Al Manar partners with Nanol, aims to double market share
Nanol Technologies AB, based in Stockholm, Sweden, has partnered with Egypt’s Al Manar Group, which recently started production at a new 50,000-metric-ton-per-year lubricant blending plant in the 6th of October City in Egypt.
The new lubricant blending plant is now producing automotive engine oils, gear oils, and industrial oils under the Forma brand, according to Ahmed Nawara, managing director and CEO of the Al Manar Group.
“With the launch of our new products, we plan to double our market share and export to North and East Africa,” Nawara said. The company hopes to boost its exports to 15% of overall sales in 2022, targeting in particular exports to Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
The partnership with Egypt’s Al Manar Group will allow Nanol Technologies to establish a footprint in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nanol Technologies was announced on March 6, 2022. Nanol produces an innovative patented additive solution, which is said to be a sustainable lubricant additive, and is REACH-approved.
“We are very proud to enter the market with a strong partner and looking forward to many years of successful partnership,“ said Nanol CEO Tanja Ilic.
Al Manar Group was established in 1975 as an import company. Today, the Al Manar Group has a wide range of activities including import & export, storage, manufacturing, and distribution. The Al-Manar Group’s plant has ISO 9,000 quality certificate, in addition to ISO 14,000 for environmental management, and ISO 18,000 for industrial safety.
Previous to this new plant, Al Manar’s old factory produced approximately 3,000 tonnes of automotive fluids, of which 2,000 tonnes is brake fluid.
In 2019, Al Manar Trading & Distribution Company (AMTD) signed an agreement with Total Egypt to exclusively distribute ELF-branded lubricants in Egypt. The 2019 agreement with Al Manar localised the mixing and packaging process in Egypt for ELF-branded lubricants, so that products could be made available locally at more affordable prices.
Al Manar has had a strong distribution network in Egypt for French car parts, including Renault, Peugeot, and Citroen, since 1975. It is also the official distributor of Bendix oils, which ranked first in terms of brake fluids in the Egyptian market.
