Supply lines critical to mine improvement goals, says Castrol boss
- 29 October 2025
Global minerals deals, big-picture supply chain issues and modern mining machines predictably monopolised the IMARC 2025 spotlight but Jane Carland provided a timely reminder of the importance of support acts and getting key supplier connections right.
“With the mining sector sitting at the heart of infrastructure, economic security and the energy transition it’s a pivotal time to think about how your suppliers and their in-house experts can save you money, drive greater efficiency and improve productivity in real and seamless ways,” Castrol Australia and New Zealand’s managing director said in an event keynote.
“Today, even the smallest changes and innovations can make a material difference.”
Lubricants continue to be the lifeblood of machines that are generally more technologically advanced and expensive, as well as being the focus of stricter safety and sustainability accounting. Frontline equipment such as shovels, excavators, haul trucks and drills are directly driving value by the hour, or subtracting it if gear is offline.
Carland said in strictly dollars and cents terms getting maintenance and equipment performance right – with lubricants and supporting expertise playing no small part – could equate to “millions to tens of millions of dollars in value over the life of an asset”.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that modern, high-tech mining equipment operates in some of the most difficult conditions on and in the earth,” she said.
“Selecting the right combination of solutions tailored to your mining operation can transform the total cost of ownership.
“We’re talking about measurable gains, from reduced maintenance and extended equipment life to increased efficiency and productivity.
“We see Castrol products and Castrol people as playing a critical role in equipment lifecycle management.
“Drawing from our global experience and network, Castrol technologists are among the best in the world at identifying improvement opportunities, enabling faster customer decision making and enhancing mine site productivity.”
Adding an exclamation mark there, Carland said the company’s new ISO-accredited Optival program had generated more than A$175 million worth of continuous improvement gains for Australian mining customers alone. The program embedded Castrol technical experts with customer teams with the aim of identifying and realising productivity and reliability, safety and sustainability, and supply and account management improvement opportunities.
On the product front, Carland said the mining industry and its equipment continued to evolve. As well as trying to maintain market leadership with its oils and lubricants today, Castrol was “evolving too ... with a focused eye always on the future”.
Good examples of this include Castrol’s Optigear Synthetic PD 680 ES gear oil, said to deliver breakthrough friction-reduction for critically stressed mechanical systems such as haul truck wheel motor planetary gears working in unforgiving operating environments. As well as cutting friction and boosting load-bearing capacity, the product was engineered to deliver long-term lubrication and superior protection against micro pitting to lower operating temperatures, improve energy efficiency and increase component life.
In Australia, a fleet of Komatsu 930-E haul trucks that transitioned from a standard synthetic gear oil to Optigear PD 680 in a field trial reportedly saw oil drain intervals stretched out to 6000 hours while wheel motor life increased from 24,000 to 30,000 hours and wheel motor gear set wear decreased appreciably.
“Extending oil drains, reducing wear and maximising component life isn’t just a demonstration of great product performance,” Carland said.
“It’s a clear pathway to operational resilience and total cost of ownership savings.
“Due to reduced wear and extended component life our customer partners have reported savings of up to $840,000 per haul truck over its lifecycle by removing one wheel motor assembly replacement per side.”
Castrol’s Trans C-HT for truck hydraulic systems and transmissions is another product that significantly extended service intervals for key vehicle components in 12 months of US fieldwork.
“Here in Australia we’ve started local evaluations with the goal of extending transmission service intervals from 2000 to 4000 hours,” Carland said.
“We have evaluations underway in haul trucks and heavily loaded Cat D11 dozer applications on high fuel-burn overburden pushes.
“It’s a promising step towards smarter, more efficient fluid management, tailored to local mining conditions, to drive efficiency in equipment operations, reduced lubricant use and lower total cost of ownership.
“Its versatility also allows sites to consolidate inventory and streamline maintenance practices, simplifying operations, saving time and reducing costs.”
Carland said mixed mining fleets presented widespread inventory and maintenance management complications that could increase potential for errors.
Castrol’s Radicool PG Premix engine coolant was one of many solutions to this problem from the manufacturer, with its non-toxicity and robustness versus conventional and organic acid coolants adding to its appeal.
“Its strength lies in its versatility, because it allows sites to standardise across cooling systems in heavy duty engines regardless of the OEM,” Carland said.
“And it’s built for longevity, with no need for supplemental coolant additives or extenders for up to six years or 12,000 hours, whichever comes first.
“It’s a smart solution for simplifying maintenance and extending service life and is backed by 15 years of field use in mixed fleet applications.”
