Shell Lubricants has simplified its lineup of products, grouping them under three trade names to make selecting the proper level of protection easier.


The company also announced a transmission oil specifically for Volvo and Mack automated mechanical transmissions.

The name change for lubes affects transmission fluids, gearbox oils, mobile hydraulic oils, gear and axle oils, and greases for on- and off-highway vehicles and equipment.

The names are Tellus, for hydraulic oil; Spirax, for axle, gear and transmission fluids; and Gadus, for grease products.

Shell Donax and Dentax gear oils, axle oils and transmission fluids have been consolidated under the Spirax brand, said Dan Arcy, Shell Lubricants' OEM technical manager. All grease products formerly called Retinax, Rhodina, Albida and Alvania are under the Shell Gadus brand.

The rearranged names include new packaging labels and product guides to aid choice, he said. New names, color coding and visual icons indicate individual performance benefits. These changes will help reduce the risk of product misapplication in the factory environment.

Shell Lubricants also standardized packaging to make storage and stacking easier. The changes are being rolled out globally, enabling a consistent product offering from market to market and enabling increased security of product supply, Arcy said.

The product groupings are in line with the three-tier designations given to Shell Rotella Energized Protection heavy-duty engine oils, Arcy said. The names, T Triple Protection, T5 Synthetic Blend and T6 Full Synthetic, suggest a ladder of increased protection.

I-Shift, mDrive oil

The new gearbox oil is Shell Spirax S6 GXME 75W-80, a fuel-efficient and long-life oil approved for use in Volvo I-Shift and Mack mDrive automated mechanical transmissions. The oil meets Volvo transmission specification 97307.

It is specifically formulated with synthetic base oils and additives for improved lubrication, lower operating temperatures, and resistance to chemical breakdown. This allows oil-drain intervals as high as 250,000 miles in the Volvo and Mack AMTs, Darcy said.

Spirax S6 GXME 75W-80 can help protect against wear, pitting, bearing failure and corrosion for reduced maintenance and longer equipment life.

Long-life additives keep it well within industry limits after double the normal test period in a standard DKA oxidation test. Thus the oil keeps gears protected and maintains performance over extended oil-drain intervals.

The benefits of Shell Spirax S6 GXME 75W-80 have been demonstrated through extensive laboratory tests and over 12 million miles of field trials, Shell says.

It also carries component and vehicle manufacturer approvals for MAN 341 Type E4 and also may be used where API GL-4, MT-1, SAE 75W-80 lubricant is required.

For further information about Shell Lubricants products for the fleet and construction industries, customers can visit www.shell.us/lubricants and for more information about Shell Rotella heavy-duty engine oils visit www.rotella.com.

Edited 2/17/2012 to correct the spelling of Dan Arcy's name in two references.

Corrected 2/24/2012 to note that Donax is NOT one of the new brands, but has been consolidated under the Spirax brand name.