An operator of a chain of automobile maintenance stores announced last week that it has opened one of the largest privately owned lubricant blending plants in China.
Jiangsu Laya Technology said its plant in Suzhou, China, has capacity to manufacture 250,000 metric tons of finished lubes per year. The company said the facility was built for ¥350 million (U.S. $54 million) and that it will make lubricants sold across the country, largely at its maintenance centers.
Laya Technology’s auto maintenance arm, Laya Auto, claims to have more than 1,000 maintenance centers across China.
Laya Technology is based in Jiangsu province, which is north of Shanghai. The Suzhou facility is the company’s second blending plant, as it has produced lubes at a smaller plant in the northern city of Shenyang for 20 years.
The company said that the new plant has 10,000 metric tons of storage capacity as well as a 20,000 square meter warehouse. It is located in the Taicang Port Industrial Park, which according to Laya, has logistical advantages for efficient transportation throughout the country.
Laya stated on its website that the new plant will make mostly automotive lubricants including synthetic engine oils for light- and heavy-duty vehicles.