The volume of commerce moving through and within Turkey is growing at a rapid pace. That means more truck traffic, more demand for engine oils that trucks use and greater need for the base oils used to make them.
Its no surprise, then, that a base stock supplier like Chevron would want to jump into the Turkish market.
The U.S.-based company on Monday announced an agreement for Istanbul-based chemicals distributor Ekin Kimya to supply its base oils and process oils in this crossroads country.
According to Chevron, the amount of trade passing through Turkey has grown to $2 trillion, and 60 percent of that commerce moves by road. The country is accommodating it by building more than 5,500 kilometers of new roadway. The fleet moving on that roadway is growing, and the vehicles are getting newer, Chevron said in a press release about its agreement with Ekin Kimya. The engines require higher performing lubricants for optimal performance.
Chevron pitches its API Group II base stocks as being particularly well-suited for heavy-duty diesel engine oils, saying they fit the viscosity needs of such lubes and allow efficient use of chemical additives. The company said its stocks will allow local oil marketers to optimize formulations for tightening ACEA, API and OEM specifications…
Chevrons press release noted that there currently are no producers of Group II or III base oils in Turkey.
Chevron operates solely owned base oil plants in Richmond, California, and in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and has a joint venture with GS Caltex in Yeosu, South Korea. It now has 15 distribution hubs worldwide that are supplied by these facilities. The Chevron oils supplied by Ekin Kimya will be stored at Solventas Terminals in Gebze.
By adding a hub in Turkey we areshortening the supply chain for Turkeys lubricant blenders, making it easier and more economical for them to support the growing market, a spokeswoman for Chevron told Lube Report.
Ekin Kimya is a supplier of chemical and additive products for different sectors, including lubricants. It was established in 1995 and became a part of Aktas Group, a Turkish petrochemical product trader, in 1998.