Recipe for success

Intent on constantly upgrading their lubrication products, Carl Bechem India needs top quality base oils and reliable ‘just-in-time’ delivery. Naphthenic oils and Nynas deliver on both fronts.

"Today's specialty is tomorrow’s commodity. We believe in the core philosophy of developing strong products, complemented by thorough problem solving through on-site application engineering for our customers,” says Anirban Bhattacharya, CEO of Carl Bechem Lubricants India Pvt Ltd. “Apart from continuously investing in our knowledge and skill bank, the philosophy is followed up by developing strong ‘recipes’ that are based on the best of raw materials.”

A wholly owned subsidiary of Carl Bechem GmbH, the German expert in high quality specialty lubricants and metal working fluids, Bechem India caters to a wide variety of industries – Cement, Steel, Automotive, Textile, Food & Pharma and Metalworking processes.

“We have a broad customer base and we make specialty lubricants to perfectly suit their applications. Our aim is to get it absolutely right through continuous product development,” comments the company’s Head of Sales Ajay Arora.

Originally set up 12 years ago, the Bengaluru-based Indian subsidiary has enjoyed steady growth, taking full advantage of India’s industrial expansion, which has encouraged many global players to set up operations in the subcontinent.

“India offers great opportunities and we are looking forward to an exciting future. For us, the stage is set for further expansion, and a second production facility might be added as the next phase,” enthuses Anirban Bhattacharya.

The company plans to double its turnover in the next five years, and has set aggressive targets for its business across the regions it serves.

“Product performance is the key differentiating aspect between a specialty and commodity. For a superior product based on a strong recipe, the base oil is one of the most critical ingredients,” emphasises Anirban Bhattacharya.

Supplying the company with high quality naphthenic base oils since 2011, Nynas is responsible for a large portion of this key ingredient. Nynas’ base oils are used in many of Bechem India’s products, where they deliver just the right balance of viscosity, solvency and product consistency.

True to the thought ‘think global, act local’, the Indian subsidiary offers Bechem’s global product range with a skilled ‘Application Engineering’ team providing tailor-made lubrication solutions to customers. Having also bonded with Nynas, Bechem India has created a fertile partnership platform for successful cooperation and product development.

“It is common practice in Europe to have a strong research and product development platform – including supplier, customer and sometimes a research institute – which very often leads to innovative and customised concepts. We too are looking forward to such initiatives at our recently set up state-of-the-art product development wing in India. We are constantly striving hard to upgrade our products and thereby stay ahead in the race,” says Anirban Bhattacharya.

However, Nynas has been able to deliver yet another component to Bechem India’s recipe for success – flexibility, a much appreciated characteristic, as the company’s Plant Manager Mr N K Balasubramanian explains:

“Nynas is very flexible in their approach to manufacturers like us. They really do understand the business and are very forthcoming with practical and helpful solutions.”

In Bechem India’s case, such a solution has been to stock base oil in a local depot, making it readily available for production within 24 hours. This has enabled Bechem India to considerably reduce its production lead times – another measure of success.

Bechem on Nynas and Group I replacement

“Given the development of a new breed of naphthenic oils, we look forward to working closely with Nynas to consistently develop high quality specialty products for our customers,” states Bechem India’s CEO Anirban Bhattacharya.

For lubricant manufacturers like Bechem India, the dwindling availability of Group I base oil is a concern. Nynas has developed its Nybase range of products to offer replacements for Group I oil in a range of applications.

“Nynas also offers top quality seminars and technical information,” says Plant Manager Balasubramanian.

“And we have never had any quality issues. Supplies are always very reliable, consistent and readily available,” adds Finance Controller P Shashidhar.