"Every segment that we operate in, whether it is lubricants, automotive fuels, LPG or Aviation we have established ourselves as leaders. Our brands SERVO, XTRAPremium,XTRA Mile and Indane amongst others, have been No.1 because of the emotional connect that we have with our customers. PROPEL will be the latest in the bouquet of our brand offerings and is backed by the same intensity of passion that has helped us capture the hearts and minds of our customers, said Mr. B.M.Bansal, Chairman, IndianOil, speaking after the launch of the new petrochemical brand which is expected to transform the complexion of the petrochemical business in the country.
Having identified Petrochemicals business as the prime driver of future growth, IndianOil had earmarked substantial investments during 2007-12 in world-class plants and a countrywide marketing infrastructure. These plants have been designed to use product streams from the Corporation's own refineries, to produce a wide range of value-added petrochemical products and intermediates for segments as diverse as detergents, polyesters and polymers/plastic. IndianOil had projected a turnover of Rs. 18,000 crore from its petrochemicals business by the year 2011-12, making it one of the largest petrochemicals players in the country within a short period of time.
Beginning with low-investment projects for high-value products such a Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) and Butene-1 at its Koyali Refinery, IndianOil went on to commission the world's largest single-train Kerosene-to LAB plant, again at Koyali, in the year 2004, following it up with an integrated PX/PTA plant at Panipat in 2006. While LAB (Linear alkyl benzene) is used in the manufacture of detergents, PX/PTA (paraxylene/purified terephthalic acid) are used as polyester intermediates. The latest to go on stream is a world-scale Naphtha Cracker Complex, a mother plant for polymers (plastics), at Panipat this year with four major downstream units for production of polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene and mono ethylene glycol, all of them with extensive applications down the line. Built at a cost of Rs 14,400 crore, it is the largest operating cracker capacity in India today and the naphtha feed for the unit is being sourced internally from IndianOil's Koyali, Panipat and Mathura refineries.
Countrywide Marketing Set-upWith the domestic petrochemicals industry growing at 13-15% in the last two decades, and considering the large potential for the future, IndianOil has set up a dedicated Petrochemicals Group for marketing petrochemicals, with five exclusive sub-groups classified product-wise (LAB, PTA, Polymers) and function-wise (Logistics & Exports), in addition to zonal and field set-ups to offer reliable service. The Corporation has also laid out a web-based marketing strategy, showcasing its capability to manufacture and market the full range of petrochemicals. A dedicated technical team, backed by a product application development centre at Panipat, will guide customers in use of PROPEL grades, trying out new product-lines, etc.
The polymer warehouse at Panipat, Asia's biggest, has 15 online bagging and palletising machines, each with a capacity to bag 1,200 bags per hour, in addition to 50 loading bays with fork-lift operations. The team overseeing the bagging operations, warehouse management and other supply chain issues has been trained abroad. Since the warehouse will handle a large number of grades being supplied to thousands of plastics processors, an excellent display & tracking system has been put in place to ensure that the right grade reaches the right customer. Transport contracts are also in place to reach consignments across 327 districts in India.
Success RecordIndianOil began its petrochemicals forays with the setting up of a LAB plant and today, with sales of 1,24,000 TPA of LAB in 2009-10, holds a significant market share in India. IOCLAB is also exported to 19 countries and its customer profile includes all the leading detergent manufacturers in India and two top global manufacturers. Similarly, IndianOil's PTA sales rose to 5,28,000 TPA during 2009-10, registering a growth rate of over 30% over the previous year. A robust logistics model and state-of-the-art facilities for seamless product dispatches to customers by rail, road and sea have been the key to IndianOil's success.
Future PlansIndianOil is setting up a petrochemicals complex at its upcoming grassroots refinery at Paradip in Orissa. To be commissioned by 2011-12, the 15-million tonnes per annum refinery will have facilities for production of front-end petrochemicals, including paraxylene, polypropylene and styrene. A state-of-the-art 120,000 tonnes per annum Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) unit, the first in India, is underway at Panipat, as a joint venture with TSRC Corporation, Taiwan, and Marubeni Corporation, Japan, to further strengthen IndianOil's presence in specialty petrochemicals. These initiatives are designed to catapult IndianOil into the top three petrochemicals players in Southeast Asia in the long-term
