Meet Nye - Erik Reis

Erik Reis is the Automotive Industry Manager at Nye Lubricants, spearheading efforts at the company’s Detroit location. Erik has been an integral member of Nye Lubricants for 12 years, interfacing with a majority of automotive applications and promoting the multitude of benefits offered by synthetic lubricants. Erik holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Business Administration from Wayne State University. For this month’s ‘Meet Nye’ we sat down with Erik to ask him five questions about himself and his work at Nye:

How has the automotive industry changed since you started at Nye 12 years ago?

When I started, electric vehicles were still a niche category since battery technology wasn’t anywhere near where it is today. At that time, I don’t recall the industry, let alone the public, discussing the widespread future of autonomous vehicles as they are currently. These technological developments will be game changers in the industry, altering the demands of what cars and automotive components will need to accomplish.

What are some of the trends dominating the automotive industry today?

The biggest trends affecting automotive would have to be electrification, and the various autonomous systems that are being employed, eventually getting us to the full advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) level 5. This will arguably make vehicles safer, but will have major lifestyle impacts, many of which we don’t realize today.

As battery technology is moving toward greater and greater power density, the reality of a long-distance drive will eventually come to fruition. However, once you remove an internal combustion engine, the noise that the engine had produced will now no longer mask noises made by other components. There is an effort now to address these issues and find ways to mitigate the peripheral noise. Lubricant technology is a perfect way to address these, and quiet areas of the vehicle that are problematic.

How can lubricants help advance autonomous unmanned vehicle technology?

ADAS systems need to be robust, and while some redundancy will be built into safety sensitive components, lubricants play a major part in preventing failures. Much work has been done at Nye to address these issues and to make systems, both mechanical and electrical, as reliable as possible, understanding that these components and systems will need to meet the full life expectancy of a vehicle, and beyond. Electrical connectors, whether failing through fretting and/or corrosion, can affect electrical signal transmission. Making sure all connectors are lubricated prevents environmental intrusion, protects against corrosion, and insures that all sensors and connectors continue to send their signals unabated.

At Nye, our sales representatives are called “Regional Engineering Managers.” How does your background in engineering enable you to better serve our customers?

Having a technical background is extremely important because it allows us to utilize an engineering thought process when trying to tackle difficult problems. When working on potential solutions, we understand the methodology that must be followed and how interrelated principles of vehicle production such as design, quality, delivery, labor, cost, and performance all play a part to make the vehicle the best it can be at the lowest price point possible. When we are at a meeting, we can advise the customer on potential solutions because of the multitude of applications we interface with. This saves valuable time and assures our customers that they are dealing with professionals in the lubricant industry that are here to serve them and their needs.

What is your favorite part about working for Nye?

Since I started, I have always relished the idea of solving lubricant challenges. Synthetic lubricants are contained in so many different components on a vehicle that over time, I have gotten a good understanding of the ‘pain points’ that each of these components presents. Noticing how componentry is changing, and how the automotive landscape is moving to an electrified future only adds to my excitement. On a personnel level, we have a fantastic team, and I can truly say that I have never worked with a better group of people to support our customers and move our business forward.

Click here to connect with Erik on LinkedIn.