Total Lubricants cater the needs of the Pakistani market

Q) Can you please give us an overview of your company?
Total is a leading international oil and gas company operating across all oil industry segments, from Upstream, which encompass oil and natural gas exploration, development and production, and liquefied natural gas, to Downstream, which spans the refining, marketing, trading and shipping of crude oil and petroleum products and Chemicals. Our company, Total, is one of the leading players in the fuels & lubricants market world-wide.
Our Headquarter is in Paris and we operate in more than 130 countries with manpower strength of over 92,000 employees. In Pakistan, Total's representation is through two companies namely, Total Atlas Lubricants Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd (TALP) and Total Parco Pakistan Limited (TPPL) marketing Lubricants & Fuels respectively. TALP and TPPL are among the fastest growing international petroleum companies in Pakistan.
Q) What is Total's product offering for the Pakistani market? Total Lubricants, caters to the complete need of the Pakistani market and all types of consumers with varied offering from automotive engine oils to the specialised industrial products.
Our Automotive oils include the most advanced "Quartz" Range for gasoline engines, the outstanding and award winning "Rubia" range for Diesel engines & the very popular motorcycle oil "4TMCO" along with a complete product line of transmission & brake fluids.
Our industrial oils mainly includes Turbine oils, Compressor oils, Gas Engine oils, Marine engine oils, Hydraulic oils, Gear oils, Textile Industry oils, Heat transfer oils, Chill oils, transformer oils & all kind of greases.
Our knowledge and experience of automotive and industrial applications means that the products are suited perfectly to the consumer's requirements. TOTAL lubricants offer a comprehensive range of oils, greases and special products for all industries such as: automotive, chemicals, energy, iron and steel, metallurgy, metalworking, original equipment manufacturers, mines, construction materials, papermaking and the food processing industry.
Q) Recently we have seen a lot of advertisement and marketing of Total products, can you please tell me what that's about? Well, it's about the re-launching of our Gasoline Motor Oil range "QUARTZ". It gives me great pleasure to inform you and your readers that Total is the first oil major in Pakistan to launch the Fuel Economy Lubricants through its Quartz range. The flagship product of the range "Quartz 9000 Future" is a fuel economy product which meets the API SN and ILSAC GF-5 performance levels. This means that it offers the most advanced level of lubricant protection currently available to gasoline engines.
Infact Total is the first player in Pakistan market to introduce the highest API SN & ILSAC GF-5 standards with the added benefit of Total FE homologation. Total has taken this initiative because we feel that the Pakistani lubricants consumer deserves a whole lot better in terms of quality than he has been getting. At Total, we want to bring about a change in the Pakistan Lubricants market and to give the consumers the best quality by moving towards the future.
Q) I'm glad you brought up the subject of Fuel economy. I'm sure you're aware that there is a lot of misconception amongst the masses about the role of lubricants in achieving fuel economy. Would you care to share your opinion on this subject with our readers?
All businesses need to control costs in today's harsh environment to stay profitable and viable and generally it helps to start with the smaller things that can help you save money. Reduction in fuel costs is a very relevant issue for all businesses today. Proper lubrication is a significant factor in achieving fuel economy.
A fuel economy lubricant attempts to gain the maximum reduction in engine friction whilst minimising its internal frictional losses (ie viscosity). Fuel Economy lubricants help to reduce emissions pollution, increase engine efficiency and prolong engine life. All these characteristics of lubricants combined together result in fuel economy. Q) Just how much of an impact can the engine lubricant have on fuel consumption? What is Total's R&D in this cutting edge technology?
Today, with the best technology, in the conventional environment we can achieve efficiency benefits of around 2.5% depending upon vehicle load and type of operation (continuous or idling). Globally, Total has a history of collaboration with the major car and equipment manufacturers. Total's entire R&D in the field of lubricants is done keeping in mind the OEMs' requirements.
Total's Fuel Economy lubricants enable a reduction in polluting emissions per km/mile; they optimise the efficiency of vehicle post-treatment systems and prolong engine life due to engine cleanliness and anti-wear protection. Indeed, due to the reduced mechanical frictions, our lubricants enable longer journeys with the same quantity of fuel. Total's fuel economy technology improves fuel consumption and provides maximised savings and offers the most advanced engine protection in all respect.
Q) How is Total engaging in meeting the Lubricants demand of the Pakistani market? Do you import the product? I am pleased to inform you that TALP is currently meeting majority of its lubricants demand through local blending at its state-of-the-art Blending facility.
TALP's Lube Blending Plant started its commercial operations in February 2009 and this facility holds a position of prominence of bringing in the largest French Direct Investment in Pakistan's history. The operations of this plant not only contribute significantly in the progress of the Petroleum Sector, but they also play a vital role in strengthening the economic infrastructure of Pakistan. The plant employs the use of the patented LEM technology for its manufacturing purposes. Furthermore, it is equipped with a state of the art laboratory and the entire plant is ISO 9001:2008 certified.
(Text of An interview with Qasim Zaheer, MD & CEO Total Atlas Lubricants Pakistan.)