IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants

What IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants does

IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants is a fourth-generation, family-owned manufacturer of oil-free, fully synthetic metal-stamping and tube-bending lubricants. Founded in 1914 by William Oats Jeffery in Philadelphia and relocated to Evanston, Illinois in 1917, the company has operated from its current expanded headquarters facility for over 95 years. IRMCO pioneered the first fully synthetic oil-free stamping lubricants and the first oil-free clear gel tube-bending lubricants, and serves automotive OEMs and Tier-1/Tier-2 suppliers, appliance manufacturers, HVAC, building products, and power equipment industries across North America, Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.

The company's core product portfolio centers on three families: IRMCO FLUIDS (oil-free stamping and drawing fluids in 080, 090, 109, 146, 313, 323, and 536 series), IRMCO GEL (980 and 986 series clear-gel tube-bending lubricants), and IRMCO EXTREME (460-series opaque fluids for aluminum and aluminized stainless-steel tube bending). Supporting these is the proprietary IRMCO iTool cup-draw testing system — housed in a 300-ton AIDA servo press — developed in a ten-year collaboration with Dr. Taylan Altan at The Ohio State University Center for Precision Forming and EWI, plus the I.V. Applicator System for minimum-quantity-lubrication delivery through mandrels. IRMCO has been chlorinated-paraffin-free since 1983, is REACH-registered for EU compliance since 2018, and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification as of September 2023.

IRMCO generates revenue through direct enterprise sales in North America (US, Canada, Mexico) and through international channel partners across Europe (Eqsol AB, Kiermar Technology, Isidoro Pedro, Dilitub), Mexico (Aurequim), and Southeast Asia (eight-country footprint launched 2017). Pricing is contact-based quotation, with products available in pail, drum, tote, and bulk packaging for OEMs and Tier suppliers. In 2025, Fuchs Group — a global lubricants manufacturer — acquired IRMCO Advanced Metalforming Lubricant Technologies, ending four generations of Jeffery family ownership and integrating the oil-free metalforming franchise into a larger lubricants platform.

Name

IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants

Legal name

International Refining & Manufacturing Co

Website

https://irmco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants is a fourth-generation, family-owned manufacturer of oil-free, fully synthetic metal-stamping and tube-bending lubricants serving automotive OEMs, appliance, HVAC, building products, and power equipment manufacturers across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metalworking Lubricants

SIC

Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Plastics Foam Products (3086)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Labels, Adhesives & Inks (Wash-Off Labels, De-inkable Inks, Low-VOC) (IMALAMAJ)

Keywords

• Metalworking lubricants
• Oil-free stamping fluids
• Tube bending lubricants
• Synthetic forming lubricants
• Industrial metalworking fluids

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal-Stamping and Tube-Bending Lubricants: IRMCO generates revenue through the sale of its proprietary oil-free stamping fluids and tube-bending lubricants, sold directly and through distribution partners. Products are available in pail, drum, tote, and bulk quantities. Revenue is derived from product consumption tied to manufacturing volume across automotive, appliance, HVAC, building, and power equipment industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IRMCO manufactures and sells oil-free, water-based, fully synthetic metal-stamping and tube-bending lubricants under the IRMCO FLUIDS, IRMCO GEL, and IRMCO EXTREME brands. The company produces multiple product series (080, 090, 109, 146, 313, 323, 536 for stamping; 460, 980, 986 for tube bending) formulated for specific substrates including aluminum, stainless steel, AHSS, galvanized, and enameling steels. Products are sold in pail, drum, tote, and bulk packaging to industrial manufacturers worldwide.

Product overview

IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants is a fourth-generation, family-owned manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of oil-free metal-forming and tube-bending lubricants. The core product lines include IRMCO FLUIDS (stamping and metal-forming lubricants across multiple series: 080, 090, 109, 146, 313, 323, and 536), IRMCO GEL (clear gel tube-bending lubricants in 980 and 986 series), and IRMCO EXTREME (opaque viscous fluids for aluminum tube bending in 460 series). Supporting these lubricant products is the IRMCO iTool testing system for lubricant performance evaluation, the I.V. Applicator System for optimized application, and IRMCO Insight technical literature. The company also pioneered the first fully synthetic, oil-free stamping lubricants and first oil-free, clear gel tube-bending lubricants. Products serve diverse industries including automotive, appliance, HVAC, power equipment, building products, and general industrial manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IRMCO FLUIDS: Oil-free stamping fluids for metal stamping and forming applications across various industries including automotive, appliance, HVAC, and power equipment.
• IRMCO GEL
• IRMCO EXTREME
• IRMCO iTool

Products and services

• IRMCO FLUIDS Oil-free, fully synthetic stamping and metal-forming lubricants sold as alternatives to conventional oil-based and chlorinated paraffin-containing lubricants. Available in multiple series (080, 090, 109, 146, 313, 323, 536) covering light-duty through severe-duty stamping and drawing of mild steels, HSLA, AHSS/UHSS up to 1.2 GPa, stainless steel, aluminum, and zinc-coated steels. Used by automotive, appliance, HVAC, building products, and power equipment manufacturers.
• IRMCO GEL

