The Chinese lubes major is keeping the patent office busy with numerous projects
Great Wall lubes logo Image: Sinopec |
Increasingly stringent emissions policies and a rise in premium autos mean lubricants producers are having to innovate.
Great Wall Lubricants Co, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, has invested heavily in the development of new technologies over the past year.
In 2013, Great Wall applied for 73 patents, among which 67 were classified as new innovations; 24 IP filings were also made in the same year. Applications were up 92% from 2013 levels.
Responding to domestic requirements for cleaner emissions, the company’s R&D unit applied for a patent for an exhaust system that uses urea to lower CO2 output, which can be retrofitted to existing vehicles.
The patents were not restricted to the auto segment, however, and also included various applications for food-quality lubricants and a lubricant to be used on wind turbines.
The applications demonstrate a proactive stance to market changes, as the company aggressively expands its outlook on innovation.
Great Wall is no longer reliant on low grade lubes or relying on foreign innovation and is now proactively seeking out newer technologies to gain advantage over international majors.