Castrol Marine invests in dedicated lubricants technology centre in Shanghai

Castrol Marine, one of the leading global suppliers of marine lubricants and part of the BP Group, has announced it will be developing a dedicated lubricant technology centre in China.

Located in the Jinqiao Science Park in Shanghai, the new technology centre will focus on the development of lubricant technology for the marine industry, as well as the company’s offshore, aviation, automotive and industrial business units. It will also support Chinese businesses that operate overseas.

With over 100 years of experience in the lubricants industry, Castrol works extensively with Chinese and international equipment manufacturers to develop lubricant solutions collaboratively to improve performance in existing applications and to develop products for future technologies. For example, Castrol Marine was the first oil major to develop and launch a comprehensive range of environmentally-responsible marine lubricants that, in addition to their enhanced environmental credentials, also offer performance benefits when compared with traditional mineral-oil based products.

The technology centre will feature state of the art analytical and lubricant development laboratory areas, a training facility and high-tech conference centre. It follows on from Castrol’s recent launch of a tote tank offer at Guangzhou, China.

Luigi Tedesco, sales director for Castrol Marine, said: “This investment reinforces Castrol’s commitment to its Chinese customers and consumers and is a key part of our strategic plan to expand our business in China. Together with our research and development centres in the United Kingdom and Germany, the new technology centre will give us a world class capability to meet the unique and exciting challenges of the Chinese market and the wider ASPAC region, both now and in the future. Shanghai was chosen because it is easily accessible for our customers and partners and we believe we can recruit talented scientists and engineers locally.”

The new technology centre will be fully operational by the end of 2010 and will initially employ up to 20 Chinese and international scientists and engineers. This team will work collaboratively with vehicle manufacturers, distributors and other partners focusing on leading edge lubricant technology support, development and training.