Know Your Sample in a 360 View


Two weeks ago, I spent a week in San Francisco with nearly 150,000 marketing professionals at the annual Dreamforce Conference hosted by Salesforce, the world’s leading customer relationship management company. The themes from their sessions were engaging and consistent almost to a fault.

Know Your Customer. Test, Adjust and Learn. Optimize Performance. The Journey Is the Reward.

At one point, I had to step back and do a double-take on the Dreamforce app to be sure I was not attending an oil analysis conference. The parallels surfaced in nearly every presentation. In the new information age, industries – and companies – everywhere strive to capture compelling and reliable information and recommendations to improve their business.

In the oil analysis industry, this is more critical than ever. After all, 2015 starts now. Companies that are diligent in scheduling predictive maintenance to be proactive and remain productive are the same companies that will race past the competition after New Year’s Day. Do you want to explain to your manager in January why you’re starting off the new year with downtime ruling the day and service objectives off-target simply because of equipment failure? What’s more, leaving your customers under-serviced and underwhelmed will simply encourage them to consider alternative solutions going forward.

Wouldn’t it be more effective for you – and your company – if you knew the operating condition of your equipment before it was too late? When companies routinely conduct analysis on their equipment and consistently take action on the results and recommendations, they are able to reap the benefits of their oil analysis program. Be proactive, and you know what your equipment needs and when. In short, you have replaced preventive maintenance with predictive maintenance. This drives change – and keeps your customers informed and happy, too.

How do you want to kick-off 2015? Certainly with uptime ruling the day. A 360-view of your equipment can help extend the lifecycle of your equipment, maximize operational performance and increase uptime. These savings are real and when you look in the rear-view mirror, you’ll find some loyal and committed customers too.

From experience, I know 150,000 marketing professionals are not waiting until next year to deploy new strategies and ideas after their motivating experience at Dreamforce. So, don’t wait for 2015 to change how you manage your oil analysis program. Start today. Download our groundbreaking Taking Action! Fluid Analysis Assessment workbook and determine where and how you can take your program to the next level.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published October 28, 2014

POLARIS Laboratories® CTO Mark Minges Retires

INDIANAPOLIS – POLARIS Laboratories’ Co-Founder, Partner and Chief Technical Officer Mark Minges retired from the company on Friday, September 26. Chief Executive Officer Bryan Debshaw, Chief Information Officer Don Woods and Chief Science Officer Jeff White have assumed Minges’ duties during the orderly leadership transition.

“While we will miss his insight and experience, the entire company is excited for Mark and his wife Susan as they enter a new phase of their lives together,” Debshaw said. “Mark helped develop capable leaders within the company, and we are excited about continuing the company’s success in the future.”

Minges had the original idea to start POLARIS Laboratories®, and he has driven the company to remarkable heights. In just 15 years, a five-person operation in a small warehouse has flourished into a 63,000-square-foot Indianapolis headquarters with six satellite lab locations around the globe. The growth was recognized in many ways, including a place in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for six consecutive years (2009-2014).

Under Mark’s Leadership, POLARIS Laboratories® drove the fluid analysis industry forward. It was the first in-line fluid analysis company to earn ISO 17025 accreditation in order to standardize equipment and techniques in multiple locations. Competitors still do not match the number of accredited tests perform by POLARIS Laboratories®.

Mark was instrumental in developing the data analysis process to evaluate test results, which POLARIS Laboratories® uses to provide accurate, reliable and timely maintenance recommendations. The company also reduced the time it takes to get the recommendations to customers with the development of HORIZON®, their award-winning reporting software. This software pulled the industry from printing and mailing reports to emailing reports or accessing them online.

Full News Release

Published October 2, 2014