The world would come to a stop without lubricant manufacturing. Now is the time for you to make an impact on the industry.

Why Lubricant Manufacturing?

Without lubricants and metalworking fluids, businesses and critical infrastructure that are relied on by the world would grind to a halt.
Without lubricants and metalworking fluids, businesses and critical infrastructure that are relied on by the world would grind to a halt.
Lubricants save time and money while increasing output.


Lubricants save time and money while increasing output.
The lubricant manufacturing industry is fast-moving, lucrative, and applicable to many different facets of the world.
The lubricant manufacturing industry is fast-moving, lucrative, and applicable to many different facets of the world.

Why Choose a Career in Lubricants?

A purpose-driven career in this industry:

  • Puts you at the forefront of state-of-the-art products and systems that are essential to everyday life
  • Means learning and growing in high-energy, solution-oriented environments from chemical research in a lab to an automotive test facility
  • Offers employees higher benefits and compensation than other workforces
  • Allows you to solve critically important issues like reducing automotive emissions and enabling renewable energy generation
  • Supports sustainability efforts by reducing waste of equipment, in addition to its role in enabling renewable energy
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Meet the faces of lubrication!

Estelle in Engineering

Estelle is the brains behind the blend — testing formulas, fine-tuning performance, and making sure every drop of lubricant meets high-tech specifications needed to keep rockets launching smoothly to deliver satellites into space.
Estelle in Engineering

Mark in Manufacturing

Mark oversees the production process necessary to get the parts of your favorite supercars through the factory and on the way to the track — maintaining machinery and administering precise lubricant amounts to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently.
Mark in Manufacturing

Sheila in Sales

Sheila connects hospitals with the right solutions for their equipment and operations, ensuring life-saving medical equipment gets into the right hands. She understands the technical side of lubricants and offers the product and maintenance knowledge needed to extend the longevity of these instrumental devices.
Sheila in Sales

Molly in Management

Molly is the chief coordinator of people, processes, and priorities to keep her industrial lubricant factory on track. From aligning teams to setting strategy, she plays a key role in driving growth and maintaining operational excellence.
Molly in Management

Michael in Marketing

Michael shapes how his automotive lubricant brand is seen and understood — translating complex technical products into clear, compelling messages, and making a direct impact on the successful operation of essential farm equipment. From campaigns to customer education, he ensures the value of the company’s work reaches the right audience.
Michael in Marketing

See What a Day-in-the-Life Looks Like for Someone Who Works in the Lubricant Manufacturing Industry

The Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association is launching the Move the World Forward Campaign to educate the future workforce on the benefits of a career in lubricant manufacturing and encourage the next generation of “friction fighters.”

Learn More About the Career Campaign

Not sure where to start?

Check out how you can help Move the World Forward below!

I’m a student…

Choosing a career path is a huge moment in your life and feeling informed and supported is of paramount importance to making sure the decision process is easy and exciting. One industry you may never have heard of is the lubricant manufacturing industry – a field that makes a direct impact on people’s everyday lives. If you’re looking for a field constantly pushing the envelope to make its products more sustainable, effective, and long-lasting, check out our Roadmap to Lubricant Manufacturing below!

A Roadmap to Lubricant Manufacturing

What can lubricant manufacturing offer you?

  • 🌍 Impact – Our industry not only touches the everyday lives of people all around the world but also advances a greener future every single day through the products we make.
  • 🔒 Stability – The world will always need lubricants.
  • 💸 Enrichment – Lubricant manufacturing boasts an average salary 37% higher than other industries in the US.
  • 🎨 Creativity – We are always seeking to make our products more efficient, long-lasting, and welcome your ideas.
  • 🔀 Mobility – Our industry workers can explore and pivot across sectors.

A Roadmap to Lubricant Manufacturing

  • Engineering
  • Management
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Hands-on
  • Legal
  • Finance
  • + more!

A career in lubricant manufacturing is not a one-size-fits-all.

You can bring a four-year degree, a PhD, and even a high school diploma to the table and find success in our industry.

We support all kinds of industries – from automotive and transportation to food and beverage and medical tech.

Bring your creativity, enthusiasm, and energy to a field equally brimming with opportunities – Move the World Forward with us!

I’m a Parent

Helping your child decide on an academic or career path can feel like an overwhelming task when you don’t have the right tools or knowledge to help guide them. We’ve developed a roadmap for talking to your child about a career in the lubricant manufacturing industry. This is a stable, highly impactful, and prosperous field that they may never have heard of or considered – give them facts and help gear their career!

