Shell Technology Center Hamburg Answers Operational Challenges in Industrial Sector

PT Shell Indonesia invites the winners and loyal customers of Shell Lubricants industrial sector to visit one of the centers of their technology, Shell Technology Center Hamburg (STCHA), Germany. Besides giving appreciation to the customers of the cooperation that has existed over the years, a visit to the facility that has been established since 1956 is essential to provide confidence behind the development and quality assurance of its lubricant products as well as facilitating direct interaction Shell's team of experts. One of the main results of this facility is a synthetic lubricant based on Gas to Liquid (GtL) technology that is very pure and the latest test equipment that can provide complete solutions for vehicles up to 5% fuel efficiency.

As one of four Shell technology center for fuels and lubricants in the world by employing more than 300 international staff, STCHA has been taking an important contribution in the 50 years development of GtL technology. This breakthrough led to superior lubricating products, one of which is the transformer oil launched in Indonesia at the end of 2014, Shell Diala S4 ZX-I. Derived from natural gas, it is able to produce sulfur-free lubricant thus eliminating the risk of corrosion to a transformer to ensure a longer operational life. GtL base technology is also used for consumer and commercial lubricant products such as Shell Helix Ultra, Shell Advance Ultra and its Diesel Engine Oil, Shell Rimula R5E. "I am very impressed with Shell products mainly its transformer oil Shell Diala S4, where it’s R&D have been developed for decades. It exceeded my expectations with its high level of Breakdown Voltage properties which provided a much shorter oil treatment purification hence resulting in efficiency of our production process "explains Mr. Rizky M. Sakhban, Managing Director of PT. Kalla Electrical System one of the transformer manufacturer in Indonesia with brand kallatrafo.

This research center also supports the everyday activities of technology partnerships for fuel and lubricants with world class OEMs Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One racing and Ducati in the MotoGP class. Aside from lab to the racetrack achievements, STCHA also established cooperation with OEMs in the industrial sector with its very own Marine and Power Innovation Center with the intention of answering challenges in power and marine sectors. The team here works closely with renowned OEMs like MAN, Wartisila, CAT and others for decades. "The visit was great, Shell takes it seriously in product improvement and cooperation with OEMs. I would not hesitate to recommend Shell products", comments Mr. Donald P Silalahi, Plant Manager of PT Wijaya Karya after the visit.

It is crucial for Shell in ensuring not only the lab-scale development but also the applications in the field. This is apparent with its cutting-edge test facility where there are only five in the world called Driveline Rig Test that is used by OEMs and by customers in fleet sector in discovering the optimum range of lubricants for their vehicles. One of the results recorded are proving fuel efficiency up to 5% with the use of a series of synthetic lubricant products from Shell. This is in line with the focus of Shell as a reliable partner in the industrial sector "Business climate is getting heavier which makes increased efficiency and cost reduction a must, with the superior products and the experienced team that we have, we believe we can address their (customers) challenges" said Andri Pratiwa, EVP Sales Shell Indonesia during the visit.

Shell is committed to grow together with Indonesia and constantly makes innovation, product application and technical collaboration to give real benefits to our customers.

About Shell Lubricants

The term ‘Shell Lubricants’ collectively refers to Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business. Shell sells a wide variety of lubricants to meet customer needs across a range of applications. These include consumer motoring, heavy-duty transport, mining, power generation and general engineering. Shell’s portfolio of lubricant brands includes Pennzoil, Quaker State, Shell Helix, Shell Rotella, Shell Tellus and Shell Rimula. We are active across the full lubricant supply chain. We manufacture base oils in eight plants, blend base oils with additives to make lubricants in over 50 plants, and distribute, market and sell lubricants in over 100 countries.

We also provide technical and business support to customers. We offer lubricant-related services in addition to our product range. These include: Shell LubeMatch – the market-leading online product recommendation tool; Shell LubeAdvisor – which helps customers to select the right lubricant through highly trained Shell technical staff as well as online tools; and Shell LubeAnalyst – an early warning system that enables customers to monitor the condition of their equipment and lubricant, helping to save money on maintenance and avoid potential lost business through equipment failure.

Shell’s world-class technology works to deliver value to our customers. Innovation, product application and technical collaboration are at the heart of Shell lubricants. We have leading lubricants research centres in Germany, Japan (in a joint venture with Showa Shell), the UK and the USA. We invest significantly in technology and work closely with our customers to develop innovative lubricants. We have a patent portfolio with 150+ patent series for lubricants, base oils and greases, and more than 200 scientists and lubricants engineers dedicated to lubricants research and development.

Customer benefits include lower maintenance costs, longer equipment life and lower energy consumption. One of the ways we push the boundaries of lubricant technology is by working closely with top motor-racing teams such as Scuderia Ferrari. These technical partnerships enable us to expand our knowledge of lubrication science and transfer cutting-edge technology from the racetrack to our commercial products.