What Engineered Custom Lubricants does

Engineered Custom Lubricants (ECL) is a specialty grease, oil, and dry-film coating manufacturer founded in 1954 and headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. The company designs and produces more than 400 high-performance first-fill lubricant products across multiple chemistries, including PFPE (perfluoropolyether), PAO (polyalphaolefin), polyurea, silicone, and mineral-oil bases, marketed under proprietary brands such as CHRISTO-LUBE, RheoGel, EvoLube, TriboGel, UltraSil, ViscoTech, Friction Fighter, and SuperCORR A. ECL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quaker Houghton (NYSE: KWR), formed in 2019 through the combination of Quaker Chemical and Houghton International.

ECL serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers across four primary verticals: automotive (cables, cockpits, doors, powertrains, seating, steering), aviation and aerospace (aircraft grease meeting MIL-PRF-27617G), semiconductor manufacturing (cleanroom Class 1-10 compatible lubricants), and specialty valves (oxygen-compatible lubricants for SCUBA, SCBA, and medical oxygen devices). Named customers include Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman, Gulfstream, Eaton, Lear, Magna, Visteon, Delphi, Faurecia, Cooper Standard, 3M, Applied Materials, SKF, Parker, Woodward, Edwards Lifesciences, Molex, and Amtrak. The company holds IATF 16949 automotive certification and MIL-spec compliance for aerospace products.

The business model is a sales-led, consultative enterprise motion: sales engineers and tribologists provide on-site lubrication seminars and custom formulation services, working through a three-stage development process (analytical lab, pilot production, validation lab) with customer-part pre-testing. ECL manufactures at three locations with equipment redundancy in the US, Germany, and China, and sells through regional sales offices in the Americas (Aurora, IL), Europe (Köln, Germany with EU subsidiary ECL Engineered Custom Lubricants GmbH in Hamburg), and Asia Pacific (Shanghai). Revenue derives primarily from one-time product sales of custom and standard formulations specified during OEM product design phases; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Engineered Custom Lubricants

Legal name

Engineered Custom Lubricants

Website

https://ecllube.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Engineered Custom Lubricants (ECL), founded 1954 and a subsidiary of Quaker Houghton, manufactures 400+ high-performance first-fill greases, oils, and coatings for OEM customers in automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, and specialty valve industries, selling through a consultative engineering-led sales model with manufacturing in the US, Germany, and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Lubricants

NAICS

Petroleum Lubricating Oil and Grease Manufacturing (324191)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Greases & Specialty Lubricants (Greases, Pastes, Chain Oils, Silicone/Fluoro) (EUALAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lubricant Formulation & Blending (Finished Lubricants) (EUALAJAC), Lubricant Additives & Performance Chemicals (EUALAJAB), Industrial & Heavy-Duty Lubricants (IMAEAMAB)

Keywords

• Specialty grease manufacturing
• First-fill lubricants
• Industrial lubricant coatings
• Custom lubricant formulation
• Corrosion prevention lubricants

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. First-Fill Lubricant Sales: ECL designs, manufactures, and sells high performance greases, oils, and coatings as first-fill solutions for OEMs and their suppliers. Revenue is generated through product sales of standard and custom formulations.
2. Custom Formulation and Development Services: Three-stage new product development process providing custom lubricant formulations to meet specific customer performance requirements, with validation lab testing on customer parts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Engineered Custom Lubricants designs, manufactures, and sells more than 400 high-performance first-fill greases, oils, and coatings for OEMs and their suppliers across automotive, aviation and aerospace, semiconductor, and specialty valve applications. The company runs a three-stage custom formulation process—analytical research lab, pilot production lab, and customer-part validation lab—and supplies lubricant chemistries spanning PFPE, polyurea, PAO, silicone, mineral oil, polymer-fortified greases, and dry film coatings.

Product overview

Engineered Custom Lubricants (ECL) is a manufacturer of high-performance first-fill greases, oils, and coatings for OEMs and their suppliers. The company offers more than 400 products across multiple lubricant chemistries: PFPE-based CHRISTO-LUBE® (acquired in 2013), polyurea-thickened EvoLube, PAO-based RheoGel, polymer-fortified TriboGel, silicone UltraSil, mineral oil ViscoTech, and dry film Friction Fighter coatings. SuperCORR A provides corrosion prevention. These products serve automotive (cables, doors, powertrains, seating, steering), aviation & aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing, and specialty valves industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CHRISTO-LUBE: PFPE (perfluoropolyether) oils, greases, and dispersions known for extreme temperature capabilities (-90°C to 250°C) and chemical inertness.
• EvoLube
• Friction Fighter
• ViscoTech
• RheoGel
• TriboGel
• UltraSil
• SuperCORR A

