Growth in infrastructure and industrial sectors is driving the demand for lubricants. Ravi Chawla, Managing Director, Gulf Oil Lubricants India, shares more on the current trend and market outlook.

What is the role of lubricants in reducing total cost of ownership of an equipment?
Lubricant plays a vital role in reducing total cost of ownership (TCO). Reducing TCO over the lifetime of machinery is key to extracting the best possible value from their equipment. Lubricants play the role of blood in machinery, by working on aspects like long drain interval oils, reducing downtime and increasing equipment life. This in terms have a positive impact on productivity, equipment availability, spares and consumables cost, manpower cost etc.

What are your products and solutions for construction and mining machinery?
We offer solutions to customers like product rationalisation, value, oil sampling support, co-branding of products and also training and development. Our key products which we offer in construction and mining are Supreme Duty LE, Super Duty VLE, Harmony AW HVI, Gear EP, and Gear DB 85w-140.

What are the emerging technology trends in oils and lubricants?
Lubricants can be mainly divided into three product segments including mineral, synthetic and bio-based. Being more eco-friendly, bio-based lubricants are expected to grow at a higher rate than mineral oils and are expected to gain market share over the next six years. Owing to their unique chemical, mechanical, and eco-friendly properties, bio-based lubricants are finding applications across a host of industries including automotive, agriculture, shipping, forestry, and railways.

Hydraulic oil lubricant holds the majority share in the global lubricant market due to its wide range of applications such as automotive, aircraft, industrial machinery, construction equipment and marine applications.

How are you prepared to meet the upcoming emission norms?
The challenge on lubricant is increasing day by day. In BS VI emission norms, SCR and EGR will be used simultaneously to achieve the prescribed emission standard. This will completely be next level, more stringent norms and challenges coming up for lubricants. We will have to shift to an engine oil which will provide enhanced protection against oil oxidation, viscosity loss due to shear, and oil aeration as well as protection against catalyst poisoning, particulate filter blocking, engine wear, piston deposits and soot-related viscosity increase.

What customers look for in their lubricants? How are you fulfilling the customer demand? What are the after-sales services you provide?
Every customer has different demands and by working collaboratively with them we have developed many solutions. Customers always look for a lubricant and service provider which serves as a 'one-stop solution' for them. We have full buffet of products to cater to each and every demand of customers. We have dedicated technical resource available at regional level. We are providing customers with oil sampling support. We also do lube audits of machinery and provide customers with our reports on lubricants performance. Also, we have dedicated complaint handling system where we solve product and package related complaints if any of customers need to.

Where do you see the industrial lubricants market in the next five years?
Flourishing manufacturing landscape in Asia is likely to be a key growth-driving factor for the industry in future. Additionally, high demand for lubricants has also resulted in a shift in global production landscape to the eastern hemisphere, with China and India emerging as major hubs.

The industry has been witnessing increasing demand for process oils, industrial engine oils, and general oils across metalworking, energy, and chemicals manufacturing sectors, which indicates a positive outlook over the coming years, particularly in Eastern European and Asian markets.