oelheld Celebrates 25 years in the UK
A company founded on innovation
Originally founded by Carl Christian Held in 1887, oelheld has a long history of fluid technology innovation, building a reputation as a supplier of high-quality oils, fluids, and lubricants for industry. Well-established in Europe but relatively unknown within the UK in 1998, oelheld UK was formed to supply these high quality EDM and grinding fluids to British manufacturers.
The division owes its creation to two men: leading EDM circuitry engineer Colin Hayter, providing EDM machine support through his company Advanced Machining Technology (AMT) at the time; and expert tribologist Dr. Manfred Storr, then-managing director of oelheld GmbH. Both experts in their fields, the pair discovered a shared enthusiasm for pushing the technological boundaries of their respective specialisms, to optimise manufacturing processes. A commitment to continuous innovation has remained central to oelheld UK’s portfolio development and strategic growth ever since.
Innovation for customers, and the future
Using state-of-the-art laboratories, equipment and dedicated in-house EDM and grinding research centres, oelheld’s products have been specifically developed to offer superior performance and meet the changing needs of the industries it serves. The company works closely with leading machine manufacturers and universities to develop products that are designed to meet the specific requirements of their machines. This kind of cooperation allows oelheld to meet the long-term needs of its customers by designing fluids that offer consistent performance even as time passes.
Most recently the company has launched a range of biodegradable punching oils, specifically developed to help companies protect workers and the Environment. Combining a carefully blended base oil and an advanced additive package the oils are not only better for the planet, but for performance too. For oelheld, innovation is key to sustainability that benefits the environment, and businesses too; highly productive fluids that are made to last mean less waste and reduce consumption. As a result, customers who choose oelheld products rarely switch away and the company holds a significant number of long-standing customer relationships.
“We are proud to say that many of our customers today have been with us since the early years and some are even using the original fluid they purchased … I think 20 years is the current record, which is testament to the design and quality of oelheld fluids.”
~ Pete Mangan, Managing Director, oelheld UK Ltd
Innovation for Whole System Solutions
The first fluids introduced to the UK were the company’s top performing dielectric, Ionoplus IME-MH™, and fully synthetic grinding oil, SintoGrind. Thanks to patented technologies designed to enhance surface-finish and extend fluid life, these flagship fluids established oelheld products as the ideal choice for quality and longevity. Soon, the full range of oils, fluids, and lubricants for die-sinking, grinding, milling, turning, forging, punching, and stamping were made available to British manufacturers.
As the reputation of oelheld fluids for quality has grown over the years, so too has the company’s standing as a trusted partner for full metalworking fluid (MWF) system support. Expanding sales and technical teams have brought extensive EDM and tool grinding industry experience that has seen customers increasing turn to oelheld, seeking a single source of support for all aspects of their MWF systems.
In response, the company has significantly expanded its manufacturing and servicing capabilities in recent years and formed strategic partnerships to make the very latest technologies available to its customers. Today, oelheld is the UK representative for TRANSOR Filter GmbH, Ebbco Inc, and VOMAT GmbH filtration, CarlHirschmann GmbH workholding, indusa GmbH oil mist extraction, GDS Präezisionszerspanungs GmbH’s range of ultra-precision tool clamping products. oelheld UK is now uniquely positioned to provide full MWF system advice, support, and solutions.
“The significant investments we’ve made to developing the team and product range reflect our commitment to offering customers the very best support and most cutting-edge technologies available on the market. Our complete portfolio is designed to enhance the performance of our customer's capital investments by reducing downtime and consumable costs whole increasing the number of hours that are available for productive manufacturing”
~Pete Mangan, Managing Director, oelheld UK Ltd
oelheld UK will be celebrating the company’s anniversary throughout 2023 and running promotions across the full range of products and services to thank customers for their ongoing business support so if you’re planning any changes to your fluid, filtration, mist extraction or maintenance provisions, contact the team for more details.
This article originally appeared in the February 2023 edition of Grinding & Surface Finishing. Read the whole issue here