With a view to riding on the expected infrastructure growth in the country in the coming years, Gulf Oil, one of the most popular brands of lubricants, greases and specialties, is stepping up its focus on the infrastructure, mining and fleet (IMF) segments. The lube maker participated in EXCON 2015 held in Bangalore in November and displayed its new co-branded products developed with Schwing Stetter and high-end products from Whitmore for which it is the exclusive distributor for India, apart from its own range of products for the IMF space.
The company is keen on expanding its presence in the construction and mining sector and is confident of forging ahead, thanks to its special drive on new product development and other value-added services it provides. Says Mr. M.P. Sajeev, General Manager – Technical Services, Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd.: “We are focusing on the infrastructure, mining and fleet segment and have launched a co-branded hydraulic oil with Schwing Stetter for this segment. We are leaders in long-drain engine oils in the CV segment and wish to replicate the success story in the construction equipment space as well. “We are an exclusive distributor for The Whitmore Manufacturing Company, USA. Whitmore, a world renowned company has been providing high quality performance products and services to industry for more than 122 years which enhances the reliability, performance and lifespan of industrial assets. Through this strategic tie-up with Whitmore we seek to target construction, mining and ore processing sectors and other core industrial sectors like steel, cement and power. The Whitmore range of products includes specialised high performance lubricants for demanding applications.”
“What differentiates us from our competitors is our service level and the superior product delivery we offer our customers, along with value-added services such as oil condition monitoring for determining the health of the equipment, etc.”, he adds.
The company also works closely with its customers, developing new solutions to address challenges and continuously improve operation efficiency. It is planning to launch new products in 2016 and is hopeful of stronger growth during the year.
Mr. Sajeev further observes: “We continuously engage with our customers to be able to offer them better products and services. We have a separate team for the IMF segment which takes care of the product delivery and is well supported by the technical team. We have good experience in the Indian market and, with our expertise, we can quickly adapt and launch new products suited for Indian conditions, whether it is the automotive or B2B segment. We also work closely with OEMs for customised product development. The new co-branded, long drain hydraulic oil with Schwing Stetter, a bespoke product made from premium quality base oils and select additives, is a good example of joint product development. We are coming up with a range of new products and are fully geared up for strong growth in the coming year”.
Gulf Oil currently has a network of dedicated distributors across India for the industrial segment, apart from a wide network for the automotive segment. The company has embarked on aggressive network expansion across India to cater to the expected growth in 2016. “We are expanding our network, particularly in the southern region. We have recently appointed distributors at major consumption centres like Belgaum, Hosur, Vizag and Coimbatore. We already have good presence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Overall, we expect multi-fold growth in distribution across India to meet our enhanced growth plan in the coming year”, says Mr. Ranjit Kumar, GM (Sales) – Industrial Distributors, Gulf Oil Lubricants India.