Valvoline Cummins Ltd. has opened a plant in India with capacity to manufacture and package 120 million liters of lubricants per year, with possible expansion to 150 million liters.
The company is a joint venture formed in 1998 by the partnership of Cummins India Ltd. and Ashland Inc., the Kentucky-based producer of Valvoline products. The joint venture invested $30 million in the new plant, which covers 10 acres of the Ambernath Industrial Area outside of Mumbai.
In its May 8 press release, Valvoline Cummins highlighted plant features such as simultaneous measuring and blending, as well as automated batch blending, and said the plant will produce engine, gear, hydraulic, industrial, and transmission oils.
The plant will produce Valvoline-branded lubes and will target the consumer, industrial, and heavy-duty markets of India and other neighboring countries of South Asia. We are looking forward to our continued growth in the Indian market, Valvoline Cummins CEO Sandeep Kalia stated.
Naveen Gupta, managing director of Valvoline Cummins, said the new manufacturing facility will expand our in house, local production capabilities to meet the growing needs of regional customers.
Sam Mitchell, president of Ashland Consumer Markets, said the company expects strong growth opportunities in the region, noting that western India is a manufacturing hub that has the largest consumption of industrial lubricants among all regions.
U.S.-based Cummins Inc., is headquartered in Columbus, Ind., and does business in approximately 190 countries. Through the joint venture, Valvoline Cummins has operations in Argentina, Brazil, China, and India.