Cool targets

With an ambitious plan for increasing its exports, Spanish grease producer Verkol is confident that naphthenic oil will help it to reach new markets, particularly in colder parts of the world.

There simply isn’t much room for growth,” says Gonzalo Moreno, Managing Director of Spanish grease manufacturer Verkol, based in Navarra, Spain. “The grease market is very established in Spain and the rest of the European Union.”

Verkol develops and produces greases and lubricants for many different applications in a broad range of fields, including the processing industry and the renewable energy, automotive and heavy machinery sectors, among others. Founded in 1923, the company has witnessed Spain’s transformation into an industrialised nation.

Aiming to grow its business, the company is heading further afield to markets in South America, the Middle East and Asia, exporting its products to over 50 countries globally. To be successful in even the coldest parts of these regions, Verkol needs to expand the temperature range of its products.

“In 2013, we exported about 25 percent of our production,” says Moreno “We would like to increase that to 50 percent over a period of five to 10 years. That’s an ambitious but achievable goal.

We believe that our experience helps us to help other countries develop their industries.” Moreno says that the company also plans to start manufacturing abroad in the not-sodistant future.

Following an agreement with Nynas in 2013, Verkol will use more naphthenic oil in its standard grease formulations. The new agreement is an extension of a business partnership established in the mid-1990s.

“We will step up our annual delivery volumes to Verkol, aiming for a fourfold increase,” says Myriam Picado Fernández, General Manager of Nynas in Spain and Portugal.

Verkol is confident that the low-temperature characteristics of the naphthenic oil will enable its grease products to suit new, cooler markets, helping Verkol to achieve its export targets.