LubeCon

What LubeCon does

LubeCon USA LLC is a privately held industrial manufacturer and authorized distributor specializing in automated conveyor chain lubrication systems and complementary industrial lubricants, headquartered in White Cloud, Michigan. Founded in 1976 by L.G. 'Buck' and Helen Myers, the company pioneered programmable spray valves, switches, and controllers that enabled automated lubrication for industrial conveyor systems. Today LubeCon manufactures and assembles its equipment in Michigan and operates as the exclusive North American authorized distributor of both LubeCon-branded products and Castrol industrial lubricants, serving manufacturing plants, paint and powder coating operations, steel and foundry facilities, food and beverage processors, vertical transportation systems (escalators and elevators), and conveyor OEMs across all 50 states, Mexico, and Canada.

The company's core technology stack comprises automated chain lubricators, automatic greasers, brush cleaners, and central tank systems controlled by Advanced System Controllers featuring four independently programmable channels with PLC interface capability. Monitoring equipment includes the Chain Wear Monitor (with 8x per-link precision and predictive wear trending), the PM Watch Conveyor Monitoring System (centralized real-time monitoring of dozens of systems and over 1,000 transducer inputs), and the Wi-Fi Oil Tank Monitor (launched 2025). The lubricant portfolio spans dry-film chain oils, high-temperature synthetics, food-grade H1 oils, and Castrol's full industrial lubricant range (compressor oils, gear oils, greases, hydraulic fluids, metalworking fluids, and wire rope lubricants). Documented customer outcomes include 23% lubricant cost reduction with 2.3X chain life extension in automotive paint shops, 88% lubricant reduction in building products manufacturing, and gearbox life extension from 6 months to over 8 years in tire manufacturing.

LubeCon monetizes through four revenue streams: hardware sales of lubricants and lubrication equipment, professional services including installation, maintenance, service contracts, training, and consulting, and managed services via the PM Watch monitoring system. Pricing is quote-based with Net 30 terms. GTM is sales-led, combining a direct field sales and service organization covering North America with channel partnerships through conveyor OEM companies. The company was acquired by Castrol in 1999, became part of bp following bp's acquisition of Castrol, and was bought out by three LubeCon managers in June 2022, returning it to independent ownership. The company employs 11-50 people and serves thousands of customers, including Fortune 500 manufacturers.

Name

LubeCon

Legal name

LubeCon USA LLC

Website

https://lubeconusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LubeCon USA LLC manufactures and distributes automated conveyor chain lubrication systems and industrial lubricants (LubeCon and Castrol brands), serving manufacturing, steel, paint, food & beverage, and vertical transportation customers across North America through direct field sales and OEM channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Lubricants and Conveyor Maintenance Equipment

NAICS

Petroleum Lubricating Oil and Grease Manufacturing (324191), Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)

SIC

Wholesale-Petroleum & Petroleum Products (No Bulk Stations) (5172), Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Heavy-Duty Lubricants (IMAEAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maintenance Lubrication & Oil Handling Equipment (Greasing, Dispensing, Used Oil) (IMAHALAJ), Gear Oils & Transmission Fluids (IMAEAMAE), Automotive Lubricants & Fluids (IMAEAMAA), Lubricants Distribution & Wholesale (Bulk, Packaged, B2B) (EUALAJAE)

Keywords

• Industrial lubricants
• Conveyor chain lubrication
• Automated lubrication systems
• Chain wear monitoring
• Industrial maintenance equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

White Cloud

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Lubricants: Sale of conveyor chain oils, compressor oils, gear oils, greases, hydraulic fluids, metalworking fluids, and wire rope lubricants. Products include LubeCon branded lubricants and Castrol industrial lubricants sold across all 50 states, Mexico, and Canada.
2. Lubrication Equipment: Sale of automated lubricators, greasers, central tank systems, controllers, chain wear monitors, brush cleaners, and oil tank monitoring devices. Equipment is built in the USA and assembled in Michigan.
3. Service and Maintenance: Professional installation services by LubeCon service managers, service contracts with LubeCon technicians, consulting services, product testing, and training. Field resources include nationwide coverage with qualified service personnel.
4. PM Watch Monitoring: Conveyor performance monitoring systems with customizable software, real-time alerts, and remote adjustment capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LubeCon manufactures and distributes automated conveyor chain lubrication equipment and industrial lubricants for manufacturing plants, conveyor OEMs, and vertical transportation operators across North America. The company sells proprietary automatic chain lubricators, greasers, brush cleaners, programmable controllers, chain wear monitors, and centralized tank systems, alongside its own branded conveyor chain oils and the full Castrol industrial lubricant portfolio. Equipment is built and assembled in Michigan and supported by a nationwide field sales and service organization covering all 50 U.S. states, Mexico, and Canada.

