Russian lubricant maker VMPAvto, recently opened a small factory in Saint Petersburg’s heavily industrialized Kirovsky district, which has port access to the Gulf of Finland.
“Exactly one year ago, on the location of the old storage hangar we constructed a modern building,” VMPAvto said in a Dec. 14 news release. “During the year we filled this building with different equipment and performed pre-commissioning activities.”
According to the company, the has capacity to make 12,000 metric tons of lubes per year and is has a filling line capable of filling 1,000 plastic four-liter canisters per hour. VMP uses in-house polymer thickeners and motor oil additive packages to make its self-formulated VMPAvto-branded products. Each batch of the products is tested in its own laboratory or by third-party companies.
“The production process is automated, and the plant is constructed with our own propriety design technology,” VMP said. “We have a multilevel quality control. Our products have been tested in an independent lab and fully correspond with the declared approvals.”
The company produces motor, transmission and hydraulic oils in the automotive sector and industrial greases. It also offers toll blending services.
The Russian lubricant market has undergone unprecedented changes in the last two years due to Moscow’s confrontation with the West over the war in Ukraine. Following the retreat of Shell, ExxonMobil, and Total from the market, the country’s automotive and industrial sectors no longer use Western-made lubricants. Prior to 2022, these companies supplied at least 20% of Russia’s annual 1.7 million tons of lubricant demand, including around 50% of the country’s automotive lubricant demand.
The market now heavily relies on Chinese and other Asian suppliers. In addition to domestic lubricant marketers like Lukoil, Gazprom Neft, and Rosneft, a multitude of smaller local producers emerged in 2023, all competing to fill the gap left by the Western companies.