MOSCOW (MRC) -- Total has inaugurated two lube oil blending plants, one on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and one in Tianjin, northern China, reported the company on its site.
"The two new plants will allow Total to keep pace with the strong growth in its sales of automotive and industrial lubricants, a market that is forecast to grow by 20% to 2022," commented Philippe Charleux, Vice President, Total Lubricants. "They will also secure our supply in the fast-growing Africa/Middle East and Asia regions in particular."
Total sold 1.9 million tonnes of automotive and industrial lubricants in 2012 in 150 countries, ranking sixth in the sector. The aim is to step up development in this fast-expanding segment, lifting market share from under 4% at end-2012 to at least 5% by 2022.
Lubricants reduce friction, protect components and keep them clean, enhance seal and transfer heat. Consisting of around 80% base stock produced by refining and 20% additives, they have automotive, industrial and marine applications.
As MRC wrote previously, Saudi Aramco Total Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (Satorp) expects its new refinery at Jubail Industrial City to be fully operational in December 2013. Saudi Aramco and France's Total are building the SR52.5 billion Jubail facility as part of a push by the world's top oil exporter to almost double its refining capacity.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC