Amidst all the talks across the country about cleaner and greener fuel, we came across a humble home-grown company that has been associated with the petroleum business since 1981 that has successfully tested its products under extremely challenging and stringent emission conditions. Is this some highly sophisticated billion dollar multinational firm with deep pockets and huge resources? Not really. We’re talking about the Himachal-based Iftex Oil & Chemicals Ltd., a pioneer in introducing fuel additives in the Indian market.
Today, Iftex has grown to become a leading manufacturer and marketer of fuel additives, car care products, automotive and industrial lubricants, coolants, brake fluids, viscosity index improvers and specialty chemicals for defence services.
Iftex is the brainchild of Mr. Anil Sharma, presently Chairman & Managing Director of the company, who has worked with many of the major oil companies worldwide and has been involved in the development of fuel additives since 1979. Says Mr. Sharma: “I have been associated with the oil and fuel additive industry since 1976. Iftex was the largest producer of viscosity index improvers, supplying to the entire country with a major share of the market. We were associated with big names such as Texaco Oil Company, Ethyl Corporation, and many others for a very long time, while some of the world’s biggest OEMs continue to market our products.”
In 1997-98, the Government of India embarked on a drive to convert most of its buses and taxis to CNG. Though CNG continued to produce particulates, the quantity was remarkably controlled by adding Iftex products to the fuel. The recommendation was to run the vehicle for five minutes at the beginning and end of the day using Iftex additives, by doing which the injectors and carburetors were totally cleaned. A topic close to his heart, Mr. Sharma recollects: “We presented a paper in 1997-98 which stated that our products can help reduce emissions by up to 50 per cent (at that point of time) and also reduce particulate emission by almost 70 per cent in diesel engines. We implemented the same with Rajasthan Roadways for its bus fleet and saw excellent results.”
Future-ready
So, with quite a strong know-how and rich industry experience, what’s next for Iftex? How prepared is it for the future emission challenges that lie ahead? The Iftex CMD responds: “We are very happy that we have one of the most advanced in-house technologies in the country and hope Indian companies would support and promote Indian products. We currently market our products across the country through around 70 distributors and are looking to expand our presence further. We have been suggesting that motorcycle riders use fuel additives as they would translate to significant reduction in emission and also improve the engine life and are doing our best to raise awareness about the same. We have tested our products in one of the most accredited institutes in Germany and have seen very good results, so we are very much ready for future challenges.”
As far as the Indian market is concerned, all that Iftex hopes for is improved awareness about the need for additives and coolants and their proper usage. On the export front, Iftex started marketing its product in countries like China and Indonesia in 1999 and saw encouraging response. The company is also planning to enter the European market where its products have been tested successfully and are found to have remarkably reduced particulate emission in vehicles – a much-needed breakthrough in today’s particulate-phobic global automotive industry.