The global market is segmented by product type — general industrial oil & grease, transmission and hydraulic fluid, metalworking fluid, gear oil, etc., as well as end user industry like heavy equipment, food and beverages, automotive, steel, and such. The global metal cutting, and machine tool accessories market is growing. The automotive market dynamics will directly impact demand. New emerging sectors such as defence and aerospace, consumer durables, green investment in auto sectors, are likely to bolster demand for metal-cutting machines, explains AP Pandey, Managing Director, Brugarolas India Pvt Ltd.

What types of products & solutions are offered by Brugarolas? How has been the progress of the company in India?
Brugarolas SA was founded in 1885 in Barcelona, Spain and we are the first grease producers with a presence not only in Spain but in almost 60 countries worldwide. With over 136 years of experience, our customers consider us as reliable suppliers of industrial lubricants. We have the R&D to develop our own technology products. Our product range includes industrial oils, greases, metal forming and metal working lubricants, rust preventing products, and food grade NSF H-1 approved lubricants. We have over 4500 products in our product range for all types of industries. In 2017, Brugarolas SA started our own subsidiary namely Brugarolas India Pvt Ltd for manufacturing world class lubricants in India and to provide the highest quality products to Indian customers.

How do you see the performance of your company in 2021 compared to 2020? What factors drive the market?
Due to lockdowns during the pandemic, the automotive industry's production had halted, and plants were temporarily shut down. This, in turn, affected the demand for lubricants in 2020. But simultaneously pharma industries were doing well.

In the short term, major factor like the increasing usage of high-performance synthetic lubricants is expected to drive the demand for lubricants in the country. Other factors, such as the growing mining operations and robust growth of the construction industry, are likely to provide opportunities for the market in the future.

Increasing demand for grease and low viscosity fluids in the automotive sector as well as the growing food industry, and rapid industrialisation in developing countries, are anticipated to be the major driving factors in the market.

What were your key learning from the Covid pandemic? What changes did it bring to your company and to the industry?
Over the past several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, work, and do business. It has made a profound, tragic impact on countless lives, and has left the future somewhat uncertain for many industries—including ours.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed humanity and the global economy into an unprecedented crisis. In these uncertain times, companies must develop a robust strategy to deal with short- to mid-term implications of the pandemic.

We have got the revolution in the form of the green initiative, where our products were not only environment-friendly but helped a lot of industries to develop and manufacture Covid-centric products like masks, disposable syringes, etc.

Which new products & solutions have you introduced in the market in the recent years?
Yes, we have launched a range of metal working fluids in the last 3 years which is environment-friendly and safe for machine operators.

Did you develop & launch any new products & solutions during the Covid pandemic?
Yes, we have launched a range of refrigeration oils respective to mineral, POE, PAG, Alka-benzine grades. We are selling them to big compressor manufacturers.

What are the emerging trends in your industry?
In order to keep the equipment and its performance intact, various industrial lubricants are designed for such equipment. For instance, greases, engine oil, hyd oil, gear oil, thermic fluids, EDM oils, wire rope lubricants etc. Heavy equipment dominates the demand for industrial lubricants in the country. Growing mining activities too have increased the usage of heavy equipment in the country. With increased usage of such heavy equipment, the demand for industrial lubricants is also increasing in the country.

What new opportunities would you look at tapping in the market?
Since industrial lubricants are consumable products, the heavy machines drive the demand for industrial lubricants. Our product performance is good. So once a customer starts using it, we always get a repeat order. Also, most of the time, the customers recommend our products to others. Based on experience, our expectations from various exhibitions would be to get more visitors, who can be potential customers for our lubricants in future. Also, our main target is to create a brand image in the Indian market by exhibiting our range at various trade exhibitions.

What are the short and long-term growth plans for your company?
Our main challenge is to deliver high quality global standard products at a lower cost to Indian customers. Secondly, we have to convince them to use high quality products which may be more expensive initially, but will prove to be more economical in the long run.

We are very much sure about our standard lubricant products which will boost our sales in the Indian market.