Morris Lubricants enters India market, targets all vehicle segments

The UK-based Morris Lubricants, the global manufacturer of quality lubricants, has entered the India market through its fully owned Indian subsidiary, Paterson Lubricants India. Based in Mumbai, the company has roped in George Oakes, part of the Amalgamation Group, as a distribution partner in India.

India was very much on the company’s radar since 2015 and the company has been actively studying and trying to identify a suitable partner for the entire value chain from procurement to distribution.  Founded in 1969 in the United Kingdom Morris Lubricants, which caters to various industries including automotive, industrial, horticulture, marine, rail and power generation, will initially focus on the Indian automotive aftermarket in the western and southern parts of the country.

Speaking in Chennai today, Andrew Wilkins, director, Paterson Enterprises, UK said, “To establish our presence in India, we are introducing a range of lubricants manufactured for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. We are planning to launch premium segment engine oil for Euro 4 and 6 markets and also semi-synthetic and synthetic motor oils for fuel efficient cars. We also have a range of products for the fast-growing motorcycle segment.”

Morris Lubricants is bullish on the Indian market, particularly in view of the decision to leapfrog to BS VI emission norms by April 2020. According to Wilkins, “The government’s decision to move to BS VI by 2020 provides us an opportunity in the Indian market. We have already been catering to the global market which have migrated to BS VI (Euro 6) and this helps us offer our expertise to the Indian market.”

“The Indian lubricant industry is estimated at 2.5 million kilolitres per annum and is valued at close to Rs 32,000 crore. It is expected to grow at 4-5% YoY. India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and thus a very attractive destination for our growth. We realised that for the Indian market, unlike other countries, exports from the UK may not be the ideal solutions. Hence, we decided to indigenise the production of lubricants and also maximise the sourcing of raw material in India”, he said.  

Speaking on the partnership with George Oakes, Steve Dawe, international business director, said, “To be successful in the competitive market where global MNCs are already established, we realised the need for a well-established distribution house to be our partner. We selected George Oakes as our sales and distribution partner as we felt our values and practices have many synergies.”

Morris Lubricants’ range includes mineral-based lubricants, semi-synthetic and synthetic oils, greases, bio-degradable lubricants, workshop products and lube handling equipment. The 147-year-old, family owned company, which is headquartered in the UK, has a presence in nearly 85 countries worldwide including Europe, Asia-Pacific, East Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America.   

According to the company, products like Versimax for heavy duty diesel engines, Multitrans gear and transmission oils, Multivis premium quality engine oil (in mineral and semi-synthetic and fully synthetic versions) and Race4T high-performance motorcycle lubricants are designed to withstand the exacting demand of today’s vehicles. These are some of the products that are likely to be introduced in the Indian market.