Shell South Africa has one of the most recognisable and best performing product ranges in the industry. This is thanks to the advances in technology and innovations that take place at world-renowned facilities such as the SAPREF refinery in Durban.
As well as having an industry-leading retail network with some of the most attractive and most comfortable forecourts in the country, Shell South Africa is also a market leader in the manufacture and sale of petroleum and lubricant products. All of this alongside the company’s global capabilities in exploration and production, and investments in alternative energy, mean that despite the uncertainty in the energy business caused by falling global oil prices, the Shell brand remains as strong as ever – when people see the yellow and red and the unmistakeable logo, they know they’re going to get reliability, value and above all, quality.
In South Africa, Shell markets a number of high-quality products including the well-known Shell V-Power Nitro + and V-Power Diesel, both of which are regarded as some the best available. Then there’s Shell’s range of Helix car oils, Shell Advance motorcycle oil, Shell Rimula heavy-duty diesel engine oil and a range of other products that can suit the needs of any customer.
“Shell Lubricants is the number one global lubricant supplier and has a 70-year history of innovation. Some of the world’s top manufacturers choose Shell as the first-fill motor oil for new vehicles in their factories and continue to use a range of our products for ongoing servicing,” the company says.
“Whatever your needs or application, Shell can provide a full range of lubes including synthetic high-performance products. See how our superior oils and lubricants work to clean and protect your engine, helping to improve its performance and prolonging its life.”
Of course, producing products that meet the varying standards of different industries all over the world is no easy task – in fact, it’s one of the most difficult parts of the Shell operation. Some of the elements that separate Shell are its technological capacity, its ability to build global partnerships and its focus on developing products that customers want.
“Technology leadership for us is about excelling in three key areas: technology innovation, technology application and technology partnerships,” says Andrew Foulds, Vice President Fuels Technology.
“Everyone in our Technology department has a partner in lubricants and vice versa, so technology is now completely integrated as one team.
“We have to make sure our products match the needs of each sector, which is why our product development always starts with a customer challenge. We also evolve them regularly, because our customers and their products and technology are changing all the time.”
In South Africa, one of the major contributors to the company staying in pole position is the SAPREF Refinery, located in Durban and jointly owned by Shell South Africa and BP Southern Africa. The refinery producesa variety of petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, paraffin, aviation fuel, liquid petroleum gas, base oil, solvents and marine fuel oil. In 2012, 6.89 million tonnes of crude oil were processed, producing approximately 27% marine fuel oil and specialities, 25% petrol and 41% diesel and jet fuel.
SAPREF is a true African success story. As Southern Africa’s largest crude oil refinery, SAPREF has been operating successfully for more than 50 years, producing around 2.7 billion litres of petrol each year – enough to take 800,000 cars around the globe.
When SAPREF reached its 50thanniversary in 2013, many prominent figures from government and industry were quick to offer their congratulations.
“Shell aspires to be the world’s most competitive and innovative energy company, and for our business in South Africa, SAPREF plays its role in our realisation of this vision,” said Shell SA Country Chairman, Bonang Mohale.
“[SAPREF’s] contribution to our province and our country extends far beyond keeping this country moving through refining liquid fuels,” said Senzo Mchunu, former Premier of KwaZulu-Natal.
The wider impact felt by the province was realised recently when SAPREF announced that it would invest R18 million to develop its skills development programme which focuses on creating opportunities for young people by offering bursaries for university studies in engineering, artisan training via the Durban South Training Trust (DSTT), learnerships at SAPREF’s accredited training college, a graduate engineer programme, internships and a school talent pipeline programme.
“Through this integrated programme, SAPREF aims to play its part in addressing the shortage of technical and engineering skills in the country, while addressing our own business need for highly skilled professionals,” said Lindiwe Khuzwayo, SAPREF’s human resource manager to the Southlands Sun.
And despite the news that other oil and gas majors have exited their South African operations thanks to the less-than-favourable market conditions, Shell South Africa remains committed to a long-term plan in the region. Mr Mohale has repeatedly stated that the company remains interested in developing a ‘fracking’ programme in the Karoo, in order to utilise the potential natural gas resources held beneath the ground. This was during a time when it was found out that Chevron would leave SA, potentially paving the way for the closure or replacement of its Cape Town refinery.
Overall, with investments into people and infrastructure, the future for Shell and SAPREF looks positive. By most accounts, it is expected that the refinery has at least another half century of life and work in front of it – supporting the quality Shell product range that has delighted customers for decades.