It is a known fact that using the right oil not only protects and prolongs the life of a vehicle’s engine and improves its performance, but also ensures its owners/operators that they can curtail unwanted maintenance and fuel costs. Keeping these requirements and trends in mind, ExxonMobil Lubricants Private Ltd. is quite upbeat on its Mobil Delvac range of products which have been specifically developed for bus and truck motor transmissions, axles and final drives that operate even under the most demanding conditions.
The afore-mentioned engine oils cover heavy, medium and light commercial vehicle applications, and can help achieve long engine life with extended truck maintenance intervals. With over 90 years of oil expertise, Mobil’s Delvac engine oils range is one of the most highly developed commercial vehicle lubricants available in the world and is trusted by millions of truck professionals and chosen by many of the world’s leading heavy-duty original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
In an exclusive interaction with MOTORINDIA, Mr. Anirvan Roy, General Manager – Automotive Sales, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd., stated: “The reason Mobil Delvac is chosen by the world’s leading OEMs and commercial vehicle owners/operators is its proven track record and leading-edge technology. The excellent performance of the product is the result of extensive co-operative development with major equipment builders and application of advanced lubrication technology. As a result, this product meets or exceeds the requirements of some of the latest American Petroleum Institute (API), European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Japanese Automotive Standards Organization (JASO) and global industry specifications for diesel engine oils, as well as the requirements of many major American, European, Japanese and Indian engine manufacturers.”
Shedding further light on the product range, Mr. Roy stated: “Our comprehensive range is led by Mobil Delvac 5W-40, a fully synthetic, supreme performance diesel engine oil that helps extend engine life, while providing long drain intervals and fuel economy potential in modern diesel engines operating in severe applications. It is recommended for use in a wide range of heavy-duty applications and operating environments found in the on-road transport and off-road mining, construction, and agricultural industries. Furthermore, the product also meets the requirements of the API SL specification for gasoline engines used in mixed fleets. To sum it up, its technical properties maximise the life of diesel engines and meets Euro-IV/V emission standards.”
It is to be mentioned here that the NYSE-listed firm’s Indian arm is closely associated with both on-road and off-highway vehicles manufacturers such as Caterpillar and Volvo. Apart from being a major supplier of lubricants to passenger car manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Porsche, Toyota, etc., it is also an OE supplier to Daimler’s Actros trucks. Currently, it is also working with Tata Motors’ Commercial Vehicle Division with its development of advanced grade synthetic lubricants for gear and transmission applications. Plans are also afoot to leverage on global opportunities with companies like Scania, Daimler (Bharat Benz), MAN, etc., and extend its association in this country. In the aftermarket, the company supplies its diesel lubricants to leading OEMs such as Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, AMW and VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) Ltd., to name a few.
Talking about its association with OEMs, Mr. Roy observed: “Both on-highway and off-road vehicles are equally important for us just like passenger vehicles. We will definitely look at opportunities that come our way. Within the CV segment, we will surely sharpen our focus on the light commercial vehicles (LCV) segment. With the rapid urbanisation of the country, the city is basically becoming a hub-and-spoke affair within the road transport system wherein the last-mile mover becoming indispensable. At the same time, with the thought of developing freight corridors and Make in India programmes (by the government), there will be a massive resurgence within the heavy-duty truck market.” He further maintained, “The aftermarket vertical is pretty crucial for us and continues to be our focus area. Moreover, it is important that our solutions reach the end customers whether are from the passenger vehicle or the CV segments.”
As regards Mobil’s India operations, the automotive sector accounts for half of the output churned out from the company’s Taloja plant out of which the CV segment contributes nearly 50 per cent. “We have a balanced portfolio but in recent years we have seen greater automotive growth compared to industrial. But of late, we are likely to witness an unprecedented demand for industrial lubricants thanks to the Make in India initiative proposed by the new government. This is because manufacturing is at the heart of lubricant consumption, be it the automotive or industrial sectors. Concurrently, the automotive sector will also become an integral part of the Indian manufacturing industry’s growth story. With every global major here, it will give additional opportunities to the manufacturers of lubricants to give solutions to these products which come out in the Indian market. So in the immediate future, we expect unprecedented growth in industrial segments. But over a period of time, the automotive industry will also gain some traction in both direct and aftermarket verticals,” reflected Mr. Roy. Currently, the company is importing raw material from its world-class refineries in Singapore in order to maintain quality and reliability.
As for its future course of action, Mobil is planning to launch a slew of products for all segments of the auto sector. “We will surely be introducing new products this financial year. We continue to work with OEMs to introduce automotive lubricants that will help them to achieve their major goals of improving fuel economy or emissions control or durability, or a combination of the same. Apart from enhancing our product portfolio, we will also be ramping up our distribution network by adding new cities”, he added.
It may be recalled that ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd. was formerly known as Indo Mobil Ltd. The company, based in Gurgaon, was founded in 1994. It operates as a subsidiary of Exxonmobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., and has become a major growth engine in its overall business strategy. The Indian arm of the Texas-based company is present in India through its chemical, downstream and upstream businesses. The chemicals business is conducted as a service provider to and marketing agent for other ExxonMobil affiliates, facilitating imports, provide business analysis. In addition, the Bangalore Technology Center delivers customer development support. In the downstream sector, its operations include the import of base oils, lubricant oil blending, packaging, and distribution and marketing of Mobil-branded lubricants and specialties.
The company also provides its upstream affiliates with consulting and support activities for businesses such as natural gas and LNG marketing and business development and support exploration and production areas.