Beyond The Blend LIVE at Lubricant Expo Düsseldorf 2026

Are lubricant businesses genuinely adopting AI, or are individual employees simply experimenting with it? And how much of that activity is actually making life better for the customer? Recorded live at Lubricant Expo Düsseldorf 2026, this episode of Beyond the Blend brings five industry voices together for a practical, candid discussion about artificial intelligence in the lubricants industry. Rob Taylor and Steve Knapp lead the conversation with Egor Parienko, Ian Lloyd and Rafe Britton, exploring where AI is already proving useful, where caution makes sense and how the role of the lubricant salesperson is changing. A big thank you to the Lubricant Expo team for hosting us and welcoming Beyond the Blend back for another live recording. IN THIS EPISODE \* Experimentation versus adoption: why employees may be moving faster than their organisations, and what that means for strategy, training and sensitive business data. \* The changing role of lubricant salespeople: how to add value when customers can find technical information and AI-generated recommendations without speaking to a supplier. \* Accuracy and accountability: why a plausible answer is not always a suitable recommendation, particularly when industrial equipment and costly downtime are involved. \* Practical applications: translating commercial materials, assisting with complex spreadsheets and extracting OEM recommendations from equipment manuals. \* Customer experience versus sales activity: are we making it easier to buy, or simply producing more emails, content and noise? \* Building trust: why controlled trials, relevant case studies and a clear understanding of risk matter when moving beyond isolated tools. \* The economics of AI: Rafe raises questions about future costs, provider dependency and the potential role of dedicated open models. \* Looking three years ahead: what could separate businesses creating genuine customer value from those following the hype. Research figures shared during the conversation highlight the adoption gap: 85% of respondents were using AI occasionally or regularly, while organisational preparedness averaged just 2.1 out of five. Accuracy was the biggest concern for 58% of respondents. The panel offers different perspectives on how quickly to move, but a consistent question runs through the discussion: what problem are we solving, and does the customer benefit? If you lead a lubricant business, manage a commercial team or work directly with industrial customers, this conversation offers useful questions to bring back to your own organisation. EXPLORE MORE WITH PLAN GROW DO How AI will change the way lubricant buyers buy: Read the article - https://plangrowdo.com/buyer-revolution/how-ai-will-change-the-way-lubricant-buyers-buy/ Practical thinking on AI in sales: Explore the articles - https://plangrowdo.com/category/ai-in-sales/ Discover Plan Grow Do: Visit our website - https://plangrowdo.com/) FOLLOW BEYOND THE BLEND Beyond the Blend celebrates the people of the lubricants industry and the experiences, ideas and conversations helping it move forward. Follow or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. If this episode gives you something to think about, share it with a colleague and join the conversation: where is AI genuinely helping your business today?