General Info:
Since the early 1940s Industrial Lubricant Company has been providing lubricants, pumps, equipment, and services to mines, contractors, and heavy equipment users. Our early years actually involved selling and servicing International Harvester trucks, tractors, and refrigerators. Jerry Hoolihan started the company in 1943 and his wife, Alice, was the first employee. Jerry sold and serviced and Alice did the office work. As the country geared up for World War II and the Iron Range of Minnesota provided the ore to make the steel the country needed, Industrial Lubricant Company started to grow. The company developed an expertise in providing world class shovel and drill lubrication service with Whitmore Lubricants and Lincoln Lubrication Equipment. Industrial Lubricant Company was a pioneer in developing automatic lubrication methods for heavy mining equipment. The cold weather environment of northern Minnesota challenged the company to successfully develop innovative cold weather methods of servicing various kinds of pit equipment. The company soon "spread its wings" as Jerry's brother, Dan Hoolihan, joined the business and flew his 1947 Stinson airplane throughout Western Canada and into Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. Routine trips included landings on mine haul roads, a taxiing to the mine office, a service call, and flight out after the trucks were stopped - but just long enough to let the Stinson take off. In the summer, Canadian mines near lakes were called on when the Stinson switched to floats. Today, Industrial Lubricant Company has warehouses and offices in Casper, Wyoming; Washburn, North Dakota; Tyler, Texas; and Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Can-Jer Industrial Lubricant Company is located in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Territory expansion and the addition of facilities outside of Minnesota were the focus of the company's growth during the eighties and the nineties. It was during this period that careful expansion was accomplished in Wyoming, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Texas. The service centers were added to better provide service to the coal mines located near each new ILCO location. It was during this period that ILCO again brought innovations to the mining industry. The company's service focus was on the delivery of lubricants directly to the mining equipment. Expenses related to warehousing and delivery were drastically reduced. Additionally, ILCO developed consumption histories and data for different kinds of mining equipment and pioneered flat per hour consumption and cost arrangements.