Valvoline plans expansion

Indias automotive lubricants manufacturer, Valvoline Cummins Ltd. (VCL) plans to strengthen its retail network chain and double its domestic market share to around 10% over the next few years. The company, a player in the premium quality lubricant segment, is also eyeing a 25-30% growth in the domestic market. Outlining the company’s future plans, Naveen Gupta, managing director, said that VCL would focus on emerging markets such as Brazil and China, besides the domestic market. Valvoline, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Ashland Inc., entered into a joint venture with Cummins Sales and Services (India) Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cummins India Ltd., in 1998. (October 15, 2007)