Don Smolenski Named to Key Role of OEM Liaison Manager, North America for Evonik Oil Additives

Evonik Oil Additives USA, Inc. announces the addition

of Dr. Donald Smolenski to its OEM Liaison team in North America.

Dr. Smolenski joins Evonik Oil Additives after a long career with General

Motors, most recently as a Technical Fellow in GM’s Research and

Development Center in Warren, Michigan. Prior to being named Technical

Fellow, he served as GM’s Lab Group Manager for Fluid Chemistry and

Systems and, previous to that, served as Lab Group Manager for

Sustainable Automotive Systems.

“In this key role,” explains Evonik Oil Additives USA, Inc. President Doug

Placek, “Don will collaborate with North America’s leading OEM design

and manufacturing engineers to identify lubrication solutions for

resource efficiency challenges in transportation and industrial

applications.”

In the automotive world, Don Smolenski is recognized for his significant

contributions to lubrication technology. He is co-inventor of the GM

automatic engine oil life monitor (OLM), which has been installed on over

20 million vehicles and is now standard on most GM vehicles in North

America. He currently serves as Chair of Technical Committee 2 for the

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and is also on the MRF

Certification Committee of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication

Engineers (STLE).

Dr. Smolenski has authored numerous technical papers on a wide range

of lubricant topics and holds a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from Wayne

State University.

Don will be based in the Detroit area, where he and his family currently

reside.

Evonik Oil Additives has taken a leadership role in developing lubricant

additive technology designed to improve fuel efficiency and productivity.

Energy saving results have been demonstrated with VISCOPLEX®

Viscosity

Index Improvers (VIIs) in engine oils, driveline fluids and gear oils.

Industrial and off-highway equipment field tests have also produced

double-digit improvements in fuel savings with DYNAVIS® technology for

hydraulic fluids.

Formerly known as RohMax, the Evonik Oil Additives business line of

Evonik Industries specializes in high-performance additives for

lubricants and refinery products. Evonik’s specially customized

VISCOPLEX™ grades allow the flow characteristics, lubricating

performance, and crystallization properties of lubricants and biodiesel to

be optimized over wide temperature ranges. Energy-efficient hydraulic

systems using its DYNAVIS™ hydraulic fluid technology save fuel and

boost productivity, thereby reducing CO2 emissions and reducing

operating costs.

Evonik, the creative international industrial group, is one of the world

leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends

health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits

specifically from its innovative strength and integrated technology

platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In

fiscal 2011 more than 33,000 employees generated sales of around

€14.5 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.8 billion.