Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Shell Lubricants.
  One cannot ignore Shell Lubricants when it comes to the big names in the section of lubricants. Team B2B Purchase got an opportunity to have a word with Akhil Jha, Vice President- Technical, Shell Lubricants. Jha talks about Shell, the innovations in the lubricants section and the procurement practices followed at Shell.

Range of products for the industry
Shell Lubricants’ mining and construction product portfolio includes Rimula range for engines, Tellus range for hydraulics, Spirax for transmission, Gadus family for grease requirement and Omala for gear oils. Some of its application wise portfolio in this industry are Rimula R4 15W 40, Rimula T5E 15W40 and Rimula R4L 15W40 for the engine oil sector.” The company  also has the following products:
Hydraulic Oil – Tellus S2 MX and Tellus S2 VX
Greases- Gadus S3 V 460 D2, Gadus S4 OG 20000, Gadus S4 OGT, Gadus S2 V 220 2
Gear Oil – Omala S4 GX and Omala S4 Wheel
Spirax –Spirax S4 CX, Spirax S4TXM

Why Shell?
Lubricants can have a huge impact on the operation of customer’s business. Choosing, using and managing them correctly can bring significant rewards in terms of improved efficiency and profitability. “Shell Lubricants’ high performance lubricants can help businesses improve their performance,” says Jha.

He further adds, “Shell Lubricants has been a leader in Lubricants technology & innovation globally and has been rated as the largest lubricants supplier with leading market share since last 9 years. By working closely with major OEMs and customers in construction and mining segment, we have developed a deep understanding of industry challenges and requirements. Our global industry experience helps us developing and deploying new technologies and products to deliver significant value to our customers.”

Jha feels that the value comes from longer equipment life, higher lubricant life and increase efficiency of operation. Shell lubricants claims to have numerous cases of value demonstration through their technology advanced products and specialised services. Jha feels that this  can bring significant reward to the industry in term of improved efficiency, lower total cost of ownership and profitability.

Innovations
When asked about the innovations that have recently taken place in the area of lubricants, Jha says, “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Shell Lubricants. We invest more in research and development than any other international oil company, and hire top engineers and scientists to focus on the challenges. Our innovation helps us create innovative products that can significantly help improve the efficiency and profitability of customers’ business.”

One of recent innovative offerings that Shell has  rolled out for the construction & mining sectors are next generation hydraulic oils – Shell Tellus S2 MX and Shell Tellus S2 VX. Sharing the details about the new products, Jha said, “This range of products hav been developed after intensive innovative work. We have been able to upgrade our hydraulic oil portfolio to Shell Tellus S2MX and VX to offer longer long fluid life, wear protection and system efficiency than existing products in the markets.

With the Shell Tellus range, Shell has been a successful lubricant partner in some of the largest and prestigious projects across the world like construction of the massive tunnels for the Beijing metro; and helping Komatsu with the first fill for their gigantic PC7000 digging machines.

Another exampln
engine oil Shell Rimula T5E, which offers significant reduction in fuel consumption for both on and off-highway equipment. The leading commercial vehicle OEM in India, Tata Motors approved 3 per cent fuel economy benefit with Shell Rimula T5.

Jha feels that services are very critical for mining Industry. Mining and construction equipment operators are increasingly looking towards optimising their operations to ensure safe and efficient running. “At Shell Lubricants, we have developed innovative service like Lube Analyst sensors which works as part of on-board diagnostics to monitor condition of oil in real time to ensure reliability of equipment on the go and helps in taking right maintenance decisions,” he adds.

Procurement and payment concerns
Answering to a question about the procurement practices followed at Shell, Jha said, “We at Shell have full control on inputs that go into production of our world-class products. We have impeccable Shell standards to screen and approve base oil and additives to ensure quality and consistency of our products and also make them compliant on HSSE and other regulatory requirements.”

He winds up by saying, “Shell products across the world guarantee consistent product quality and performance.