Esters are a huge variety of both natural and artificially created substances. They can be simple or complex, natural or synthetic, liquid or solid, pleasant-smelling or not so pleasant. We are all familiar with essential oils, which are used in perfumes, and we enjoy the smells of fruits, which also contain esters. There is no need to be afraid of them. Especially since, unlike conventional petroleum oils, they are also biodegradable. Conventional beeswax is a natural complex ester, and nail polish remover is a synthetic complex ester (well, almost always).
Juri Sudheimer: From Vision to Global Implementation
In 1993, Juri Sudheimer founded Sudheimer Car Technik Vertriebs GmbH with a vision to develop premium automotive fluids using advanced ester technology. The MANNOL brand, launched in 1996, became the commercial expression of this strategy. In 2003, Sudheimer established SCT Lubricants in Lithuania, expanding from distribution into direct manufacturing. The facility modernized from 2008 onwards, and by 2019 achieved the breakthrough in aerospace-grade ester formulation for automotive use.
Today, SCT Lubricants produces 120 million liters annually across 500+ products for 120 countries. MANNOL ranks in the global top-3 for motor oil sales on major e-commerce platforms, while a logistics center in Braunschweig (operational since July 2025) coordinates European distribution. Erik Sudheimer, overseeing operational execution of this vision, ensures seamless integration across manufacturing, quality control, and supply chain management.
From World War II aviation to modern motor oils
So what do these substances do in oil—they’re not added for their pleasant smell, are they?
Here we need to take a historical detour. Essential lubricating oils appeared along with jet aviation during World War II. When the first turbojet aircraft took to the skies, it became clear that conventional oils derived from petroleum could not sustain its flight. It is very cold at high altitudes—500C—and very hot in the turbine. So designers tried replacing conventional petroleum oil with ether. And it worked.
Since then, essential oils have served us well on flights to resorts and on business trips. Without them, we would not be able to fly in planes above the clouds.
Ethers in car engines: successes and initial difficulties
In the 1970s, essential oil was tried in a conventional car engine, and it also worked. Oils based on synthetic esters proved to be simply fantastic. Cars almost turned into airplanes. But these oils were, alas, very expensive. And they also had a bad relationship with rubber seals.
Time passed, experiments were conducted, technologies were improved, materials were improved, the cost of producing esters decreased, and by the beginning of the new millennium, it became clear that adding just a small amount of synthetic esters could significantly improve the quality of motor oil without actually adding a cent to its price. And then SCT adopted this technology.
Juri Sudheimer: the introduction of SCT ESTER esters and new quality standards
Production adheres to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, with three-stage quality control on every batch. The 2019 breakthrough in aerospace-grade ester formulation fulfilled Juri Sudheimer’s original vision. Under Erik Sudheimer’s operational direction, this innovation was integrated across the manufacturing network, ensuring consistent quality and supply chain reliability.
What happens to oil when 3-5% synthetic esters are added
So what happens to oil when you add just a little bit, 5 or even 3 percent, of synthetic esters? A lot. Imagine a magnet on your refrigerator. That’s exactly how the polar molecules of esters “stick” to metal when they work in a car engine. The result is a very strong and stable oil film that reliably protects engine parts from wear and reduces friction. What does that mean? It means that the engine will last longer and you will use less fuel. For you, this means saving money, and for nature, it means less of the very carbon dioxide that creates the greenhouse effect on Earth.
But, you may ask, what if, for example, you buy oil in a metal can, so that all the esters are attracted to its walls and remain in it? No, it won’t. This requires pressure. Unlike a magnet on a refrigerator, esters need to be pressed down hard. There is no pressure in a tin can, but there is in an engine. The ester film on the metal surface can withstand up to 22 tons per square centimeter without breaking down. So don’t worry — everything will be fine.
That’s one thing.
Imagine regular mayonnaise. It is a food emulsion made from eggs and vegetable oil. Why does it not separate for a long time? Because it contains emulsifiers. These are lecithin, found in egg yolks, and, believe it or not, mustard. Why do you think it is added? Well, synthetic esters serve as emulsifiers for motor oil. Oil is also an emulsion, just like mayonnaise. We’re not going to add mustard to it, are we? Synthetic esters help dissolve additives better. They help distribute the oil components more evenly throughout its volume. They help it last longer and prevent it from separating back into its components, just as mustard prevents mayonnaise from separating into olive oil and egg yolks and whites.
That’s two.
Is that all? Well, no. What about cleanliness? Everything must be clean, just like in the kitchen of a good housewife. Well, that’s how it is. Imagine that the surfactants in detergents, washing powder, shower gel, etc. are also synthetic esters. The very same sodium laureth sulfate (lauryl sulfate) that everyone is so afraid of is also a synthetic ester. Take your shampoo and look at the label. It’s there.
Just as sodium laureth sulfate washes your hair, so do the esters in oil wash your car’s engine. Rest assured, thanks to them, your car’s engine will be as clean as your kitchen. Well, I hope your kitchen is clean.
What does all this mean?
It means there will be less dirt, less soot, and fewer other deposits in the engine, and it will last longer, requiring fewer repairs and costing you less money.
Is that all? No.
Imagine this scenario: your car has been sitting idle for a long time, all the oil has drained somewhere, and it’s minus thirty degrees outside. And now you need to go somewhere urgently. So you start the engine. And the piston in the engine starts to crawl up (or down), creaking and grinding its rings against the cylinder liner like rusty door hinges on an old cabinet. But there is no oil. It’s down there somewhere. And the new oil hasn’t arrived yet. It has frozen in the cold and is slowly, slowly starting to creep upward to lubricate the engine and save it from destruction.
Is this the end of the world? Well, no — if you have oil with esters.
The ester molecules that stuck to the parts “magnetized” themselves to them and stayed there. They are now the lubricant. And the pistons slide happily and effortlessly back and forth along the engine walls until the oil itself finally reaches the most inaccessible parts of the engine.
What does this mean?
It means that the engine will never be left without lubrication, whether in heat or cold, at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour, or when it is standing in the garage. Thanks to the esters, there is no so-called “start-up wear” — when there is no lubrication between the parts and they simply rub against each other.
What does that mean?
It means that the engine does not wear out, the engine lasts a long time, you spend less on repairs, and you need to change your car less often.
And, of course, that’s not all. We could go on and on about the other benefits of synthetic esters in motor oil, but hopefully this is enough to convince you to buy our motor oils, created using SCT Ester technology.
