Last Tuesday, the Asian Lubricant Manufacturers Union (ALMU) officially launched with the inaugural meeting of its general membership at the Four Seasons Hotel in Macao, Southern China. The ALMU is an Asia-wide organization representing the combined knowledge and expertise of lubricant manufacturers throughout East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania regions.
The organization was officially registered as a non-profit Company Limited by Guarantee on November 13, 2017, in Singapore and as of the March 6 general assembly ALMU has received its initial 18 membership applications, comprised of 12 independent lubricant companies, 1 major oil company, and 5 suppliers. Countries represented so far include Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Taiwan, China, Australia, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Switzerland.
For the initial two years of ALMU’s existence, the organization will be steered by appointed Council Members, at which point Council Members will be elected by the General Membership. ALMU announced it has appointed council members for the preliminary two-year term.
The newly minted ALMU Council is chaired by Dr. Ho Leng Woon, Executive Chairman of AP Oil International Ltd, a company listed on the main board of the Singapore Stock Exchange, and has been Chairman and CEO of the Group since 1983 until he relinquished the CEO portfolio in 2015. AP Group has five lube and specialty chemical plants in the region, and products marketed in more than 20 countries throughout Asia Pacific.
Winston Low Hee Teck and Gautam N. Mehra will serve as Vice Chairmen of ALMU. Low Hee Teck is currently Managing Director of Feoso Energy (Shanghai) Haixia and brings a wealth of experience to the role, comprising 23 years of service with Esso/Exxon Group before starting Feoso Energy (Hong Kong) Ltd and Feoso Energy (Singapore) Pte Ltd in 1993. Gautam N. Mehra is Chairman & Managing Director of Savita Oil Technologies Limited (SOTL). SOTL is amongst India’s largest manufacturers of petroleum specialty oils in the private sector and has been in the business for more than 56 years.
The other four Council Members are Azam J. Chowdhury, Chairman and owner of East Coast Group and Managing Director of MJL Bangladesh Limited, distributor of Exxon Mobil Corporation in Bangladesh. Francis Glenn Yu will provide a Filipino perspective to ALMU. Yu is CEO of SEAOIL Philippines, Inc., one of the largest independent oil company in the country with a reputation for innovation.
Patrick Adhiatmadja contributes more than 30 years of experiences in sales, marketing, business development and senior management roles with various multinational companies. In January 2013 he became MPM Lubricants’ President Director and CEO. Council member Dato’ Hazimah Zainuddin started Hyrax Oil Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian manufacturer of petroleum derivatives, in 1991, and has grown the company’s market reach to more than 35 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
“We welcome all of our ALMU council members and thank them in advance for their commitment to advancing the Asian lubricant industry,” says Ms. Vicky Villena-Denton, Director of ALMU tasked with the governance of the trade association. “With such strong leadership, I have no doubt ALMU will build a strong and collaborative association that will represent the best interests of Asian manufacturers both locally and on the global stage”.
