Total Lubricants last week announced an expansion plan to develop and upgrade its blending plant site in Ferrybridge in the United Kingdom.
“The development plan includes the purchase of four acres of land adjacent to the plant, which will enable Total Lubricants’ blending plant to develop and upgrade the site, review its warehousing operations and enhance the blending process,” the company said in an Aug. 7 press release.
The plant manufactures engine oils, transmission and hydraulic fluids, greases and coolants. Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England.
According to Total, local planning permission was granted in 2019 for three-phase development of the plant, and work is due to start in 2021. The plant calls for using renewable energies and optimization that will modernize the plant’s manufacturing process and increase the site’s efficiency. The site has 90 staff.
“As the only major energy company to still have a blending operation in the U.K., we are in a strong position for the future due to our proximity to our customer base,” John Ryder, general manager of the blending plant, said in the news release. “The investment underlines our commitment to the Yorkshire region and the U.K. market.” The announcement marks the 50th anniversary of blending at the Ferrybridge site.
Total has blended in the U.K. since 1970, when it purchased a grease plant from TH Newsome in Ferrybridge. According to a company timeline, Total opened an oil blending plant at Ferrybridge in 1971, laboratory and offices in 1983 and a second grease plant in 1990. The company purchased land adjacent to the blending plant in 2018.
Total UK Ltd. is the U.K. marketing and services operation for the Total Group. The division manufactures and sells lubricants, bitumen products and petroleum-based solvents for the transport, building and manufacturing sectors.