Lubezine Volume 14 Sep. 2015 | Page 9

Instilling the right message for lubrication and preventive maintenance within the vehicle parc today will support the economic growth and help educate the population on the evolving materials and technology in use around the world P.21 Tide Water Oil eyes African lubricants market T ide Water Oil, an associate of Andrew Yule group, is eyeing the African markets for its lubricants manufactured under Veedol brand. “We are looking the African markets seriously. To start with the company will start with South Africa where the products will be sold by the distributor based in the UAE”, chairman of Tide Water Oil, Kallol Datta told PTI an Indian based news agency. After South Africa, other African markets would also be explored, he said. The Veedol brand is also sold in Europe, North America, Latin America and the Middle East through third party manufacturing, Datta said. The consumption pattern of the lubricant industry has undergone substantial change in the past few years. Though the automotive industry had witnessed a positive growth, the growth in the lubricant industry remained subdued, he earlier told shareholders at the company’s AGM. Tide Water had also entered into a JV with JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation of Japan to form JX Nippon Tide Water Oil Lubricants India to manufacture ENEOS brand of lubricants in India, Bhutan and Nepal for Japanese and Korean cars. ■ Engen names Samir as lubricants distributor in Ghana E ngen Petroleum and Samir Engineering and Trading Co Ltd (SETL)/Quantum Petroleum have announced SETL’s appointment as the official distributor of Engen’s full range of lubricants in Ghana according to a release by the Ghana News Agency. Engen Petroleum is a subsidiary of PETRONAS, the National Oil Company of Malaysia and one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. A uniquely African energy multinational, Engen has independent operations in 18 subSaharan African and Indian Ocean Island countries, and indirect representation in seven more. Engen Ghana L, established in 1998, operates a network of 25 retail service stations and further supplies fuels and lubricants to commercial customers. “We are very pleased about the appointment. SETL has an extensive market presence and a dedicated marketing arm, and is in a strong position to deliver excellent service to our joint lubricants customers,” said Henry Akwaboah, Managing Director of Engen Ghana. In addition to Samir Engineering’s distribution strength, he said the partnership has strategic importance as it would increase Engen’s lubricants footprint to a total of 54 retail Septmber 2015 • | Lubezine Magazine service stations with the addition of SETL’s/ QUANTUM lubricants operation. Engen Petroleum manufactures and markets a full range of lubricants under the Engen brand in addition to marketing lubricants under licence from PETRONAS Lubricants International. The company has built up globally-competitive product development expertise over many years through PETRONAS’s relationships with leading global automotive manufacturers. It has gathered extensive regional know-how in the development of product lines, which it believes can withstand harsh African operating conditions. Kamil de Villiers, Lubricants Business Manager for Engen’s International Business Division, said SETL will distribute the full range of Engen’s automotive and industrial lubricants and greases, as well as selected PETRONAS Syntium engine oils and PETRONAS marine lubricants. DrikusKotze, General Manager in Engen’s International Business Division (IBD), said Ghana was a very important regional market, and through their relationship with SETL they hope to significantly increase their market presence in the country. Samir Engineering, part of SAMIR GROUP, a national conglomerate based in Accra, has been servicing the Ghanaian Automotive market since 1963, and boasts a significant client base. Nazem Khaled Karroum, Managing Director and Chairman of Samir Group , said the company has a significant presence in the automotive market in Ghana and will be marketing Engen and PETRONAS lubricants through its 32 Quantum Petroleum branded retail sites countrywide. “We consider the link with Engen an