Bonus Content for STLE Members
20 Minutes With Tom Oleksiak
Rachel Fowler, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief | TLT 20 Minutes December 2022
This senior manager at Quaker Houghton discusses aluminum hot rolling and how he got into the lubricants industry.
Tom Oleksiak - The Quick File
STLE member Tom Oleksiak is senior manager Center of Innovation nonferrous for Quaker Houghton. He is responsible for working with and providing leadership toward development of new products for nonferrous rolling, especially aluminum hot rolling. His focus is on product development and testing. Oleksiak was previously principal scientist lubrication for Novelis Inc., responsible for formulation development, technical support and testing of aluminum hot mill and cold mill lubricants as well as post lubricants.
Oleksiak is an experienced, productive and innovative product formulator and surface scientist. He is successful in developing novel products for various metalworking processes, including aluminum hot rolling, aluminum post lubricants, aluminum machining as well as steel cold rolling and hot rolling. He has extensive experience in troubleshooting processes and developing test methods to correlate to field performance.
Oleksiak received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from John Carroll University. He received his doctorate degree in Physical Chemistry from Duke University. He is the author of five patent applications (one has been granted at this time) and has been coauthor in five journal publications. He also has given presentations at numerous STLE annual meetings.
Tom Oleksiak
TLT: How long have you worked in a lubrication-related field, and how did you decide to pursue a career in the lubricants industry?
Oleksiak: It really is a bit of a funny story. I began working in the lubrication field almost by accident. I worked on nuclear magnetic resonance in graduate school and had studied protein chemistry to get my doctoral degree in physical chemistry. My lack of formal education in biochemistry made it difficult for me to get a job in protein chemistry. Nalco was looking to hire a young formulation chemist for rolling lubrication applications. I thought the job sounded like an interesting adventure, so I took a chance and was offered the job. At the start, I was apprehensive about the lubricants industry, but I’m glad I took the opportunity.
TLT: What has been your most rewarding accomplishment throughout your career in the lubricants industry?
Oleksiak: I developed a new low acid formulation for aluminum hot rolling. In this development, I identified a new ester for the application. The first time the new ester chemistry was trialed was both exciting and frightening.
TLT: What is the No. 1 piece of advice you would give to a person who might be interested in starting a career in the lubricants industry?
Oleksiak: The No. 1 piece of advice I would give is to work with people who are smarter and more experienced than you. Use these people as mentors in your career development. This will not only develop your career but allow you to keep learning. Strive to always be learning in your job, and lubrication will never get boring.
TLT: Throughout the different segments within your career, which one has been the most interesting, challenging and/or rewarding?
Oleksiak: Early in my career I thought everything was interesting and new. I often felt like I was in over my head. It’s okay to go through that. As I grew, mentors made a significant contribution to my advancement. Now that I am in my later years, I try to share my experience as much as I can with younger colleagues. That being said, I am still being challenged with new learning and new development opportunities.
TLT: What are some of the most technical lubrication-based concepts or topics you have encountered throughout your career?
Oleksiak: Some of the most difficult concepts I have encountered are in understanding lubrication regimes. It took a lot of reading and studying to understand elastohydrodynamic lubrication, and this is a concept I am still learning more about as I work with new colleagues.
TLT: What is the one thing you wish you would have learned earlier in your career?
Oleksiak: I wish I had learned on my first day how important it is to develop good mentor relationships. A good mentor can be like a flash of light in the darkness when you are having difficulty understanding a concept.
You can reach Tom Oleksiak at Tom.Oleksiak@quakerhoughton.com.