History of the Total Linden Lubricant Facility

When Bernie Kordelski, Manager HSE, started working at the Total Lubricants plant in Linden, NJ in September of 1980, it was privately owned and under the name Cooks Industrial Lubricants. At the time, Cooks Industrial Lubricants offered a wide variety of lubricant products to a small distribution footprint around the Northeast geographic area.

In 1971, the Linden Lubricants plant suffered a catastrophic fire which ultimately destroyed several structures. The building was rebuilt and still functions as the major part of our manufacturing plant today.

As the Linden Lubricant facility continued to transition through a series of acquisitions leading to the present day Total Specialties USA, Inc. in 2012, Bernie has watched the Linden plant transform and grow in capacity and reach. Although much of the business has changed in Bernie’s 38 years of service, he says the one steadfast constant throughout the years has been the dedication to customer satisfaction.