A busy year ahead
By Steffen Bots, STLE President | TLT President's Report August 2026
There are many things I would like to accomplish this year, and time is moving incredibly fast.
The 2026-2027 STLE Executive Committee.
It feels like only yesterday that the international tribology and lubrication engineering community came together in New Orleans for the 80th STLE Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Yet the fact that I have the honor of writing my first TLT President’s Report column means that an entire month has already passed.
My wife and I have three children. When our first son, Moritz, was born, everyone told me to enjoy and cherish every moment because time passes so quickly. At the time, I thought this was just one of those standard pieces of advice people give to new parents. Next month, however, Moritz will turn 18, and looking back I have realized that this may be one of the most valuable lessons of all.
After my first month as STLE President, I have the feeling that this lesson also applies to my one-year term. There are many things I would like to accomplish, but time is moving incredibly fast. Therefore, I am determined not only to make the most of this opportunity but also to enjoy every moment along the way.
Fortunately, there is already some exciting news to share.
First, I am delighted that the STLE Certified Lubrication Specialist™ (CLS) and Oil Monitoring Analyst™ (OMA) certification exams are now also available in Spanish. Based on our experience in Europe, and particularly in Germany, we know there is strong demand for professional certification programs. I am convinced this initiative will provide a significant boost for STLE within the Spanish-speaking community.
At the same time, we are looking for ambassadors who are interested in promoting these programs, organizing training and encouraging professionals to pursue certification. If you are interested, I encourage you to reach out either to me directly or to the STLE staff.
My calendar of STLE activities is also filling up quickly, and I would like to highlight a few upcoming events.
The 2026 Virtual Symposium on Additives will take place on July 21-22. This promises to be an outstanding event for formulators, lubricant professionals and industry specialists working with lubricant additives. The program features an excellent lineup of internationally recognized speakers. You can find more details at
https://bit.ly/2026VirtualSymposium.
Another major event will be the World Tribology Congress, taking place September 20-25 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I am proud to represent STLE there together with my STLE Executive Committee colleague, Dr. Peter Lee. We have also organized a dedicated STLE technical track featuring presentations focused on one of today’s most important topics: artificial intelligence.
Another highlight will be the 2026 Fall Technical Meeting, cohosted by STLE and Motion and Power Manufacturers Alliance (MPMA), taking place October 5-7 in Chicago. STLE has organized a dedicated technical track for this conference, titled Trends in Tribology and Lubrication, where I will present the findings of the 2026 STLE Emerging Trends Report. Registration is now open at
https://motionpower.org/events-education/events/2026-fall-technical-meeting/.
In addition, exciting meetings with UEIL and ELGI, as well as during NextLub, are currently being planned, and my schedule for visiting local STLE Local Sections is also beginning to take shape.
It is already clear that this will be another busy and exciting year for STLE. Most likely, I will find myself standing in Chicago next year wondering where all the time has gone. Until then, my goal is simple: to make the most of every opportunity, enjoy every encounter with the remarkable people in our industry and create lasting memories together. Or, as we say it in Germany:
Jede Gelegenheit
nutzen. Jede Begegnung genießen. Erinnerungen schaffen, die bleiben.
I look forward to seeing many of you in the months ahead.
Steffen Bots is vice president of global sales & R&D for ADDINOL Lube Oil GmbH based in Leuna, Germany. You can reach him at Steffen.Bots@addinol.de.