Specialty chemicals company LANXESS and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), an integrated energy company and Maharatna public sector undertaking, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore long-term cooperation in industrial lubricant technologies, specialty fluids and related applications in India.
The agreement was signed between LANXESS India Private Limited and BPCL. It establishes a non-exclusive framework for evaluating technical and commercial opportunities, including lubricant development, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) approvals, product localisation and potential commercialisation.
Under the proposed arrangement, the companies will assess opportunities in high-performance bearing and circulating oils, hydraulic fluids, turbine oils, refrigeration lubricants, rust-preventive oils, specialty greases, industrial additive packages and environmentally acceptable lubricants. The scope also includes immersion cooling fluids for data centres and lubricant solutions for emerging technologies.
The cooperation will combine LANXESS’s lubricant additive expertise, formulation capabilities and OEM relationships with BPCL’s domestic market presence, base oil portfolio, manufacturing infrastructure and customer network. Potential activities include joint technical evaluations, field trials, OEM engagement, knowledge exchange and product development, subject to applicable approvals and definitive agreements. The companies will also examine opportunities involving bio-based lubricants, electric vehicle fluids, hydrogen-related applications, specialty refrigeration fluids, personal care ingredients and immersion cooling technologies for digital infrastructure.
Karam Faddoul, Head of Sales IMEA, Business Unit Lubricant Additives at LANXESS, said the proposed cooperation could help bring locally developed, high-performance lubricant solutions closer to Indian customers while improving responsiveness and reliability.
Neelanjan Banerjee, Senior Vice President and Global Head of the Business Unit Lubricant Additives at LANXESS, said the combination of LANXESS’s technology platform, formulation expertise and OEM engagement capabilities with BPCL’s manufacturing capacity and market reach could support the development and commercialisation of lubricant solutions for Indian industry.
Kannan S, Business Head at BPCL, said the collaboration with BPCL Lubes R&D would bring together LANXESS’s global expertise in lubricant additives and formulation technologies with BPCL’s application knowledge and understanding of domestic customer requirements. He said the proposed work would address current industrial needs as well as emerging technological challenges. The MoU provides a framework for the companies to assess possible areas of cooperation. Any product development, localisation or commercialisation initiative will depend on the outcome of technical and commercial evaluations and the necessary approvals.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Fortune Global 500 company and Maharatna enterprise, is India’s second-largest oil marketing company with a strong presence across the upstream and downstream oil and gas sectors. The company operates three major refineries in Mumbai, Kochi, and Bina, with a total refining capacity of 35.3 MMTPA. Its extensive retail network includes over 22,000 fuel stations, 6,250+ LPG distributorships, and robust infrastructure comprising 123 POL storage locations, 54 LPG bottling plants, and 63 aviation service stations.
LANXESS is a specialty chemicals company supplying chemical intermediates, additives and specialty products to industrial markets. Its lubricant additives business develops technologies for lubricant formulations used in automotive, industrial and other applications.
