Thomas F. Glenn
Lubricants industry consultant, market researcher, publisher and strategic advisor with more than four decades of technical, commercial, market intelligence and transaction experience.
President & Founder
Petroleum Trends International, Inc.
More than four decades in the lubricants and petroleum industries
Thomas F. Glenn is founder and president of Petroleum Trends International, Inc. (PTI), an independent market research and consulting firm specializing in lubricants, base oils, lubricant and fuel additives, fuels and related petroleum markets.
His career began in 1979 and has spanned lubricant and fuel testing, laboratory management, commercial and industrial lubricant sales, distribution, market research, strategic consulting, publishing and transaction-related assignments.
Since founding PTI in 1999, Glenn has advised lubricant manufacturers, marketers, distributors, suppliers, investors and other industry participants on market conditions, competitive strategy, growth opportunities, acquisitions, partnerships and other commercial issues.
Consulting perspective grounded in direct industry experience
Glenn's background combines structured market research and strategic consulting with hands-on experience in laboratories, lubricant sales and distribution. That combination provides a practical understanding of the technical, commercial and competitive forces shaping lubricant markets.
Independent consulting and market intelligence since 1999
Glenn founded Petroleum Trends International to provide independent research, market intelligence and strategic support to companies throughout the lubricants and downstream petroleum industries.
PTI's work draws on decades of direct industry experience and primary market research to help clients understand market size and structure, pricing and supply dynamics, competitive positioning, customer behavior and emerging opportunities.
Assignments range from focused commercial questions to broad strategic studies, acquisition searches and due diligence. The objective is not simply to collect data, but to translate market information into intelligence that can support real business decisions.
PTI combines market research, direct industry contacts, publishing and operating experience to provide a view of the lubricants business that extends from the laboratory and plant floor to distribution channels, corporate strategy and transactions.
Market Intelligence
Market sizing and segmentation, pricing, supply and demand, product trends, competitive forces and customer intelligence.
Strategic Consulting
Business development, market entry, strategic planning, positioning, benchmarking and opportunity assessment.
M&A and Transactions
Acquisition target identification, private-equity roll-ups, buyer searches, strategic partnerships and commercial due diligence.
Proprietary & Multiclient Research
Custom and multiclient research addressing commercial, market, competitive and strategic questions for industry clients.
Broad exposure across lubricant and petroleum markets
Glenn's experience has developed across decades of industry employment, consulting, proprietary research, publishing and direct interaction with market participants.
Finished Lubricants
Consumer automotive, commercial, industrial and international finished lubricant markets.
Lubricant Base Stocks
Base oil supply, pricing, applications, market development and competitive dynamics.
Lubricant & Fuel Additives
Additive markets, suppliers, demand trends, formulation drivers and strategic opportunities.
Synthetic Lubricants
Synthetic lubricants, functional fluids, specialty applications and growth opportunities.
Metalworking Fluids
Markets, suppliers, end users, product trends and chemical-management models.
Petroleum Waxes
Global opportunities, competitive positioning, supply and long-term market outlook.
Distribution & Integrated Supply
Lubricant distribution, channel economics, integrated-supply models and supplier implications.
Latin America
Finished lubricant markets, competitive structure, distribution and business opportunities.
M&A & Competitive Intelligence
Acquisition strategy, target identification, competitive assessment and strategic planning.
Author, analyst and project leader across major lubricant studies
Over the course of his consulting career, Glenn has directed and managed major proprietary and multiclient research programs while personally authoring substantial portions of the resulting reports. His research leadership has continued independently through Petroleum Trends International since 1999.
Lubricant Base Stocks
Authored and managed major multiclient research on lubricant base stocks while at Kline & Company. At PTI, Glenn later authored and directed separate comprehensive studies of the U.S. and international base oil markets.
Lubricant Additives & Synthetic Lubricants
Authored and managed multiclient research addressing lubricant additives and synthetic lubricants, personally writing substantial portions of the resulting reports and analysis.
Finished Lubricants & Market Intelligence
Managed the continuing Opportunities in Lubricants research service covering commercial automotive, consumer automotive and industrial lubricants, while personally authoring substantial sections of the reports.
Distributor-Supplier Relationships
At PTI, developed and authored a multiclient study examining lubricant distributor-supplier relationships, including how distributors ranked and evaluated major lubricant suppliers.
Additional research experience has included petroleum waxes, fuel distribution, metalworking fluids, fuel additives, integrated supply, Latin American lubricant markets, process oils, strategic planning, market development, competitive intelligence and mergers and acquisitions.
