ExxonMobil expands low viscosity polyalphaolefin capacity

Investment in manufacturing facilities has resulted in significantly increased LoVis PAO production capacity in France, bringing total plant capacity to 105 000 tpy. In addition, to help improve delivery and reliability for customers, the company upgraded and expanded its worldwide supply hubs and transportation systems.

“Our customers demand a growing reliable supply of high performance synthetic base stocks that enable them to innovate confidently.” said Hesham Omar, Vice President of ExxonMobil Synthetics. “Investing in our production facilities and supply chain capabilities allows us to stay at the forefront of the base stocks industry and meet our customer’s long-term ambitions as they grow their business.”

According to Kline & Company, the synthetic lubricant market is forecasted to grow by over 20% between 2017 and 2021. ExxonMobil Synthetics has four Group IV and V base stock manufacturing facilities supplying over 350 000 t across all grades to ensure global supply capabilities.

ExxonMobil has a global chemical manufacturing capacity of:

• 209 000 tpy of LoVis PAO.
• 92 000 tpy of high-viscosity PAO.
• 67 000 tpy of esters and alkylated naphthalenes.

An increase in production capacity is supported by improvements to the company’s supply chain network. ISO hubs have been expanded, inventory has been forward-deployed in crucial areas and a renewed emphasis has been placed on planning and optimising trucking, shipping and rail operations while upgrading carriers, all supported by a very robust and proven business continuity planning (BCP). This results in a stable, secure and growing supply of synthetic base stocks on a global scale, improved delivery speed and increased supply reliability for customers.

“The market continuously evolves and this continued investment in our capabilities positions us to meet our customer’s long-term needs as they grow their business. As adoption of metallocene synthetic base stocks increases across industrial, automotive and wind turbine markets, we have invested over half a billion dollars in plant capacity improvements in the last five years,” said Omar. “Our synthetic base stocks help formulators create lubricants that are more energy efficient, work under more severe operating conditions, offer extended drain intervals and provide advanced lubricant performance and outstanding equipment protection.”

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/02082019/exxonmobil-expands-low-viscosity-polyalphaolefin-capacity/