The 2025 Lubricant Expo & The Bearing Show North America celebrated another successful event at Huntington Place in Detroit, marking its second edition with remarkable achievements.
Over three impactful and insightful days from March 18-20, the event attracted 1,500 attendees and featured 125 exhibitors, representing the entire value chain of the lubricant and bearing industries. Show sponsors included CITGO Lubricants, ExxonMobil, SKF, Ergon International, TotalEnergies, Azelis, Novitas Chem Solutions and Chevron Oronite.
The conference commenced with a leadership panel on “Future Fuels and Their Impact on Lubricant Requirements,” chaired by Dr. Peter Lee, Institute Engineer & Chief Tribologist at Southwest Research Institute. The panel featured industry leaders, including Jean-Dominique Bonnet (Frost & Sullivan) and Troy Muransky (American Axle & Manufacturing), who discussed the evolving landscape of alternative fuels and their implications for lubricant formulations.
The event featured sessions highlighting key industry advancements:
- Mechanical Engineering Challenges and Fluid Development for Hybrid Vehicle Architectures: This session addressed the complexities of hybrid systems, featuring insights from Bryan Pryor (General Motors), George Morvey (Kline + Company), and Michael Deegan (Ford).
- Evaluating Lubricant and Bearing Technologies for Electrified Drivetrains: Exploring evaluation methods and innovations that address the unique requirements of electrified drivetrains while enhancing reliability and efficiency, this session included contributions from Ian Stewart (Afton Chemical), Jacob Kline (Nexteer Automotive), and Thomas Wellmann (FEV North America).
- Preventing Bearing Failures: Focusing on strategies to enhance bearing longevity, this session featured presentations by Matt Nagel (NSK), Gakuo Ndonga (WD Bearings) and Michael Holloway (5th Order Industry).
In addition to the free-to-attend conference, visitors were also given the unique opportunity to gain exclusive training on Rotating Equipment Lubrication and Food Processing Lubrication from specialist trainers including Sanya Mathura (Strategic Reliability Solutions), Greg Livingstone (Fluitec), Rich Wurzbach (MRG Labs), Michael Holloway (5th Order Industry) and Rafe Britton (Lubrication Experts) and could even get certified with the worldwide authority on lubrication, ICML, straight afterward.
Reflecting on the event’s success, Tom Harris, Event Director, stated:
“We’re thrilled to have hosted such a dynamic and insightful event for a second year in Detroit. The exchange of ideas between exhibitors, attendees, and experts has truly highlighted the innovative spirit driving the lubricant and bearing industries forward. We are looking forward to bringing even more value to the event in 2026.”
Lubricant Expo & The Bearing Show North America 2025 proved a key industry event for professionals spanning automotive, industrial manufacturing, food processing, aerospace, and beyond. By connecting solution providers with end-users, the event reinforced its status as an essential gathering on the industry calendar.
The Expo will return to Huntington Place, Detroit from March 17-19, 2026.
