HOW RESULTS WERE GATHERED

Readers received e-mail notices and electronic newsletters or used a link posted on our Web site to complete the questionnaire. The survey was open for responses for just over one month. A total of 975 readers cast their votes about which vendors they consider technology leaders in 44 different categories. Categories were listed, but respondents had to enter the name of the technology provider in a blank text box. By not providing a pre-selected list of companies in each category, the survey avoided bias.

The rankings show the percentage of total responses in each category that a particular company received. A minimum of at least 5% of the votes in a category is required to be listed. Scores within 3% of each other should be considered a statistical tie.Some attempts to make lubricant upgrade decisions are based solely on comparative ASTM test results on various oil candidates. While ASTM tests can be indicators of how oil may perform, there is only one final arbiter for performance — the equipment being lubricated. Observed changes in oil and bearing temperatures, bearing vibration levels, energy demand, oil life and re-lubrication intervals, equipment cleanliness, how the oil handles water and other contaminants, and machine repair frequency and costs are all indicators of lubricant performance. There simply is no substitute for running the candidate oil upgrade in the equipment. When considering a lubricant upgrade, a competent lubricant supplier should be able to provide you with real-world case histories that will indicate whether the candidate lubricant is likely to deliver the targeted results.