Shell targets 20 percent growth

Concluding the ‘Shell Advance Unlock a Ducati’ promotion campaign at Lavasa, Pune, the lubricants major announced Vishal Nagpal from Ferozpur, Punjab as the winner of a Ducati Monster 795 bike.

Launched in January 2012, the campaign promoted the Shell Advance range of motorcycle oils recommended by the Italian bikemaker. The company globally has technical tie- ups with Ducati and Ferrari which helps it test the motor oils in extreme conditions.

Talking to Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the event, Nitin Prasad, country head, Shell Lubricants India says that the annual market size of the lubricants business in India currently stands at 2.1-2.2 billion litres, which includes an equal split between industrial and automotive oils. “In the automotive domain, the commercial vehicle and two-wheeler segments are the stronger ones for Shell, followed by the passenger car segment. While the consumption pattern for CVs is much higher, two-wheelers are also emerging in recent years with double-digit growth and always had a strong foundation. The automotive lubricant space is growing at a pace of 15-20 percent and will continue to do so,” said Prasad.

Prasad, who believes that the lubes market in India is big enough to accommodate all players, says that stiff competition exists between the top six to seven players including the international and state-run companies. Shell’s R&D centre in Bangalore is one of three major technology facilities which contribute into the core product development. “We have test benches in Hamberg, Germany and at other locations where we take Indian bikes and use our formulations on them under extreme conditions to measure the performance.” reveals Prasad.

The company has a fully robotised, environmentally safe blending plant at Taloja near Mumbai which has an annual capacity of 110 million litres. “Domestically produced lubricant oils dominate our sales in India,” he adds. Shell, which sells more than 3,000 types of lubricants across 120 countries, has a strong association with Maruti Suzuki and other OEMs.

AMIT PANDAY