworking lubricants, industrial, civil engineering, and hydraulic products. Fuchs also produces the Planto range of biodegradable products.
Automotive products
- Fuchs Titan is a range of products aimed at motor carsAutomobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, truckTruckA truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, busBusA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, agricultural and plant equipment.
- Fuchs Silkolene is a product range specifically for motorcycles.
Industrial products
- Fuchs Renolin are a range of hydraulic and industrial gearbox lubricants.
Civil Engineering products
- Fuchs Renocast are a range of mould release agents, used when casting concrete.
Mechanical Engineering products
- Fuchs Ecocut and Ecocool are fluids for metalworkingMetalworkingMetalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
, specifically cutting and general machining.
- Fuchs Renoform and Trenoil are used for forming metals, be that die drawing, rolling or pressing, in both hot and cold processes.
- Fuchs Thermisol are a range of quenching oils, used for heat treatmentHeat treatmentHeat treating is a group of industrial and metalworking processes used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgical. Heat treatments are also used in the manufacture of many other materials, such as glass...
processes, including annealingAnnealing (metallurgy)Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment wherein a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness. It is a process that produces conditions by heating to above the recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and...
and temperingTemperingTempering is a heat treatment technique for metals, alloys and glass. In steels, tempering is done to "toughen" the metal by transforming brittle martensite or bainite into a combination of ferrite and cementite or sometimes Tempered martensite...
.
General application products
- Fuchs Renolit are a range of greaseGrease (lubricant)The term grease is used to describe semisolid lubricants. Although the word grease is also used to describe rendered fat of animals, in the context of lubrication, grease typically applies to a material consisting of a soap emulsified with mineral or vegetable oil...
s used across their entire portfolio, including aviation and food processing.
- The Fuchs Anticorit range are non-toxic protectives for anti-corrosionCorrosionCorrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
, across a wide variety of applications, and are particularly suited to packaging, storage and transportation
Fuchs Lubritech
Fuchs Lubritech is a division that specializes in specialty lubricants, coatings and services for all industrial applications, especially mining, and other types of processing and manufacturing plants.The "Silkolene" brand name
The Silkolene brand name has a long history, with the company originating in England. Initially, it was called Dalton and Company, being named after its founder, and sold Silkolene products. However, recognising the strength of the Silkolene brand, in the early 1980s, the company was renamed Silkolene Lubricants. In 1989, Silkolene Lubricants was acquired by the German Fuchs group, and the products were subsequently renamed Fuchs Silkolene.The products themselves gained a high international regard. The Silkolene company developed specialist lubricants for aviation, including oils for the Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engine, as used in the Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
and Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
, to name a few. Silkolene dedicated many years on technical cooperation with the US Air Force, and was also involved with the supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
passenger aircraft, Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
. The company amassed expertise with synthetic lubricant technology, and Silkolene became a recognised world leader in the field of synthetic lubricants, including esters.
Synthetic lubricant technology continued, and in the early '90s, developments continued to include Aerospace engineering, along with motorsports, including rallying and motorcycle racing. An early partnership was with Honda UK Motorcycle Race Team
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
. With positive market exposure, coupled with a very high degree of research and development (R&D), and success in competition, Silkolene products became the market leader in the UK.
Presently, Silkolene products continue to be manufactured at Belper
Belper
Belper is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England.-Geography:Belper is situated eight miles north of Derby and is centred in the valley of the River Derwent...
in England. They are now also made in Germany, the US, and SE Asia.
Fuchs in motorsports
Fuchs, like many of their competitor brands of lubricants, have a strong worldwide presence in motorsports, particularly in Europe and the USA.In the 2-wheel automotive segment, the Fuchs Silkolene brand sponsors many different classes of motorcycle racing, including prototype based racing: MotoGP, and production based "SuperBike
Superbike racing
Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs modified production motorcycles. Superbike World Championship is the international superbike championship, and national superbike championships are held in many countries as well, including the United Kingdom, the United States,...
" and "SuperSports" racing: World SuperBikes
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
, World SuperSports, British SuperBikes. The brand has also been involved with Motorcross, and Speedway. Fuchs have a current long term partnership with Kawasaki motorcycles, although they also sponsor Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
and Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
. Silkolene have also participated in the Isle of Man TT races
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
, arguably, the toughest test in the world for any motorcycle.