LLK-Naftan, a leading lubricant additives producer in the Commonwealth of Independent States, last week said it is significantly expanding sales inMiddle East and African markets.
Novoplotsk, Belarus-based LLK-Naftan, a joint venture betweenLLK-International, Russian oil major LukOils lubricant arm, and Belarusian refiner OAO Naftan, has been producing additives primarily for the Russian market. A smaller part of its production is exported to Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Romania and other countries.
The company has changed its marketing approaches recently, expanding further south.
LLK Euroasia Lubricants [LLK-Naftans sister company] is the main marketer of our products in the Middle East, Mihail Babushkin, the companys deputy general director, told Lube Report. We have established firm cooperation with several lubricant manufacturers from countries such as Pakistan and UAE.
According to Babushkin, the companys new marketing approach involves an active quest for new customers in the Middle East and regular attendance at the regions industry meetings.
The strategy has proved excellent: in the last year our exports and sales have been rising, he said. Weve already sealed deals with several regional lube producers for importing LLK-Naftans multifunctional additives packages ??-2503-1, ??-2503-2, ??-2503-3, ??-2503-4 and ??-4501.
Additives volumes would be determined by our customers, Babushkin noted. Our marketing analyses have shown that lube manufacturers in the countries such as Pakistan, UAE, Iran and in Africa currently have higher demands for additives. For example a Pakistani distributor has recently started to import pour-point depressant additive LLK-2508-1.
In 2010 LLK-Naftan is expecting to increase volumes produced by 43 percent, compared to the year before. This year we are planning to produce 29,100 tons of additives, and the company expects to increase the exported volumes by 53 percent, compared to 2009, Babushkin concluded.