DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 16, 2013 - As part of its commitment to sustainability, Ford Motor Company has added its dry machining capability to six plants globally – a number that will nearly double in the next few years.

Near-dry machining, also known as Minimum Quantity Lubrication or MQL, is a process that lubricates cutting tools with a fine spray of oil exactly when and where it is needed. In comparison, conventional wet machining floods the part with metal-working fluids, requiring large amounts of fluid to cool and lubricate the tools used to make engines and transmissions.

For a typical production line, MQL can save more than 280,000 gallons of water per year, or enough to fill 5,600 average-sized bathtubs. Cologne Engine Plant in Germany decreased water use per engine by 50 percent from 2011 to 2012 by switching to the MQL process.

Should Metalworking Fluid Salesmen start updating their resumes?  Maybe if Ford is your big account.