Name: Chip Shields
Age: 54
Company: Schaeffer Specialized Lubricants
Location: Portland, Oregon
Chip Shields is a Machine Lubrication Tech I certified sales rep at Schaeffer Specialized Lubes. He serves the Portland, Oregon area, working with existing customers to improve their lubricant use and introducing quality lubricants to new clients.
Q: How long have you worked for your company and which positions have you held?
A: I’ve worked here for eight years as a sales rep.
Q: When did you get your start in machinery lubrication and how did it happen?
A: I used to work in the Schaeffer plant during summers in high school and college. I came back to work at Schaeffer in 2013 as a rep.
Q: What types of training have you taken to get you to your current position?
A: I’ve taken the Noria training leading up to the MLT I certification.
Q: What professional certifications have you attained?
A: MLT I.
Q: Are you planning to obtain additional training or achieve higher certifications? If so, why and which ones?
A: MLT II and CLS perhaps; to better help my customers solve lubrication problems.
Q: What’s a normal work day like for you?
A: Working as a rep for Schaeffer is awesome; it’s like being in business for yourself but not by yourself. I’m essentially my own boss. I spend the majority of my day calling on my existing customers in construction, manufacturing, food processing and trucking and a few times a week, I call on major account new customers to share what makes Schaeffer lubricants different.
Q: What is the amount and range of equipment that you help service through lubrication/oil analysis tasks?
A: Just about every kind of heavy equipment you can think of: gear boxes, vacuum pumps, excavators, OTR trucks, lautertons for brewing, etc.
Q: What lubrication-related projects are you currently working on?
A: I’m currently helping a glass manufacturer cut their hydraulic oil consumption in half nationwide. I’m also helping a truck dealership with 28 west-coast locations sell our engine oil, transmission fluid and gear lube to truckers all up and down the west coast.
Q: How does your company view machinery lubrication in terms of importance and overall business strategy?
A: It’s 95% of what we do. We also have a line of fuel additives and crop enhancements and specialty products like cleaners and tire sealant.
Q: What do you see as some of the more important trends taking place in the lubrication and oil analysis field?
A: Advances in Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants.
Q: What has made your company decide to put more emphasis on machinery lubrication?
A: It’s what we’ve been doing since 1839.
