Independent lubricant blender Fuchs Petrolub plans a A.$5 million expansion in Australia of its Sunshine facility and a major redevelopment of its Newcastle site.
Global CEO Stefan Fuchs announced the investment plans during a presentation to staff at the 2012 Fuchs Australasia National Sales conference, according to a company statement. Fuchs did not release details of the presentation or detail the scope of work at either site.
Newcastle is in the state of New South Wales, and Sunshine is a suburb of Melbourne in the state of Victoria. Both Fuchs locations are lubricants blending and filling plants, a Fuchs spokesperson told Lube Report.
Part of a global investment program by Mannheim, Germany-based Fuchs Group, the expansion follows the launch last year of a regional lubricant laboratory and technical center in Sunshine.
According to its web site, Fuchs wholly owned Australian subsidiary has supplied lubricants since the late 1890s. It specializes in five main lubrication areas: automotive, industrial, mining, private label and specialist applications, including open gearing lubrication.
Australia accounted for 2.5 percent of all finished lubes consumed in the Asia-Pacific region in 2011, according to Kline and Co.s Global Lubricants: Market Analysis and Assessment Study
Kline estimated Australias total lubricants market at 395,000 metric tons in 2011, including the consumer automotive segment at 109,000 metric tons, commercial automotive at 115,000 tons and industrial at 171,000 tons. According to Klines study, the top lube marketers in terms of market share in Australia are BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Fuchs and Valvoline.