Tongyi Petrochemical started trial production at a lubricant blending plant in Lagos, Nigeria, helping the Chinese company expand its manufacturing and distribution network in Africa. The facility has begun delivering trial products to customers in Ghana, according to Tongyi.
The 60,000-square-meter plant cost about RMB150 million (U.S.$21 million) and includes lubricant and grease blending facilities, an automated drum-making line and base oil storage capacity of several thousand tonnes.
Tongyi says the site can produce and blend hundreds of tonnes of lubricants per day. The plant will make engine oils, gear oils, hydraulic fluids, coolants and greases.
The plant gives Tongyi a local manufacturing base in West Africa and reduces its reliance on finished-product exports from China. The company says it now has distributors in 41 countries, with operations and supply-chain nodes spanning Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia.
Tongyi is also expanding its relationship with U.S. additive company Lubrizol beyond China as it builds its international business. The companies plan to work on additive supply, product development and technical support for customers in Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Planned products include engine oils for alcohol-based fuels, diesel oils for biodiesel applications and motorcycle oils meeting JASO specifications.