Shell plans to grow investments in Asia

Oil giant Shell is planning to grow its investments in Asia to catch a bigger slice of the market for lubricants in the region. According to Andrew Foulds, Shell’s vice president for lubricants technology, China is a key market for the company and its one-million-metric ton Zhuhai lube blending plant was built so that its capacity can be easily doubled, he told the 16th Annual Fuels & Lubes Asia Conference in Singapore. The Chinese auto market is the fastest growing in the world. Annual sales last year jumped by some 46% from 2008 to 13.6 million vehicles. Shell said it expects to see the market expanding even further. (March 5, 2010)