TNK Lubricants recently completed modernization work on its 25,000 ton per month lubricants blending plant in Ryazan, Russia, to compete against international brands.
The company is the lube arm of TNK-BP, a joint venture between the British oil major and a group of Russian oligarchs, represented by Alfa-Access-Renova consortium.
TNK-BPs Ryazan lubes and emulsions production facility now has three upgraded units, Maria Pumo, the companys spokeswoman, told Lube Report last week. The high-tonnage production unit is equipped with several 100-ton capacity flow mixers where production of industrial, turbine, compressor and motor oils is taking place, Pumo said.
The second unit produces premium motor, hydraulic, compressor, cooling and automatic transmission oils. The third unit produces gear and industrial oils, as well as oils for rolling mills used in metallurgy.
TNK-BPs lube plant produces around 100 types of lubricants packed in sizes from one to 1,000 liters. The plants maximum capacity is 25,000 metric tons of lubes per month. However, the actual output depends on the production assortment taking place at the moment, Pumo noted.
The plants filling line is automated. The production modernization program means that we can be competitive on the Russian lubricants market where the best international engine oil producers are present, said Dmitry Ustinov, TNK-BPs vice president for business marketing and new business development. The introduction of new production technologies is the companys response to the changing market demands.
After Lukoil and Rosneft, TNK Lubricants is the third biggest lube marketer in Russia. In 2009 it sold 77,000 tons of finished lubes, and held a 15 percent share of countrys finished lubricants market, according to the Moscow consultancy InfoTEK.
TNK-BP operates a 250,000 tons per year API Group I base oil plant in Yaroslavl, under the Slavneft joint venture with the Russian oil major Gazprom Neft. That facility is scheduled to be upgraded to produce 100,000 t/y of Group III base oil by 2014, to be shared equally between Gazprom and TNK-BP.