With its robust market position and network with leading construction equipment manufacturers, GS Caltex is a single source for lubricants – be it grease for bearings in vehicles and machinery, hydraulic oils for all sorts of applications or engine and gear oils for all the vehicles operating on construction sites, says Jayanta Ray, General Manager – Industrial and OEM, GS Caltex India Pvt Ltd.

The construction sector lubricants portfolio includes engine oils, gear oils, greases and hydraulic oils.

“Within engine oils, we have full specification range of products meeting API standards of CF4 to CJ4, which is Poly Alpha Olefin based fully synthetic products. Apart from meeting API standards, our products exceed industry specifications like ACEA, JASO, Cummins, VDS, CAT and MB standards,” he says.

In addition to engine oils, the company has been supplying hi-performance gear oils (API GL4/ GL5, TO4 and UTTO), greases (li-complex, Moly, EP, etc.) and hydraulic oils (meeting DIN 51524 Part III and super clean range).

In a nutshell, the lubricant player has a complete portfolio of brands for construction sector – engine oils – Kixx range of oils; gear oils – GS Geartec range of oils; hydraulic oils – GS hydro range of oils; grease – GS grease range.

Value over cost for lubricant solutions
There is a need to understand the key challenges of industry and address the same by freeing up blocked capital through operational excellence. In other words, there is no time to stop production and equipment breakdown which supports accumulating bad costs.

As the machines get more sophisticated, their lubricant needs become more demanding.
Most refiners are developing innovative products with niche applications. The company has developed superior world-class products to address the needs of these challenging operations. The lubricants improve components’ performance, extend the service life of machine, reduce fuel and oil consumption.

GS Caltex lubricants meet the standards required during extreme operation so that the construction and mining equipment maintain their performance, productivity and low-owning and operating costs during the entire service life.

Most importantly, many of these savings can be measured tangibly through expert advice available free of cost to the customers.

Equipment productivity and fuel efficiency
The high-performance lubricants offer ultimate reliability at all temperatures, lower oil consumption, significantly reduce fuel consumption and specifically-extended service intervals. Whenever engines and gearboxes run freer and more reliably, operating costs are lesser due to low consumption. And, just 1 per cent lower fuel consumption means, depending on operating conditions, fuel savings of several hundred rupees per vehicle and year.

“Lubricants improve fuel economy and reduce cost of ownership through providing better protection for equipment,” he says.

To meet stricter emission norms in future, OEMs would require the use of EGR and/or SCR technologies, and possibly a DPF, depending on the approach. On the fuel economy side, OEMs may need to review all engine systems to reduce consumption. This could include higher pressure fuel injectors, the addition of boosting systems, high-efficiency SCR and combustion technology, as well as downsizing the engine itself. A good quality lubricant could satisfy and support these testing conditions required to be met by the OEMs. GS Caltex is already invested in developing its PAO-based Kixx range of engine oils (Kixx DX EURO 15W40 – API SJ4) to meet the future demands of the industry.

Impact of rupee depreciation
Dollar appreciation puts tremendous stress on the company’s business as a significant component of our raw material, etc., is imported and payments are made in dollars. With a strong but volatile outlook for the lubricant sector, the industry is focused on future growth through expanded production, without losing sight of operational efficiency and cost optimisation.

The company participates in the full value chain and is able to manage this risk through its own base oils imported from its own refinery in South Korea. The key is to continue innovating customer-centric product and services to reduce the impact of volatility and build a positive perception in the market place to be successful in India.

Lubricants improve fuel economy and reduce cost of ownership through providing better protection for equipment.
Jayanta Ray, GM – Industrial, OEM, GS Caltex India Pvt Ltd.