We make and sell a wide variety of lubricants to meet customer needs across a range of applications. These include consumer motoring, heavy-duty transport, mining, power generation and general manufacturing. Our lubricants are sold in more than 100 countries. Shell also owns Jiffy Lube® franchised service centres in North America.
We have leading positions in both mature and emerging markets and continuously invest in our supply chain. We are building new blending plants in Indonesia and China, and recently opened a joint-venture base oil manufacturing plant in South Korea.
We have four dedicated lubricants research centres in China, Germany, Japan (through a joint venture with Showa Shell) and the USA.
In 2014, Shell launched premium motor oils made from natural gas – Pennzoil Platinum in North America and Shell Helix Ultra outside of North America. These products are now available in more than 95 markets. These products contain Shell PurePlus Technology: a patented process which converts natural gas into a clear base oil, the main component of motor oils. This base oil offers better lubrication compared to traditional base oils made from crude oil. It helps to extend engine life, reduce maintenance costs and oil consumption, maintain fuel economy and improve engine cleanliness. The Ferrari Formula One team began use of Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology for the first time at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2014.
In January 2015, we started a five-year global agreement with BMW for Shell Lubricants to be their sole aftermarket lubricant supplier across 53 countries.
Shell’s marine business supplies almost 100 grades of lubricants and fuels for marine vessels powered by diesel, steam turbine and gas turbine engines. We provide marine lubricants to more than 10,000 vessels worldwide, ranging from large ocean-going tankers, container ships and dry bulk carriers, to offshore drilling vessels and fishing boats.
The 12th annual Kline & Company report on the global lubricants sector confirmed Shell’s volume and brand leadership position, with 12% of the global market share (source: Kline & Company, 2014).
