Shell has expanded its China production significantly.
Shell - breaking ground on another site Image: Shell |
Production at Shell's Zhapu plant will double to 400m litres per year, according to Lube Report, and will play a key role in supplying customers in central China with state-of-the-art products. Shell recently stated its commitment to driving improvements in lube quality across the coutnry.
The expansion, which began in 2011, will handle high production volumes but also a broader range of smaller production batches.
In an interview with online journal, Mark Gainsborough, Executive VP of Shell Global Commercial, claimed the new plant upgrades were "another milestone in Shell's business development in China", and highlighted the company's "commitment" to the region.
Strategically situated in Zhejiang province, the new facility will allow the producer to access key growth areas in central China, which are likely to grow at an increased rate compared to developed coastal connurbations.
The plant marks Shell's first Chinese plant with In-Line Blending technology - a simultaneous blending technology with automated control systems designed specifically for timely deliveries of bulk orders. It will also benefit from the new technical centre announced in March 2013 and set to begin operations Q1 2014.
Shell has a presence in over 200 cities across China, and has been making a steady stream of investments in the booming market over the past few years, including a new grease plant in Zhuhai earlier in 2013 and its second lubes plant in Tianijin in 2012.