They say that sometimes you have to go back to go forward. We’ve been treasuring the lessons of the past, never breaking eye contact with the future. Obviously we do owe a lot to the founding family. The Polaccos shaped us into independent lubricant manufacturers with a vision. A vision of high-end, Italian-made engine oils (but not only engine oils) simplyfing the engineers’, the mechanics’ and, for extention (why not), peoples’ life. This year we celebrate our 90th anniversary and here we are, on the memory lane.

Cars, motorcycles, trucks, earthmoving machineries, industrial systems, boats (pick one): if you had anything to do with combustion and gears, you would have had the attention of Mr. Italo Rino Polacco, the founder of the company. (Editor’s note - he was first in the neighborhood to drive a Torpedo Ceirano. That’s style!) This passion for everything mechanical is the reason why Pakelo doesn’t make car oils only, but is works in so many application fields that it’s probably better for you to check them clicking here.

Everything started as a small shop selling oils for agriculture in the North-East of Italy. Combining the passion for engines and the expertise in selling lubricants, the Polaccos soon started to envision the production of their own Italian brand, made according with their own quality terms. So in the 1960s. Pakelo Motor Oil (later named Pakelo Lubricants) was born.

Here is the million-dollar question we are always asked to: what does “Pakelo” word mean?

Actually, legend says that as a little child one of the founder’s grandaughters couldn’t spell its own surname “Polacco” properly. Everytime she sort of bubbled “Pachelo”. Put the “K” to the mix and the rest is history. Truth to be told, the story of the Pakelo name is pretty misterious and it has never been officially confirmed. We generally classify it as “family secret”. Period.

Our breaktrough was making specific oils for agriculture in a moment in time when you could only choose between winter oil or summer oil. Chemistry in lubrication is a totally different business now: engine oils, hydraulic oils, axle oils, power steering fluids, brake fluids, multifunctional oils, greases and more. With time and effort, we mastered it all. Thanks to the geographical position and the reputation gained, heavy duty applications still play a leading role the company.

Year after year we welcomed change as an opportunity to compete and stand out. We lived all great changes that shaked lubrication market: from monograde to multigrade oils, the evolution of mineral and synthetic oils, the ever-performing additives, the evolution towards low viscosity fluids to match fuel economy engines. The technological innovation of mechanics never stops, so we don’t stop either. We work next to OEMs, companies and professionals to make a difference in the way they approach lubrication.