Products and services

• CHRISTO-LUBE® PFPE Lubricants Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oils, greases, and dispersions formulated for extreme temperature capability (-90°C to 250°C), excellent compatibility with plastics and elastomers, and chemical inertness. Used as first-fill lubricants in aerospace, semiconductor, and demanding industrial applications.
• EvoLube Polyurea Greases Polyurea thickened greases (synthetic and mineral oil based) selected for high temperature performance (melting point 180°C), excellent load-carrying capability, water washout resistance, and natural antioxidative properties.
• Friction Fighter Dry Film and Powder Coatings PTFE and molybdenum disulfide-based dry film and powder coatings engineered to reduce friction, with excellent adhesion to steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and plastics, plus weather, chemical, and solvent resistance.
• ViscoTech Mineral Oil Greases Mineral oil greases formulated with a variety of thickening systems, offering cost-effective lubrication for mechanical components with operating temperature range of -30°C to 100°C.
• RheoGel PAO-Based Greases Polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic hydrocarbon greases offering broader temperature performance (-60°C to 150°C), improved oxidative and thermal stability, lower pour point, and higher Viscosity Indexes than mineral oils.
• TriboGel Polymer-Fortified Greases Polymer-fortified greases (often containing PTFE or other solid lubricants) designed to lower friction, deliver smooth startup of heavily loaded devices, and provide extra protection against contaminants, rust, and corrosion.
• UltraSil Silicone Greases and Oils Silicone greases and oils selected for wide-temperature performance (-75°C to 200°C), excellent adhesion, oxidation stability, resistance to water and chemicals, and shear stability up to 20 times higher than hydrocarbon greases.
• SuperCORR A Corrosion Prevention Lubricant EPA and RoHS-compliant surface treatment for metals that lubricates, prevents corrosion, and improves metal strength, flexibility, and fatigue life. Forms a hydrophobic, non-flammable, corrosion-resistant lubricating film with less than 1 mil thickness, protecting against galvanic and fretting corrosion.
• CHRISTO-KLEEN® Solvent A solvent formulated to safely remove CHRISTO-LUBE® fluorinated lubricants from many substrates, plastics, and elastomers.
• Custom Lubricant Formulation and Validation Services A three-stage new product development service consisting of an analytical research lab formulating lubricants to customer requirements, a pilot production lab verifying batch consistency, and a validation lab pre-qualifying the lubricant for the customer's part using computer-controlled environmental chambers. Includes virtual real-time customer access to the R&D lab via smartphone, tablet, or PC.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ customer satisfaction on responsiveness and innovation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Quaker HoughtonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 August 2019ECL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quaker Houghton. The acquisition expanded ECL's R+D, warehouse, and shipping services globally. Quaker Houghton is a leader in industrial process fluids combining with ECL's lubricant expertise.
• MolexcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Molex acquired SuperCORR A from Lektro-Tech and partnered exclusively with ECL to manufacture and distribute the product. ECL handles production and distribution while Molex maintains ownership of the brand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Molykote (DuPont): Molykote brand specialty lubricants from DuPont serve automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs with PFPE, silicone, and solid-film lubricants — overlapping ECL's core chemistries and OEM first-fill positioning.
• Klüber Lubrication: Klüber Lubrication, a Freudenberg subsidiary, is a leading specialty lubricant manufacturer serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs with PFPE, silicone, and synthetic greases — directly comparable to ECL's CHRISTO-LUBE® and UltraSil product lines.
• Nye Lubricants: Nye Lubricants, an FUCHS Group company, manufactures synthetic lubricants and greases for automotive, aerospace, and semiconductor applications — a close specialty peer to ECL across PFPE, PAO, and silicone chemistries.
• Lubrication Engineers: Lubrication Engineers manufactures high-performance industrial greases and oils for OEMs and industrial customers, with comparable custom formulation capabilities and an industrial/automotive customer overlap to ECL.

Regional players

• Momentive Performance Materials: Momentive supplies specialty silicone lubricants and fluids used in automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications, competing most directly with ECL's UltraSil silicone line.

Broad incumbents

• Shell Lubricants: Shell Lubricants is one of the world's largest lubricant suppliers with a deep automotive and industrial OEM presence, including specialty grease offerings that compete with ECL at the broader portfolio level.
• Quaker Houghton: Quaker Houghton (NYSE: KWR) is ECL's parent company and a global leader in industrial process fluids — the broad incumbent in the specialty lubricant space with a much larger portfolio of metalworking fluids, hydraulic fluids, and greases.
• FUCHS Group: FUCHS Group is a major global lubricant manufacturer with a comprehensive specialty grease and automotive OEM portfolio, offering comparable automotive, aerospace, and industrial lubricant products to ECL.
• TotalEnergies Lubricants: TotalEnergies Lubricants is a global major with specialty industrial and automotive lubricant products serving OEMs — a broad incumbent competing with ECL's premium and automotive first-fill offerings.

Emerging players

• CRC Industries: CRC Industries specializes in specialty maintenance, corrosion-prevention, and lubrication products including the venerable Super Corrosion Inhibitor line — comparable to ECL's SuperCORR A and Friction Fighter brands in niche protective-lubricant applications.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engineered-custom-lubricants

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Engineered Custom Lubricants