FLAC OVERVIEW
The FLAC strategy is built on a simple truth: equipment reliability and service life depend on how well we manage contamination in key support systems. In many industrial settings, this has long been overlooked, mainly due to limited visibility into its real impact.
Recent operational data and field experience have made one thing clear: proactive contamination control is not optional, it is essential. Data mining plays a central role in the FLAC strategy, enabling early identification of risks through targeted analysis across fuel, lubricant, air, and coolant systems. By tracking key data points, oil analysis highlights poor standards and weak practices before they escalate into increased maintenance costs, reduced equipment reliability, and missed production targets.
Built on Insight. Driven by Performance.
FLAC transforms raw operational data into actionable intelligence, helping sites meet and maintain OEM and FLAC benchmarks. In today’s high-precision environments, these standards are vital—protecting critical systems, extending component life, and keeping equipment running at peak performance.
Fuel Strategy:
In high-performance environments, where no system operates in isolation, diesel quality becomes a critical foundation for reliability, each millimeter of fuel has the power to protect or to harm, making fuel cleanliness a frontline priority in the FLAC strategy.
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Air Strategy:
The FLAC strategy brings air system integrity into focus, recognising that clean, dry, and well-managed air is just as vital as clean fuel or lubricants in reducing wear, improving reliability, and extending asset life. Air systems are often overlooked in contamination control, yet they play a critical role in equipment protection.
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Lube Strategy:
From low-speed gearboxes to high-pressure hydraulic systems, lubrication performance has a direct influence on asset reliability and longevity. Poor fluid condition places additional stress on components and reduces service life, making lubricant quality a key focus within the FLAC framework.
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Coolant Strategy:
The FLAC strategy positions coolant management as a core element of engine optimisation and equipment reliability. It focuses on tracking key coolant health indicators to detect early signs of risk and drive measurable improvements in maintenance practices and asset protection.
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Poor engine-coolant management, off-spec diesel, poor lubricant management while in storage and in use, and air or dust ingress are major contributors to equipment wear, leading to breakdowns. By implementing a comprehensive FLAC programme, these issues can be mitigated proactively, extending equipment life, and maintaining peak performance. This ensures that assets meet their intended life cycles with greater reliability.
FUEL STRATEGY
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INDEX | FUEL | LUBRICATION | AIR | COOLANT
FUEL CLEANLINESS & EFFICIENCY
In the FLAC strategy, diesel fuel is far more than just an energy source. it’s a direct contributor to asset reliability. Poor fuel quality, contamination, or inconsistent handling practices are known to cause injector failures, fuel pump wear, increased emissions, and unplanned downtime. For maintenance professionals, these are familiar challenges that are often avoidable with the right strategy in place.
The diesel component of FLAC focuses on early detection and prevention, using key data points such as water content, particulate levels, and fuel storage conditions to identify and address risks before they impact equipment. The goal is to remove variability across the fuel supply chain, from delivery to point of use, ensuring only clean, dry, and stable diesel reaches the machine.
Achieving OEM cleanliness and quality specifications is critical. Too often, these standards are overlooked or assumed to be met, when in reality, real-world conditions fall short. The FLAC strategy ensures that fuel handling and condition are aligned with OEM expectations, protecting high-value components and supporting optimal equipment performance.
ESG VALUE PROPOSITION & SUSTAINABILITY
Lubrigard provides a focused and independently auditable strategy for reducing Scope 1 emissions, which are generated directly from diesel combustion. This is achieved through our cost-effective filtration systems and the IoT-enabled iGard monitoring platform. The solution offers real-time tracking of diesel fuel cleanliness (ISO 4406), filtration system performance, and fuel burn ratios per ton mined. Improved fuel quality enhances combustion efficiency, which contributes to lower emissions, reduced diesel consumption, and overall energy savings. These improvements are tracked by monitoring site-specific fuel management data, allowing for measurable, data-driven reductions in environmental impact.
By improving filtration efficiency and fuel burn performance, companies can achieve measurable reductions in both carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption in kilowatt-hours. These are the two essential metrics required to qualify for South Africa’s Section 12L Tax Incentive. Administered by the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), this program rewards organisation for verified energy savings, making Lubrigard’s approach both environmentally sustainable and financially rewarding.
For mining companies, where diesel use is substantial and carbon tax exposure is growing, this strategy provides a practical path to carbon tax relief. Verified reductions in fuel-related emissions and energy consumption support eligibility for Section 12L rebates, turning operational improvements into tangible financial returns. At the same time, it strengthens ESG performance by aligning energy efficiency with sustainability targets.
Don’t wait – take the first step towards optimising your fleet, and lead in sustainability today!
LUBRICANT STRATEGY
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INDEX | FUEL | LUBRICATION | AIR | COOLANT
LONG TERM ASSET HEALTH
Effective lubrication is essential to equipment reliability and performance. Most moving assets rely on clean lubricants to prevent wear, reduce friction, and avoid unplanned failures. In systems such as conveyor gearboxes, hydraulic circuits, and turbines, where operating conditions are demanding and tolerances are tight, even minor contamination can lead to serious damage.
It is important to recognise that new oil is not necessarily clean oil. Contamination is often introduced during storage, transfer, or handling. Without proper controls, lubricant quality can degrade before it reaches the equipment.
AIR STRATEGY
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INDEX | FUEL | LUBRICATION | AIR | COOLANT
AIR-RELATED CONTAMINATION
Airborne contamination remains a key contributor to premature wear across engines, gearboxes, and hydraulic systems. While air filtration systems are often in place, they may not be performing at their optimal level.
This sub-optimal performance is also not always obvious at the surface but can be revealed through oil analysis, with indicators such as soot, elevated particle counts, and increased levels of ring or piston-related wear metals like iron and chromium.
Particles not expelled through the exhaust are forced into the crankcase via blow-by, where they mix with oil and begin circulating throughout the engine.
In enclosed systems like gearboxes and hydraulic reservoirs, dust and moisture can be drawn in through unprotected breathers or poor-quality air filters, contaminating the oil and compromising system performance. Oil analysis provides the clearest insight into this kind of contamination. Rising silicon levels, soot presence, and abnormal wear metal trends help identify air system issues early, often before a failure occurs.
The FLAC strategy addresses these risks through a multi-prong approach: detection, prevention, elimination and management. Our cyclonic pre-cleaners massively improves intake filtration for engines, and our desiccant breathers protect gearboxes and hydraulic systems from ambient dust and humidity. Combined with routine oil sampling and analysis, these controls significantly reduce the risk of airborne contaminants damaging critical equipment.
COOLANT STRATEGY
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INDEX | FUEL | LUBRICATION | AIR | COOLANT
COOLANT HEALTH
The FLAC strategy recognises coolant as a critical fluid that requires the same level of attention as fuel, lubricants, and air. Inadequate coolant management can result in overheating, corrosion, cavitation, and severe engine damage, all of which compromise equipment reliability and performance.
In partnership with WearCheck, Lubrigard supports coolant health through detailed analysis of key data points such as pH, glycol levels, corrosion inhibitors, and contamination. Regular sampling from radiators and reservoirs helps ensure effective coolant performance and allows early detection of risks.
Ongoing data trending plays a key role in guiding informed maintenance decisions. By monitoring coolant condition over its service life, organisation can reduce unplanned failures, extend engine life, and protect critical components.
