Shell last Wednesday opened an integrated lubricants and grease production facility in Tuas, Singapore. At 10 hectares, the site size is equivalent to almost 25 football pitches (soccer fields). It is Shell’s 3rd largest lubricants plant in the world and 2nd largest in Asia-Pacific, capable of producing up to 430 million litres (equivalent to 390 kilotonnes) of lubricants and greases every year - enough to change the engine oil of over 12,000 cars, every hour, every day.

Speaking at the opening, Huibert Vigeveno, Shell Global Commercial, Executive Vice President (including Shell Lubricants) said: “This state-of-the-art, highly automated facility in Singapore was built to support our business ambitions here in the APAC region. It serves as a strategic production hub, and will be the centrepiece of our lubricants supply chain network to reliably supply our world-class lubricants to millions of customers in the region. Asia represents over 40% of the world’s lubricants demand, and is home to half of the world’s largest lubricants markets. This facility will also further strengthen our marine lubricant business’s presence here in Singapore, the world’s second busiest port.”

Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, commented, “We are heartened by Shell’s commitment to improving productivity through the adoption of innovative technologies, which is aligned with the strategies of the Energy & Chemicals Industry Transformation Map. With a 50% increase in capacity and six-fold improvement in productivity over its previous plant, the new plant will be yet another great showcase of an Advanced Manufacturing facility that provides Singaporeans with good jobs.”

The new plant will be a production hub for products that will be shipped to more than 40 countries, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region. It will produce lubricants carrying Shell’s globally renowned brands, such as Shell Helix (passenger car motor oil), Shell Rimula (heavy duty engine oil), Shell Tellus (hydraulic oil), Shell Alexia (two-stroke marine engine oil) and Shell Gadus (greases).

Shell’s new plant is located adjacent to the Singapore Lube Park, the first of its kind in Asia with shared facilities, including an import-export jetty, common pipelines, and shared tank infrastructure. The park is a joint venture between Shell Eastern Petroleum, Sinopec Lubricant (Singapore) and Total Oil Asia Pacific.