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 66% reduction in total lubricant usage (automotive seating bracket case study)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Fuchs GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In 2025, Fuchs Group (a global lubricants company) acquired IRMCO Advanced Metalforming Lubricant Technologies. This represents a significant strategic acquisition of IRMCO's proprietary technology and market position in oil-free metalforming lubricants.
• Eqsol ABcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIRMCO's primary European sales and distribution partner based in Sweden. Eqsol AB coordinates IRMCO's European operations including annual European summits, manages the IRMCO Europe team, and leads expansion initiatives including Denmark (Kiermar Technology) and Southeast Asia. Founder Lennart Claesson is a visible member of the IRMCO international family.
• Kiermar Technology A/SminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIRMCO Europe partner in Denmark, welcomed to the IRMCO Europe team through Eqsol AB. Martin Hansen of Kiermar Technology represents IRMCO in the Danish market.
• Isidoro Pedro (Spain)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIRMCO's partner in Spain who helped with logistics as the host country for the IRMCO European Summit 2016 in Valencia, Spain.
• Dilitub (France)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIRMCO Europe partner in France, operating as Dilitub. Participated in Open House Days of Numalliance in France as IRMCO Europe.
• Aurequim (Mexico)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIRMCO's partner in Mexico, shown in marketing materials alongside IRMCO's Mexican operations in Nuevo León.
• Dr. Taylan Altan / Ohio State University Center for Precision Forming (OSU-CPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTen-year collaborative R&D partnership with Dr. Taylan Altan at The Ohio State University's Center for Precision Forming and Edison Welding Institute Forming Center (EWI-FC). This partnership led to the development of the IRMCO iTool cup draw test system for lubricant performance evaluation. The CDT test showed good correlation to real-world lubricant performance on difficult draws/materials.
• Bennett Tool & Die (Nashville, TN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with GE Appliance Park and IRMCO to develop the IRMCO iTool cup draw test tool and methodology. Provided tooling expertise and real-world stamping environment for validating the CDT testing approach.
• GE Appliance Park (Louisville, KY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Bennett Tool & Die and IRMCO to develop the IRMCO iTool cup draw test tool and methodology. Supplied production environment and stamping expertise for the development of the testing protocol.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quaker Houghton: Quaker Houghton is the global leader in industrial process fluids including metalworking fluids, serving stamping, forming, and tube-bending applications across automotive and industrial markets. It is the most direct competitor to IRMCO, with a broader product portfolio but commodity-leaning positioning in metalworking.
• Chem-Trend: Chem-Trend specializes in release agents, die lubricants, and process fluids for metal forming, casting, and composites. It serves the same automotive stamping and tube-bending customers as IRMCO and competes directly on oil-free and water-based metalworking chemistry.
• PetroFer Chemie: PetroFer is a specialty manufacturer of metalworking fluids, forming lubricants, and industrial process chemicals serving automotive and industrial stamping applications globally. It is a direct specialty competitor to IRMCO with comparable niche positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Fuchs Petrolub SE: Fuchs Group is a global lubricants major that acquired IRMCO in 2025. It operates across industrial lubricants, automotive lubricants, and specialty applications, providing IRMCO with global reach and competing broadly in metalworking fluid categories.
• Henkel: Henkel's Adhesive Technologies division serves automotive and industrial manufacturing with surface treatment, lubrication, and bonding solutions. While broader than metalworking fluids, Henkel competes in adjacent automotive stamping and forming chemistry markets served by IRMCO.
• Castrol (BP): Castrol, part of BP, produces industrial and metalworking lubricants globally including cutting fluids, forming fluids, and corrosion preventives. It competes with IRMCO in metal stamping and tube-bending lubricant applications across automotive and industrial customers.
• BASF Industrial Lubricants: BASF supplies metalworking fluids, forming lubricants, and industrial process chemicals through its Industrial Solutions segment. It competes with IRMCO on automotive and industrial stamping fluid applications with much broader scale and global reach.
• TotalEnergies Lubricants: TotalEnergies produces metalworking fluids and industrial lubricants including forming, stamping, and machining products. It competes with IRMCO in automotive and industrial manufacturing fluid markets with global distribution and broader product breadth.
• ExxonMobil Industrial Lubricants: ExxonMobil supplies industrial and metalworking lubricants through its Mobil Industrial brand, serving automotive, manufacturing, and heavy industry markets. It is a broad incumbent competing with IRMCO in metal stamping and tube-bending fluid applications.

Regional players

• Hangzhou Friction Imp.&Exp. Co. (Chinese metalworking fluid specialists): Regional Chinese metalworking fluid manufacturers serve automotive stamping and tube-bending applications across Asia with cost-competitive oil-free and synthetic lubricants. They are regional players competing with IRMCO's Southeast Asian expansion but do not directly compete in IRMCO's core US/European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IRMCOlab
• Xx.com/irmcoleangreen
• Facebookfacebook.com/IRMCO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irmco

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 IRMCO Advanced Metalworking Lubricants