Shell reveals plan to increase its share of Indian lube market

New tech centre in Bangalore to play a key role in Shell’s global strategy. In India, its focus in India would be on refineries, catalysts, deep-water and gas. 

Global lube major Shell Lubricants is bullish on growth in the Indian market and has revealed its plan to increase its market share in the country. The company, which has an overall market share of 5 percent, is now targeting growth opportunities in the country. As per company estimates, India has an oil market worth 2.6 billion litres, and with the growth story happening in Asia and already having a large share in China, the next focus market is clearly India.

At an event, titled ‘Empower’, held in Mumbai on May 26, the company made its intent clear to leverage its products in a bid to raise its products’ stake in the B2B sectors. The Empower series has its focus on the construction, mining and fleet industries with the next event rounds to be held in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai. The Mumbai leg saw lively discussions on how different stakeholders from industry can come together and help reduce the total cost of ownership and enhance profitability under the overall theme of ‘Together anything is possible’.

As part of its renewed focus on creating greater customer interaction, the event highlighted the importance of lubricants to counter the challenges faced by different sectors and assist them in achieving significant reduction in operational costs. 

New Tech Centre

Speaking to Autocar Professional on its new Bangalore Technical Centre – one of the three largest R&D centres globally for the company – Akhileshwar Jha, CTO, Lubricants, Shell India, said, “The new technical centre will play a key part in our global strategy. It will be integrated with our global centre and its focus in India would be on broader areas like refineries, catalysts, deep-water and gas.”

 “As a part of our new focus on building a greater collaboration with our customers, Shell Lubricants undertook a global study to understand the current lubrication practices of businesses in Shell’s six priority B2B sectors across eight markets: Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Russia, UK and US. Our study helped us reveal that companies recognise that effective lubrication represents a significant financial opportunity, but there is a lack of understanding about how lubrication can impact the TCO of their equipment,” said Steve Reindl, Global B2B Marketing Head, Shell Global Lubricants.

Delivering the inaugural address, Mansi Tripathy, Country Head, Shell Lubricants India, said, “India’s growth story is today a global example of the opportunities that make India an exciting market to be in. Sectors such as construction, infrastructure and mining are fundamental to India’s growth. While the lubricants industry holds key significance in the business operations of its allied industries, it is necessary for sectors to perceive the contribution of lubricants as an enabler of efficient macro operations.”