Shell to boost lube market share in India

Royal Dutch Shell P.L.C. has scaled up its operations in India, in an attempt to grab a bigger piece of the lubricant market. It said it will introduce technologically advanced products in the country and will invest heavily in the expansion of the capacity of its lubricants production operations in Taloja, near Mumbai, to strengthen its relationship with oil marketing firms and to try to bump up its 7% market share to match its global ratio of 13%. Shell’s main competitors in the country are Castrol Ltd.’s local subsidiary Castrol India, which has a market share of 22% and state-owned Indian Oil Corp., which has 40%. (May 11, 2009)