That average is 17 percent higher than the reported average of $91,012 in 2004, the last time the magazine conducted its biennial survey, and 25 percent higher than 2002s $86,000 average.

As in prior years, all the technical managers responding to the survey work for companies that manufacture lubricants; none work for lube distributors. Todays respondent is slightly older (average age of 49 in 2006 vs. 48 in 2004), has a little more experience (23 years vs. 22), has been with the same employer longer (16 vs. 13) and supervises more people (11 vs. seven).

Comparing salaries by company size, compensation is lowest, averaging $73,000, in the smallest companies, with 10 or fewer total employees. Compensation is higher at companies in the middle bracket of 51 to 100 employees (an average of $95,921) than at any but the largest companies of more than 500 employees, where compensation averages $140,929.

As expected, the more people supervised, the higher the managers salaries. For technical managers supervising five or fewer, salaries averaged $100,895. Supervisors of six to 12 average $122,224, and supervisors of more than 12 average $139,277.

Geographically, the Southwest reported the largest paychecks this year. Technical managers there averaged $165,000, followed by the Southeast at $110,875. In other U.S. regions, salaries averaged $95,095 to $107,626.

More than 87 percent of the respondents to the current survey said they received a raise in the last 12 months, compared with 68 percent in 2004. And 29 percent expect profit sharing this year, up from 21 percent in 2004.

According to the American Chemical Societys 2006 annual survey of more than 10,000 of its U.S. members salaries and employment status, 3 percent were unemployed as of March 1 of this year (compared to 3.6 percent in 2004, and the lowest since 1.5 percent in 2001) and 91.3 percent had full time jobs, the highest such percentage since 92.1 percent in 2003. (The others were employed part-time or on fellowships.)

The median base salary for all ACS-member chemists working in industry was $85,000, lower than the $98,000 median for technical managers in the lube industry.

This is the fifth time LubesnGreases has directly surveyed key lubricant industry personnel about their compensation. Other executives surveyed included plant managers and sales and marketing managers at both lubricant manufacturers and lubricant distributors.

The detailed 46-page 2006 salary survey report is now available from LNG Publishing Co. for $75. For an order formclick here.