Revolutionising fluid management with Oemeta

Water-miscible coolant

Fluid management is no longer just a maintenance task — it is a strategic necessity for modern manufacturing operations. As factories scale up and machines become more complex, the challenge of maintaining optimal fluid performance while ensuring compliance and controlling costs has intensified. Oemeta, a company long recognised for its advanced cutting fluids and oils, has stepped into this space with a comprehensive fluid management service that is reshaping expectations across the industry

David Woodford, managing director of Banbury-based www.oemeta.com/uk Oemeta UK, is clear about the company’s role. “If you are looking to implement fluid management on your shopfloor, or if you are not happy with your current provider and are looking for an alternative, that is where Oemeta can fit in.”

His words reflect a growing frustration among manufacturers who find themselves stuck with providers that offer little more than basic monitoring and top-ups. He continued: “When you start to get to large, complex machines, bigger factories, supply chains, consignment stock and the subsequent waste disposal, you have to think seriously about who's going to be doing this. You can either train up your own people or bring somebody in who has all that experience and just do it from day one.”

Process optimisation
Oemeta’s approach is built on the belief that fluid management should be about process optimisation, not just product supply. Mr Woodford added: “What competitors are doing is going in with inexpensive products and selling them in volume. They are selling products cheaply, but their consumption is extremely high, so they are selling cheap, and selling lots of it. Our approach is to sell a better-performing product and sell a lot less of it.” This shift from volume to value is central to Oemeta’s philosophy, which focuses on continuous improvement and bespoke solutions tailored to each customer’s operational needs.

Oemeta engineer Ryan Aviles on-site testing customer fluid with a refractometer

Louisa Johns, also from Oemeta, highlights the gap in expertise that often exists on shopfloors. She said: “When we go to shopfloors where they have a fluid management agreement in place, the support they get can be sub-standard. The internal staff don't have the knowledge and expertise that we bring. Every time we go somewhere where there is a competitor providing fluid management, there is barely any support. What we do is offer so much more.”

Oemeta’s service covers the entire fluid lifecycle. From stock control and distribution to testing, analytics, documentation, and disposal, the company embeds qualified technicians on-site to manage every aspect. Mr Woodford explained: “We control the stock levels, bring the stock in, and manage distribution into machines and processes. We do all the testing and analytics, all the supporting data, all the health and safety documents. We work to improve the process, extend product life, and when the fluid is ready to be changed, we do all the machine cleaning, waste collection, and organise disposal.”

At a major engine manufacturing facility in the Midlands, Oemeta manages 42 machines operating 24/7 with 12 different fluid types. Mr Woodford said: “We have staff permanently located on-site on different shifts, and the scope extends beyond cutting fluids. We also manage their wash systems, chemical treatment plants, and do all the titration testing. The cost savings and efficiencies we deliver more than cover the cost of our staff on-site full-time.”

Louisa Johns added: “The requirements and the subsequent solution is bespoke to each shopfloor. One company might want to reduce misting, one might want to look at material staining issues or corrosion. The knowledge and expertise we bring compared to competitors is a whole new level.”

Remote monitoring
Oemeta’s cloud-based software system adds another layer of transparency and control. Customers can monitor fluid consumption, machine parameters, and technician activity remotely. Mr Woodford continued: “Customers can look at fluid consumption of machines, operating parameters, and the tasks being carried out by the fluid management team. They can look from anywhere in the world and see whether tasks are being completed.”

The results are tangible. At an aerospace customer site, Oemeta improved tool life by 30% and cut fluid consumption and disposal costs by more than a third. Mr Woodford added: “This more than covers the cost of our engineer on site. Their process stability and customer auditability have also been significantly enhanced because we are controlling the process. When they are audited by customers in the highly regulated aerospace industry, everything is in place, and they no longer face fluid-related audit issues anymore.”

At the engine manufacturing site, Oemeta identified hydraulic oil leaks contaminating cutting fluids, leading to a projected 20% reduction in fluid consumption. Mr Woodford explained: “We are also highlighting machine tool patterns of maintenance concern to the customer, which feeds into their preventative maintenance programme. We are not only assisting in extending machine uptime and maintenance cycles, but we are also delivering savings that will pay for our on-site technician. The cost savings will pay for our engineers within the first 12 months.”

Louisa Johns is emphatic about the value Oemeta delivers: “It actually pays for itself and takes the headache away from the customer. The full management and traceability, extended machine uptime and enhanced performance and component quality are all benefits stacked on top of the significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact.”

Oemeta’s embedded technicians act as an early warning system for maintenance issues. Mr Woodford said: “It is permanent. Our engineers are embedded into the company when a business agrees to a fluid management service. This enables predictive maintenance where we can set lower and upper limits for hydraulic oil contamination. If we are topping up beyond a certain point, that flags to maintenance that there’s obviously a leak. We are almost an early warning system. We see all those issues developing. We do all the on-site bacteria monitoring, so from a health and safety point of view, the documentation is all covered.”

Innovation is at the heart of Oemeta’s offering. Mr Woodford concluded: “We are working with an aerospace customer where they have a requirement to reduce misting. Our R&D department is working on reducing that misting characteristic. We bring the latest technology to the customer because we understand their processes. There was a new technology that recently became available. We knew their process and forecast a 30% improvement to fluid and tool life — we are actually going to get more. Most companies find a supplier and ‘just go with them’ because it works to a small degree. What we are offering is something more proactive with more impactful results.”