Rupinder Paintal, General Manager – Automotive B2B – Exxonmobil shares his views on India’s lubricant industry.

Q 1. As a leading lubricant player, you are always working towards new technological innovation to increase performance. Can you please share some of these new technological developments?

Mr. Rupinder Paintal: India’s lubricant industry has been on a strong growth path in the past few years, thanks to green field projects, capacity expansions and embracing of new technology in key sectors like Energy, Manufacturing, Process, Metals and Automotive. An increasing number of customers are demanding superior performing, high technology products to deliver smart results and sustainability benefits. Today, to cater to the domestic market ExxonMobil^TM invests around $1 billion on R&D alone. Our scientists and engineers are presently working to develop technologies designed to produce energy in an increasingly safe, economical and environmentally responsible manner.

At ExxonMobil, our ultimate goal is to improve our customers’ competitiveness through our commitment to being the technology leader with the highest level of application expertise, in a sustainable way. Many of our advanced-technology lubricants lower overall traction versus mineral oils, helping to reduce the amount of fuel or energy consumed while operating, and have potential to reduce energy costs and associated emissions. On the productivity front, our products and services are designed to protect the equipment’s lubricated components from wear and corrosion, which helps minimize unexpected downtime and maximize uptime, effectively increasing productivity and sustainability.

Q 2. How does Mobil plan to tap the Indian Lubricant market given that you are competing against entrenched players?

 Mr. Rupinder Paintal: In India, ExxonMobil’s heritage is our edge.  We have been at the forefront of lubricant technology innovation for more than 150 years. There is a generation of mechanics, truck drivers, garage-owners and industry veterans who believe in our strong heritage and this gives us an edge in the changing times. With the government pushing for Bharat Stage VI by 2020, all our products are being upgraded to serve the demand. The demand of a high tech product suits us as we continue to maintain our strength, which is technology. On that front, our offering exceeds what the industry wants. Therefore, we will be able to capture a higher share of growth in near future, when compared to our competitors.

Q 3. What are the emerging trends in industrial lubricants industry (globally and in India)?

Mr. Rupinder Paintal: According to a report by Grand View Research, the global lubricants market was 36.36 million tons in 2014 and is projected to grow to 43.87 million tons by 2022, at an estimated CAGR of 2.4%. The emerging growth trends that are expected to propel the demand for lubricants both globally and in India are:

High demand from automotive: Increasing demand for lightweight passenger cars and heavy-duty commercial vehicles has fostered global automotive production, which in turn is conducive to the development of lubricants for multiple application in this field.

Industrialization: Rapid industrialization in countries like India, China, Brazil, and Mexico has encouraged applications in industrial machinery maintenance, thus driving the lubrication sector

Burgeoning Construction sector: Lubricants are extensively utilized in construction and in infrastructure sectors for hydraulic oil, bearings, engine oil and wire rope applications. In addition to all this, the demand and acceptance of bio-based counterparts to reduce harmful environmental effects are projected to boost global lubricants industry demand.

Q 4. What are your growth plans for lubricants business?

 Mr. Rupinder Paintal: As a company, we lay enormous emphasis on ongoing investment in research and development (R&D), working side-by-side with the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). We aim to develop the most effective products and maintenance solutions for our customers, basis their specific demands and requirements.

Our application-specific expertise and close working relationships with the world’s leading OEMs enable us to provide our customers with products that have global consistency. We will continue to expand our footprint commensurate with growth that this market offers which we are very excited about. We will also continue to grow and invest in programs to ensure that we have the right kind of support structure, technology and application expertise to deliver advancing productivity, reliability and sustainability benefits to our customers.