This week’s Industry Person of the Week is Ahmed Mazhar Bashir, Freelance Lubricants Consultant.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Ahmed: I completed my Masters in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals from a leading university in Romania, after learning the Romanian language.
I was fortunate to get my first job, in a cement plant, where I had the wrench time opportunity to have hands-on experience – on pumps, gearboxes, compressors, generators, transformers, coolers, Kiln, grinding mills, which not only helped me throughout my career in the lubrication-reliability industry, but also gave me confidence to deal with various kinds of equipment. Working as the resident engineer, in Romania I inspected the equipment before shipment that made me familiar with the mechanical aspect of big industries.
After the commissioning of the cement plant, I shifted my focus to pursue my passion to work in the petroleum industry. I feel very lucky that my first job related to the lubrication industry was with Chevron, Pakistan, as an Assistant Lube Engineer. From there onwards I never looked back and remained in the field of lubrication-reliability with MNC brands like Chevron, ExxonMobil and Petronas which included working in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. I also reached the level of CEO and am presently working as a Freelance Consultant based in Canada.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Ahmed: Having around 39 years of enriched experience in the field of lubrication –reliability, what I loved the most, and still do is problem solving. Determining and identifying the lubrication issues related to any equipment and coming up with the solution, creating a strategy to implement those solutions through – PM, RCA, Asset Management, INSOM, and evaluating the effectiveness with regular follow up. Customer satisfaction has always been at the top of my list.
I have always found pride in my work but one job that I am really proud of doing was providing technical services to USNS (US Navy Ship-Military Sealift Command). I was selected from the ExxonMobil Marine team to visit the US Navy Ships at the outer anchorage of the Sea port. The only passenger on a speed boat with my on site Lube Test Kit and safety equipment was a unique experience. It also sometimes turned into an adventure, when I had to climb the monkey ladder, to board the ship, due to the rough sea conditions. My duties included checking the use of correct lubricants, according to the lube chart, in each and every equipment of the ship with their drain intervals and sampling procedures. It was challenging to perform oil analysis in the on-board oil testing lab and training the ship crew on the sampling procedures. Besides these I had to handle all the queries of the Chief Engineer and his team and had to close the report during that short visit.
USNS was a very prestigious Customer of EXXONMOBIL and my each and every visit was very important. ExxonMobil Marine with products and services has resulted in millions of dollars of saving for USNS.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Ahmed: The best advice for people starting out in the field is to be sincere and love the job they choose to take. The lubrication-reliability field is not only interesting but is also the need of the present and future. Be passionate to pursue your goals, initially it might be challenging but once you start solving and know how to prevent lubrication-reliability issues you will start enjoying it. There is tremendous opportunity in this field, as we live in the world of technology with equipment and machinery. As long as there are machines there will always be a requirement of lubrication-reliability
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Ahmed: The recent project I did was the uninterrupted construction of the lubricants blending plant, from the grass root level to the commissioning stage. The work itself was not very challenging, but the conditions were. It was in a South East
Asian country, where although English was the official language, the contractors, laborers, and workers only spoke their local language.
Being the Project Director, my task was to ensure that the construction was done effectively following the approved layouts, maintaining quality and safety standards. My job description also included obtaining approvals from the respective government departments- Environmental, Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Authorities, which in turn was another challenge.
Q: Anything Else you would like to add?
Ahmed: My job has taken me to places and I immensely enjoyed working in diverse work cultures of Romania, Middle East and South Asia. Presently, being a Freelance Consultant based in Canada, my desire is to connect different brands of lubricants from one country to another. My professional exposure made me understand the ins and outs of how to start and establish a lubricant business in those regions. I have observed that even the big MNC oil companies are unaware of the opportunities which are waiting for them in a new country. As they say there is always a place on the top with niche marketing.
Connect with Ahmed on social media!
THANK YOU, AHMED! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON WHO IS MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN INDUSTRY? NOMINATE THEM TO BE AN “INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE WEEK”!
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