Technical, laboratory, sales and distribution experience
Before moving into full-time market research and strategic consulting, Glenn spent nearly a decade working directly in lubricant and fuel testing, laboratory operations and management, and commercial lubricant sales.
Analysts, Inc.
Glenn began his career as a Data Analyst and progressed to Senior Data Analyst/Systems Manager and then Laboratory Manager at a lubricant and fuels testing laboratory.
His work included used-oil analysis, analytical instrumentation, data interpretation, quality assurance, lubricant and equipment failure analysis, personnel training and laboratory operations.
Cleveland Technical Center
As Laboratory Manager, Glenn established and managed three laboratories specializing in fuel and lubricant testing.
Responsibilities included equipment selection and purchasing, hiring and training personnel, laboratory operations, sample analysis, and sales and marketing. He also established two mobile jet-fuel testing laboratories supporting Department of Defense contracts.
Analysts, Inc. — General Manager
Glenn returned to Analysts, Inc. as General Manager, with direct profit-and-loss responsibility for a laboratory specializing in lubricant and fuel testing.
He was responsible for operations, sales and marketing, personnel, analytical testing and data interpretation, quality assurance and management of major industry accounts.
Texaco Lubricants
Served as Territory Manager for commercial and industrial lubricants in New York and New Jersey, with direct field-sales responsibility for industrial and commercial accounts.
His work included bulk and packaged lubricant sales, used-oil analysis and lubricant dispensing systems, along with involvement in establishing a mini-bulk terminal for Texaco at Gordon Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Glenn's commercial background also includes experience with an Amoco super jobber, providing direct exposure to lubricant distribution, customer relationships, inventory, sales and channel economics.
From operating experience to formal market research and consulting
1989–2000 | Kline & Company, Petroleum Products PracticeAfter nearly a decade of hands-on experience in lubricant testing, laboratory management, sales and distribution, Glenn moved into market research and strategic consulting with Kline & Company's Petroleum Products Practice.
During approximately ten years with Kline, he authored and managed major multiclient research on lubricant base stocks, lubricant additives and synthetic lubricants, and managed the continuing Opportunities in Lubricants service covering commercial automotive, consumer automotive and industrial lubricants. He personally authored substantial portions of these reports.
His work involved extensive primary research with end users, suppliers, industry associations and other market participants. He also led presentations on proprietary consulting assignments and worked directly with senior management at client companies on market opportunities, competitive strategy, business development, mergers and acquisitions and related strategic issues.
Decades of independent analysis of the lubricants business
Glenn's consulting work is complemented by a long record of publishing and publicly documented industry analysis.
JobbersWorld
Glenn is Editor and Publisher of JobbersWorld, Petroleum Trends International's lubricant industry publication covering pricing, base oils, supply, distribution, market structure, competitive developments, acquisitions and other issues affecting lubricant manufacturers, marketers and distributors.
Over the years, he has authored hundreds of JobbersWorld articles and analyses, providing continuing coverage and interpretation of developments across the lubricants industry.
Visit JobbersWorldLubes'n'Greases
Glenn has written for Lubes'n'Greases since 2001/2002, representing nearly a quarter century of published industry analysis.
His articles and columns have addressed lubricant pricing, base oils, synthetics, PCMO, HDEO, ATF, industrial lubricants, private label, distribution, supplier relationships, M&A and private equity, product quality, specifications and other strategic issues affecting the lubricant business.
Analysis grounded in continuous market engagement
Together, JobbersWorld and Glenn's long-running work for Lubes'n'Greases reflect decades of ongoing engagement with lubricant manufacturers, marketers, distributors, base oil suppliers, additive companies, investors, regulators and other market participants. That continuing exposure informs both PTI's consulting work and Glenn's perspective on industry change.
Product quality, testing and industry education
Glenn founded the Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA) in 2009 to provide greater visibility into the quality and integrity of lubricants in the marketplace through independent product testing and reporting.
Through PQIA, he has published educational material focused on lubricant quality and has presented to state consumer-affairs and weights-and-measures officials, the National Conference on Weights and Measures, oil company and industry meetings, and other organizations.
Public communication on lubricant quality
Glenn's work on lubricant quality has also included national and regional media appearances, including CBS News, Good Morning America and News 12 New Jersey.
A recognized voice in the lubricants industry
Translating experience into useful business intelligence
Glenn earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Marist University in Poughkeepsie, New York.
His approach to consulting is grounded in the belief that useful market intelligence requires more than collecting data. It requires understanding the technical, commercial and competitive realities behind the numbers and translating those findings into information that supports real business decisions.
Have a market or strategic question?
Contact Thomas F. Glenn and Petroleum Trends International to discuss the issue you are evaluating and how PTI may be able to assist.