Shell unveils expanded and upgraded lube blending plant in Zhapu

Shell hosted the official unveiling of its newly expanded and upgraded lubricant blending plant site at Zhapu, Zhejiang province, China, on Nov. 12. This state-of-the-art plant will double the capacity of the Zhapu site and will play a key role in serving customers in Central China.
Work started on this newest expansion in late 2011 and commercial operation will be fully up and running by the end of 2013. It becomes the largest, current plant in Shell’s China network, with a doubled capacity of 400 million liters per annum.
Zhapu is a strategic location for Shell due to its proximity to the industrial heart of the country in Central China. The location also offers a mature infrastructure which gives Shell better access to key customers including original equipment manufacturers based in the region. The expansion will enable delivery further inland to customers.
“This is another milestone in Shell’s business development in China and the latest evidence of our commitment to China, most especially in Zhejiang province,” said Mark Gainsborough, executive vice president of Shell Global Commercial.
The new expansion is an add-on plant, built on the newly acquired land adjacent to the existing plant. It is designed as a highly efficient plant, able to handle high volumes of products. The existing plant will be used to manage a broader portfolio and smaller production batches. The plant has one of the fastest fully automatic filling lines of all Shell Lubricants plants globally.
This is the first lubricants plant in Shell China where in-line blending technology has been incorporated into the plant design. This is a simultaneous blending technology with automated control systems. In a time where demand in China for larger volumes, including bulk orders, is on the rise, on-time and reliable delivery becomes crucial. This technology facilitates the fast and accurate blending of larger volumes of lubricants.
This announcement follows on the heels of a series of other recent investments. In January 2013, Shell opened its 18th and largest global lubricating grease plant in Zhuhai, also in China, where a range of greases used in passenger cars and industrial bearing lubricants are now being manufactured. Shell also announced in August 2012 its plans to build a second lubricants blending plant in Tianjin, focused on supplying the northern part of the country.