After deploying the GreaseBoss Head Unit on pellet mill roll bearings, the facility replaced operator judgement with flow-verified, RFID-guided greasing at every point. The Maintenance Manager now has visibility over planned vs actual greasing and a 74% year-on-year cut in grease spend, with no recorded downtime, seized rolls, or quality impact.
-74%
Annual grease spend, year over year
$67,309
2-year grease savings post GreaseBoss deployment
0
Recorded downtime or seized rolls since system deployment
RFID-Verified
Full greasing visibility at the point of lubrication
The Challenge
manual greasing relied entirely on operator judgment
The facility operates multiple pellet mill models running 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Manual greasing relied entirely on operator judgment.
Operators applied grease based on visual cues with no standardised delivery targets.
In 2024, a roll seizure forced operators to increase greasing frequency. This directly drove grease costs to over $68,000 in a single year. Total grease spend in the two years prior to GreaseBoss exceeded $102,000.
a single pellet mill failure can cost $150,000 to $300,000
OPERATION
24 hours a day, 6 days a week across multiple pellet mill models
GREASING METHOD
Visual cues, paper-based routes, no standardised delivery targets
The Solution
manual lubrication management
The facility deployed the GreaseBoss Head Unit on its pellet mill fleet in mid-2025.
The Head Unit is a grease gun attachment that contains an integrated flow meter, RFID reader and display screen, turning manual greasing into a measured, guided, and recorded process.
Before each shift, the Head Unit syncs with the GreaseBoss Cloud and downloads the lubrication schedule for each pellet mill. RFID-enabled Grease Tags installed at each grease point verify that the correct point is being serviced.
Key findings
reduce annual grease spend by 74% year-over-year
(pre-GB) 2024
(pellet failure) 2025
(GB installed) 2026
(to date, proj.)
Select a year to see what drove it. Grease spend peaked at $68,402 in 2024 before the Head Unit deployment.
GreaseBoss enabled the lube technicians to accurately grease the critical points with the correct volumes, eliminating assumptions and operator judgement.