Shell leads global lubricants market for 15th year

Shell retains its status as the leading global supplier of finished lubricants for a 15th consecutive year, according to the 19th edition of Kline & Company’s report Global Lubricants: Market Analysis and Assessment 2021.

Using 2020 as the base year, the report covers all leading lubricant consuming country markets, market segments, product types, and formulations. Shell retains the number one ranking for all three lubricants categories tracked by Kline—consumer automotive, commercial automotive, and industrial.

Machteld de Haan, who will take over as Executive Vice President for Shell Lubricants in January, said, “This report confirms Shell as the leading global lubricant supplier across cars, trucks, and industrial equipment for the fifteenth straight year, underscoring the business’s long-standing commitment to customers and reflecting the strength of our superior product portfolio. We have maintained our market-leading position and extended our competitive advantage thanks to our scale, brand equity, technological leadership, and customer relationships, all under the exceptional leadership of Carlos Maurer, our outgoing EVP.”

Earlier this year, Shell launched the largest carbon-neutral program in the lubricants industry, enabling customers in key markets worldwide to choose carbon-neutral¹ lubricants across select brands.

Shell aims to offset the annual emissions of more than 200 million liters of advanced synthetic lubricants, expecting to compensate for around 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)¹ emissions per year. This is equivalent to taking approximately 340,000 cars off the road for one year².

According to this latest report, Shell maintained its leading global market share relative to the year prior with a slight market share increase over the next largest IOC supplier. Shell’s total volume sold was approximately 4,100 kilotons of finished lubricants, equivalent to approximately 4.6 billion liters. These global sales were split almost evenly between the three segments, and at the same percentage split as the previous year: 34% consumer automotive, 36% industrial, and 30% commercial automotive.

Shell has a history of innovation in lubricants and was the first supplier to market cleaner, purer lubricants made from natural gas. As customer needs evolve, Shell is continuing to innovate and has extended its Shell E-Fluids portfolio so that it now supports battery electric (BEV) as well as fuel cell electric (FCEV) powertrains for all passenger and commercial vehicles. In a strategic alliance with Kreisel Electric, Shell also offers a combined battery technology system that delivers industry-leading battery efficiency, fast-charging capabilities, and superior safety and stability.

1. The term “Carbon Neutral” indicates that Shell has engaged in a transaction where an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent associated with the acquisition and pre-processing of raw materials, lubricants production, packaging, distribution, and the subsequent use and end of life treatment of the used materials in relation to the Shell Lubricants products, has been removed from the atmosphere through a nature-based process, or emissions saved through avoided degradation of natural ecosystems.

1. Actual emissions from driving are sensitive to underlying assumptions.