LANXESS India and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore technical and commercial cooperation in industrial lubricants, lubricant additives and specialty fluid technologies in India.
The agreement establishes a non-exclusive framework for evaluating opportunities in product development, qualification, localisation and commercialisation. The proposed collaboration will also examine routes to securing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) approvals and expanding the availability of specialised lubricant solutions across industrial applications.
The companies will explore joint development and commercialisation of products including bearing and circulating oils, hydraulic fluids, turbine oils, refrigeration lubricants, rust-preventive oils, specialty greases and industrial additive packages. The scope also includes environmentally acceptable lubricants and immersion cooling fluids for data centres.
LANXESS, BPCL To Evaluate Localisation And OEM Approvals
The proposed partnership will combine LANXESS's lubricant additive technologies, formulation capabilities and OEM relationships with BPCL's domestic market presence, base oil portfolio, manufacturing infrastructure and customer network.
The two companies will assess opportunities for product localisation, joint technical evaluations, field trials, OEM engagement and knowledge exchange. Any future commercialisation initiatives will be subject to applicable approvals and definitive agreements.
The MoU also provides for exploring technologies linked to emerging applications, including bio-based lubricants, electric vehicle (EV) fluids, hydrogen-related applications, specialty refrigeration fluids and immersion cooling solutions for digital infrastructure. The companies will also evaluate potential cooperation involving synthetic esters for applications such as personal care and refrigeration.
Karam Faddoul, head of sales for IMEA at LANXESS's Lubricant Additives business unit, said the collaboration would focus on developing locally available lubricant solutions by combining the companies' respective technical and market capabilities.
Neelanjan Banerjee, senior vice-president and global head of LANXESS's Lubricant Additives business unit, said the proposed arrangement would bring together the company's formulation and OEM engagement capabilities with BPCL's manufacturing infrastructure and market reach to develop and commercialise industrial lubricant products.
Kannan S, business head at BPCL, said the collaboration with BPCL Lubes R&D would focus on joint research and development, drawing on LANXESS's lubricant additive expertise and BPCL's application knowledge and understanding of Indian customer requirements.
The MoU sets out areas for evaluation rather than confirmed product launches or commercial commitments.