Jack Zakarian

Experience

JAZTech Consulting, Orinda, California
April 2016 – present, Owner & Principal Consultant
Provide advice and training for a variety of clients, including: major lubricant additive suppliers, large and small lubricant manufacturers, law firms, trade associations, strategic planners & trend forecasters, and investment analysts. Consulting expertise in the areas of base oil manufacture, properties, and applications. Knowledgeable in lubricant formulations, especially driveline products (transmission fluids, axle oils, gear oils, construction & mobile hydraulic machinery fluids, etc.). Specialist in lubricant product development, obtaining OEM and industry approvals, ISO 9001 and TS 16949, and more. Available for training in most areas of lubrication and tribology.

Product Life Cycle Management Group, Chevron Products Company, Richmond, California January 2007 – April 2016, Global Technology Manager
Coordinated and led a team in all aspects of lubricant product development and product line support for all the driveline products sold by Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex throughout the world. Served as a key Chevron contact for alliance partners, additive suppliers, industry and technical associations, and equipment OEMs.

Lubricants Technology Group, ChevronTexaco Products Company, Richmond, California
1991 – 2006, Consulting Engineer
Responsible for research, development, field testing, operations, sales, and market technical support for the following Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex lubricants: Automotive and Industrial Gear Oils, Automatic and Manual Transmission Fluids, Tractor Hydraulic Fluids, Drive Train Fluids, Brake Fluids, and Specialty OEM Driveline Lubricants. Invented and commercialized a number of key lubricant products, including transmission & axle oils capable of 500,000-mile drain intervals (winner of “Lubricants World” magazine Products of the Year, 2000).

Base Oil Process Research Team, Chevron Research & Technology Company, Richmond, California
1985 – 1991, Senior Staff Engineer
Worked on manufacturing process R&D in support of Chevron’s base oil business at the Port Arthur and Richmond refineries. Major contributor to the commercialization of Chevron’s ISODEWAXING process. Co-inventor of a number of process improvements such as catalytic dehazing, UV control of lube oil quality, etc.

Process Engineering Department, Chevron Richmond Refinery, California
1983 – 1985, Refinery Process Engineer
Worked on startup and successful operation of all plants built for Chevron’s new base oil manufacturing complex. This project was the world’s first to use hydroprocessing technology for all phases of base oil production: hydrocracking, catalytic dewaxing, and hydrofinishing.

Process Research Department, Chevron Research Company, Richmond, California
1979 – 1983, Research Engineer
Developed new catalysts and did all major process R&D in support of a new base oil manufacturing complex.

Education

University of California, Berkeley – PhD Chemical Engineering, MS Chemical Engineering, MS Chemistry

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge – BS Mathematics, BS Chemistry

Other Technical Accomplishments

• Fellow, STLE, Society of Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers.

• Author of 21 peer-reviewed technical publications and 13 US patents.

• Winner of 3 SAE awards for outstanding technical presentations.

• Project advisor and mentor to a number of high school and college students.

• Active member in STLE (currently Treasurer of local section), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE, past chair of various task forces), American Society of Testing & Materials (ASTM), and American Chemical Society (ACS).