Talk to Your Child About Lubricant Manufacturing

The lubricant manufacturing industry is a dynamic, engaging field pushing innovation and creating products that better support machines, supply chains, and the world. The industry boasts:

  • We make a direct impact on people’s everyday lives all over the world by creating the products that keep cars running, planes flying, consumer goods produced on time, and even supporting the food industry by keeping production safe, clean, and efficient.
  • We are a highly secure industry – the world will always need lubricants to run smoothly.
  • An average salary 37% higher than other US industries.
  • Sustainability is a cornerstone of our industry. We create products designed to reduce consumption and maximize the lifespan of equipment.
  • Our industry is all about innovation, and we welcome creative minds to challenge old practices to help move our products forward.
  • A diverse range of industry entry options – those with vocational training, trade certifications, associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and beyond can all find their place in lubricant manufacturing.
  • The ability to pivot sector to sector – you can start on the floor and move into management or sales and beyond.

A Simple Approach

  • Get to the root of their interests by asking questions like:
    • “Do you like working with your hands?”
    • “Do you enjoy routine and predictable work or do you prefer creativity?”
    • “Are you curious about how machines work?”
    • “What values are important to you to have in the workplace?”
  • Talk to them about the lubricant manufacturing industry:
    • Use those facts above to educate them on this unique industry’s key zones
      • Impact
      • Security
      • Enrichment
      • Sustainability
      • Creativity
      • Career Mobility
  • Share the variety of paths your child can take to get into the industry:
    • Two and four-year higher education
    • Vocational or trade school
    • Apprenticeships
  • Look into opportunities to engage with local plants or manufacturing companies
    • Many facilities will offer tours or host career days, which is a great opportunity to explore your child’s interests in person!

Help Move the World Forward by bringing their bright minds to the lubricant manufacturing industry!

I’m a Career or Guidance Counselor

Many students are looking for careers that align with their values, impact the world positively, offer competitive salaries, and can foster a sense of community – yet many industries fall short. Lubricant manufacturing is an often-overlooked field that checks the box on all four of these criteria. Arm yourself with resources on the lubricant manufacturing industry to provide your students or job-seeking young adults with a better understanding of this unique field with major impact.

A career in lubricant manufacturing may be right for your students if they’re looking for:

  • Meaning
  • Impact
  • Creativity
  • Growth
  • Stability

A career in the lubricant manufacturing industry can take many forms and is a great field for all types of students. This industry is not just for college-minded prospective STEM professionals – it welcomes those with vocational experience, hands-on skills, backgrounds in business, communications, sales, and more. Not only this, but the opportunity for lateral movement, from one sector to another. 

Where can students go to pursue a career in lubricant manufacturing?

The good news: students can go just about anywhere and find their way into the industry! But for those looking into lubricant manufacturing seriously, there are vocational schools, colleges, and universities that offer specific programs to help them on their way.

Vocational Schools and Community Colleges:

 

Colleges and Universities:

Arm them with the right tools – help Gear their Career to the future!

Move the World Forward Scholarship Program

The ILMA Foundation’s Move the World Forward Scholarship Program is open to four-year university, graduate school and vocational school students.

The industry is dedicated to educating and steering students like you to a rewarding career.

Learn More About ILMA’s Investment in Your Future

Applications Open January 2026

By The Numbers

ILMA member companies produce more than 25% of the automotive lubricants and more than 70% of the metalworking fluids used in North America.
ILMA member companies produce more than 25% of the automotive lubricants and more than 70% of the metalworking fluids used in North America.
In 2018, ILMA members stimulated $14.4 billion in sales activity and
$7.2 billion in GDP while supporting over 26,300 jobs that paid $2.6 billion in labor income.
In 2018, ILMA members stimulated $14.4 billion in sales activity and
$7.2 billion in GDP while supporting over 26,300 jobs that paid $2.6 billion in labor income.
In 2018, the average employee salary supported by ILMA-eligible companies’ activities was about $101,000, approximately 26% higher than the average North American worker.
In 2018, the average employee salary supported by ILMA-eligible companies’ activities was about $101,000, approximately 26% higher than the average North American worker.

Show us how you #GearYourCareer toward a forward-looking industry!

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The member toolkit includes information about the Move the World Forward campaign for you to use on your personal and company social media channels, for external and internal speaking engagements, and to share with companies, colleagues, peers, and students.

Get the Toolkit

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