September 2016 - Dwight D. Eisenhower was presiding in the White House when an industrial chemist from Chicago named Norman Larsen developed WD-40 in 1953. Larsen decided to call his invention WD-40 because it’s an abbreviation for water displacement and it took 40 chemistry experiments to perfect. More than six decades after Larsen unveiled WD-40, the product remains the most widely recognized penetrating oil and water-displacing spray on the market.
Headquartered in San Diego, WD-40 Co. offers a line of professional-grade specialty products formulated to perform specific tasks. However, of all its renowned brands, WD-40 Multi-Use Product and WD-40 Specialist are the company’s primary commodities.
In the forming and fabricating world, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a fixture because it protects metal from corrosion, penetrates stuck parts, displaces moisture, lubricates virtually any object, and removes grease, grime and more from most surfaces. WD-40 Specialist, on the other hand, covers a comprehensive line of products designed to complete particular jobs.
Richie Dolan, director of research and development at WD-40 Co., discussed the processes and benefits of the company’s multi-use product.
“It lubricates, penetrates and protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements,” says Dolan.
“Corrosion is caused when air, water or other oxidizing types of chemicals come into contact with untreated metals. WD-40 contains raw materials that not only remove water present on the surface [displacement], but it also contains ingredients that form a physical barrier between the metal and the outer environment. If the metal is physically protected from the outer environment, corrosion can be inhibited.”
Dolan notes he’s “proud of the fact that none of our products contain any label warnings for carcinogenicity, teratogenicity or mutagenicity.”
As the name implies, WD-40 Specialist is a line of specialty maintenance products designed to meet specific needs of professional users. They include Rust Release Penetrant Spray, Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant, Protective White Lithium Grease, Long-Term Corrosion Inhibitor, Rust Remover Soak, Machine & Engine Degreaser Foaming Spray, Dirt & Dust Resistant Dry Lube PTFE Spray, Electrical Contact Cleaner, and Spray & Stay Gel Lubricant, Dolan says.
Fighting rust
Although critical to many industries, WD-40 Co.’s products are especially invaluable to contractors and individuals who work in automotive, construction and manufacturing plants. WD-40 helps users to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime. For example, “WD-40 Multi-Use Product can improve efficiency by helping loosen rust-to-metal bonds, and it frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts which would otherwise require quite a bit of time and elbow grease.”
Multi-Use Product prevents unnecessary downtime, he continues, by driving out moisture that can lead to short circuits and it protects metal against rust and other corrosive elements. Whether displacing moisture from a flooded engine, helping remove stuck spark plugs, protecting rubber car door seals from cracking, removing grease and grime from parts or protecting tools from rust, there are endless daily uses for the product.”
Over the past 60 years, competitors have emerged to challenge WD-40’s supremacy in the penetrating oil sector, including PB Blaster, CRC Industries and Liquid Wrench. But Brand Manager Shannon Edwards believes WD-40’s diversity and wide array of uses help it stay on top as measured by unit sales.
“WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique formulation that is 63 years old and still unsurpassed. This product can be used for so many different things, we compete against everything from dirty diesel oil and a hammer in developing countries to specialized products being used in factories around the world,” Edwards says.
Household name
In the United States, WD-40 Multi-Use Product can be found in more than 80 percent of households. “We have not seen any information indicating that any other competitive brands or products are anywhere close to that number,” she adds. Beyond the aforementioned competitors, “there are hundreds of other WD-40 imitators.” In fact, Edwards says, “at the company headquarters in San Diego, there is a room called the mortuary where failed counterfeit and knockoff products that have been removed from the market are stored.”
WD-40 Multi-Use Product is sold in 176 countries and one new product, WD-40 EZ-REACH, received positive reviews at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association show last November in Las Vegas. WD-40’s enduring success, says Edwards, stems from cohesive teamwork that makes creating new products, and improving old ones, easier.
“Our research and development group is the technical and scientific piece of that process in terms of creating new products and new delivery systems, but all of our [employees] participate in carrying out our values as part of their daily activities,” says Edwards. “The company recognizes the importance of innovation and renovation to its long-term success and is focused on and committed to research and new product development activities.”
Norman Larsen died in 1970 at age 47. Although his life was brief, Larsen managed to become an icon in his trade and his legacy should only continue to grow. After all, 63 years from now in 2079, WD-40 will probably still be the premier penetrating oil and water-displacing spray on the market.
