10 QUESTIONS FOR LUBRICANTS PROFESSIONALS


Navigating Tanzania’s lubes market: Mr. Nagesh’s perspective


In this 46th edition of Lubezine Magazine we have the privilege of interviewing Mr. Nagesh Rajan, Lubricants Manufacturing Specialist at Oryx Energies Tanzania. Mr. Rajan gives us in depth insights into Oryx Energies’ Tanzania lubricants business and having worked in the Asian continent for close to 20 years, he sheds light into the similarities and differences of Asia’s and Africa’s lubricants market.


1


Would you kindly tell us about yourself and your journey in the lubricants industry? I am a Chemical Engineer with an MBA, and I have been


active in the industry since 1990. I joined the lubricants industry with Castrol in 1994, and I worked


for 14 years. Then I worked with Gulf Oil International in India for a good stint and in 2015, I joined Oryx Energies Tanzania as a Lubricants Manufacturing and Supply Chain specialist. From the start, I have seen professional growth, as well as transformation in the industry through the 90s and the new Millennium. Castrol and other leading brands like Shell, Valvoline, TotalEnergies, Gulf, Servo the lubricants brand of Indian Oil Corporation have made exploits in the very competitive Indian market. Non-conventional and performance lubricants proliferated in the large and emerging markets of automotive, industrial and power sector. Offers, value propositions, positioning strategies and refinement of practices, technology in manufacturing, outsourcing, logistics and planning systems evolved a lot. Sectors of mining, construction, transportation and power are now


active in the East Africa region. The competitive market positions global majors against local ones. With the help of transnational marketing companies, it creates a unique pattern within the business to customer (B2C) segment and I think it is great.


2


As the Lubricants Manufacturing Specialist, what does your work entail? I help to maximize business performances by providing the best customer service, based on quality products, coming


from a safe, reliable, cost effective, and efficient manufacturing and supply chain.


3


What is Oryx Energies footprint in Africa and what market segments does it serve? Oryx Energies serves East and West African Regions and a part of the South. Tanzania being the largest African market,


it covers close to 21 countries. Our business to business (B2B) segment includes the mining industry, in Tanzania and Zambia. It also includes marine, transport, power, construction, sugar mills, cement, food, beverage, and agriculture with an impeccable track record. Our B2C segment comprises our network of Company Owned Distribution Operation (CODOs). They are spread across the country to enhance the reach, distributing full range of automotive and industrial products. The Oryx Energies network of service stations across


26 INTERVIEW EXPERT


Mr. Nagesh Rajan, Lubricants Manufacturing Specialist at Oryx Energies Tanzania


Sub Saharan Africa are also outlets for lubes. Our World class manufacturing plants in Tanzania and Togo, are well located to support this large footprint.


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4


What product ranges does Oryx Energies have for the mining segment and what other services do you offer your clients? We have several ranges: automotive and industrial


lubricants, greases, coolants, and other specialties for the mining sector. Products are formulated with Group II, III and IV base oil that makes them high performance for critical applications at the mines. The service offer is end-to-end, starting from survey and prescription, product realization, Vendor managed inventory systems, managing life cycle of lubricant and dispensing to use to monitoring and timely replacement, and safe disposal of used lubes.


LUBEZINE MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2023


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