Though we are certainly premium lubricant brand, we still have been successful in demonstrating the value to our customers and that has helped us grow.

Shankar Karnik, General Manager Industrial, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd

What are your core objectives for 2018 as far as business in India concerned?

We are planning to invest and go deeper into segments. Privatisation of mining has opened new vistas for us. Things have started picking up in the construction sector, which was in a lull for the past couple of years. A lot of impetus is being given on the development of roads and bridges– thus helping the infrastructure sector to make a shift out of its slumber. Real estate sector will also pick up soon. Although we have not seen the investments right on the ground to the extent they were envisaged, but suddenly the signals seem quite positive now. We are hopeful that the construction, mining and infrastructure space will grow exponentially in the year 2018.

Certainly, all these developments will increase demand for equipment. With this as the backdrop, several manufacturers are already ramping up their capacities and are deploying many foreign technologies. Many local manufacturers are also becoming significant in this area. Not just equipment and technology but services associated with the equipment maintenance, offering a complete solution to the customer is also gaining popularity. In this context, lubrication solutions that we bring to our customers are gaining more and more acceptance. Even though rupees per litre may seem higher for our solutions, than that of other products, customers are now willing to invest in higher rupee per litre to achieve total cost of ownership benefits. This paradigm shift is very important for us.

Our Mobil brand is positioned higher over many conventional lubricants. From a performance stand-point, we aim to deliver quality products and services to our customers to help them achieve economic and sustainable benefits. Customers are now looking at higher specific outputs which implies that they want their equipment to be available for more number of hours, deliver better cycle times and achieve higher productivity. All these are interconnected, and lubricants play a vital role in this regard. Hence, we are upscaling as well and bringing better technology to match their demands.

Our Mobilgrease XHP Mine Series is specifically designed for the lubrication of extra heavy duty, off-highway and mining equipment. We have demonstrated our products with major mining, developers and operators (MDOs). We observed that Mobilgrease XHP 322 Mine provides with optimum equipment protection in high sliding mechanisms and also helps in extended re-lubrication intervals.

What sort of value for money your lubricants offer?

In terms of savings, our Mobilgrease XHP Mine Series has delivered almost about $ 1 million savings annually for a major MDO which is working at the Western Coalfields. Similarly, for boom hydraulics in excavators, we have Mobil DTE 10 Excel, a premium high viscosity, shear stable and zinc free oil. This has delivered up to 3 to 5 times additional oil drain intervals compared to high-viscosity lubricants available in the market. In addition, Mobil DTE 10 Excel has also delivered up to about 7 per cent to pump efficiency which in terms of productivity is significant. This not only gave economic benefits, but also delivered environmental benefits and safety.

How has been the performance of your company in the recent past and what is your future road map?

Since 2015 our growth has been in double-digit across segments despite the market not growing, we witnessed an increase in our market share. Though we are certainly premium lubricant brand, we still have been successful in demonstrating the value to our customers and that has helped us grow. In 2017, we aimed at growing at a record pace. We see similar trends continuing into 2018-19. In the long-term and short-term, we are very excited about the Indian market and we see India as the biggest growth market today. We are investing significantly in India not only for now but for the next 10 years. We have a strategy in place to be present in the market in a much-amplified manner.