Fuchs inaugurates lubricants blending plant in Russia’s Kaluga region

Germany’s Fuchs Petrolub SE officially launched its lubricants and related materials plant in Russia’s Kaluga region on Sept. 19. The new plant is located in the Rosva industrial park outside Kaluga, next to LLC PCMA Rus, a joint venture between PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi.
“Investment in this project is 15 million euros, which is the equivalent of around 600 million rubles. And that is just for the first phase. We have room to expand production if our business grows in Russia,” Fuchs Petrolub Chairman Stefan Fuchs said.
The company considers investment in the Russian project a long-term investment and is not expecting it to pay for itself for three to five years.
“The plant envisages production of 40,000 tonnes of lubricants and related materials per year. The Fuchs international range numbers 10,000 products. In Russia we sell 500. In the initial phase the Kaluga plant will produce 30. But 30 is just the start,” said Nikolai Kuznetsov, general director of the company’s Russian subsidiary LLC Fuchs Oil.
The Kaluga plant will begin by producing several types of motor oils, hydraulic and compressor oils, anti-rust preventatives and a wide range of fluids for metal processing.
“We think that in the future we can set up output of products that will meet Russia’s arctic conditions. This is a range that is not generally in demand in Europe,” Kuznetsov said.