Product overview

LubeCon is an authorized distributor of LubeCon and Castrol industrial lubricant and equipment products, offering a comprehensive portfolio of conveyor chain lubrication solutions and industrial maintenance equipment. The core product portfolio centers on Automatic Chain Lubricators that work with the Advanced System Controllers to deliver precise, automated lubrication across multiple conveyor types. Supporting the lubrication systems are Chain Wear Monitors (available in Permanent/Ethernet and Portable/USB models) for predictive chain maintenance, PM Watch Conveyor Monitoring System for real-time centralized monitoring, Automatic Greasers for trolley bearings, and Powered/Non-Powered Brush Cleaners for chain contamination control. The lubricant offerings include Dry-Film (LubeCon Series I variants), Synthetic (Series 525, 735, SYN HT 200, and Castrol Tribol/Viscogen), Mineral Oil-Based (Molub-Alloy CH 22), and Food Grade (Series VG Light L19, Optileb CH L19) conveyor chain oils, plus complementary Castrol industrial lubricants including Compressor Oils, Gear Oils, Greases, Hydraulic Fluids, Metalworking Fluids, and Wire Rope Lubricants. Central Chain Lube Systems (55 and 12 gallon tanks) feed multiple lubricators, while Wi-Fi Oil Tank Monitors provide remote tank level monitoring. For vertical transportation, LubeCon offers specialized Escalator and Elevator lubrication systems with automated wire rope application. The company provides installation, maintenance, service contracts, training, consulting, and product testing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 23% reduction in lubricant cost and 2.3X extension of chain life at automotive paint shop
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• bpminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022bp owned Castrol Industrial which included LubeCon from 1999 to June 2022. In June 2022, Castrol divested the LubeCon business to three managers at LubeCon who bought out the company. Prior to this, LubeCon was part of the Castrol Industrial team owned by the global energy company bp.
• CastrolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLubeCon is an authorized distributor exclusively providing Castrol branded products alongside their own LubeCon branded lubricants and equipment. Castrol was the parent company of LubeCon from 1999 to 2022 when LubeCon was sold back to three managers. The partnership continues as LubeCon distributes Castrol industrial lubricants, hydraulic fluids, greases, metalworking fluids, gear oils, compressor oils, and wire rope lubricants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Rexroth: Industrial hydraulics and condition monitoring provider with growing predictive maintenance and IoT-enabled equipment offerings. Represents the broader Industry 4.0 / smart manufacturing competition that increasingly bundles lubrication into full automation platforms.
• Shell Lubricants: Global lubricants major selling industrial oils, greases, and hydraulic fluids with broad manufacturing customer penetration. Competes for the same industrial lubricant wallet share that LubeCon captures via Castrol distribution.
• Mobil Industrial (ExxonMobil): Major industrial lubricants supplier offering gear oils, compressor oils, hydraulic fluids, and greases to manufacturing customers. Direct overlap with the Castrol industrial product lines distributed by LubeCon.
• SKF Lincoln Industrial: Industrial division of SKF that produces automatic lubricators, centralized lubrication systems, and condition monitoring equipment. Overlaps directly with LubeCon's lubricator and monitoring product lines but operates as part of a much larger bearings and seals portfolio.
• Castrol Industrial (bp): Former parent of LubeCon and current exclusive supply partner. Global industrial lubricant brand with deep product portfolio including the Castrol lines LubeCon distributes. Represents both the most important partner and the most significant competitive threat if the distribution relationship changes.

Emerging players

• Spraying Systems Co. Manufacturer of industrial spray nozzles and spray control systems used in lubrication, coating, and cleaning applications. Provides underlying spray technology components (similar in concept to LubeCon's original 1976 spray valve invention) used across industrial conveyor applications.

Direct peers

• Klüber Lubrication: Specialty industrial lubricant manufacturer offering synthetic chain oils, gear oils, greases, and high-temperature lubricants comparable to LubeCon's Castrol-distributed product lines. Targets the same manufacturing and conveyor-intensive end markets.
• Bijur Delimon International: Manufacturer of automated centralized lubrication systems for industrial machinery including conveyors. Direct competitor in automatic chain and bearing lubrication equipment with comparable product breadth and industrial customer base.
• Perma-tec: Manufacturer of single-point and multi-point automatic lubricators for conveyor chains, bearings, and linear guides. Competes directly with LubeCon's automatic greasers and chain lubricators in the same industrial customer segments.

Regional players

• Tsubaki Chain: Major power transmission and conveyor chain manufacturer that competes in the same conveyor value chain and provides complementary chain lubrication guidance and OEM specifications. Stronger direct presence in Asia and Europe but overlapping North American industrial conveyor accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lubecon-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 LubeCon