Petrol Ofisi Group brings into service a massive investment that doubles the annual production capacity of its lubricant factory in Kocaeli - Derince. With its groundbreaking logistics and production center that left a mark on the 100th anniversary of Turkish Republic, the company has now acquired the capacity to meet half of Türkiye’s lubricant consumption.
The massive facility, prominent by its advanced technology, operational efficiency, earthquake safety, and environmentally friendly features, solidifies Petrol Ofisi’s longstanding traditional leadership in the Turkish market for 13 years. The investment, integrated with POTEM, the most comprehensive technology hub in Türkiye and the neighboring region, provides Petrol Ofisi with additional capacity in export markets.
The national brand of Türkiye: Petrol Ofisi shaping the future with its rooted history
Founded in 1941, during the challenging conditions of World War II to meet the needs of agriculture, industry, and logistics sectors, Petrol Ofisi has since dedicatedly worked its way to become Türkiye’s national brand.
Petrol Ofisi, with its high-value-added products, advanced technological production, and dominance in foreign markets, contributes to Türkiye’s import-export balance and accelerates the country’s development journey.
As one of the oldest industrial and commercial establishments in the history of the Turkish Republic, the company serves all corners of Türkiye. With the great investment Petrol Ofisi unveiled in September 2023, it will shape the second century of Turkish Republic, just as it did for the first.
Petrol Ofisi is working tirelessly in line with the vision of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkish Republic, to contribute to Türkiye’s development and its journey toward contemporary civilization. The company, fueling the enthusiasm for domestic production as a national value, reaches every corner of Türkiye with its extensive distributor network across the country, comprising nearly 2000 stations, and a 30% market share. Petrol Ofisi, the traditional leader of the Turkish lubricants market for 13 years, exports to 33 countries across 4 continents.
The company’s facility in Kocaeli – Derince, with an annual production capacity of 150 thousand tons holds distinction of being Türkiye’s largest manufacturing and logistics center in the lubricant industry. The facility, integrated with POTEM, the most advanced laboratory and R&D center in Türkiye and the neighboring region, serves a wide range of industries, including automotive, heavy industry, major infrastructure projects, defense, and the needs of local governments with over 400 formulations and extensive product portfolio.
“Ready for Tomorrow” with increased capacity
Petrol Ofisi, leaving its mark on all the development initiatives throughout the history of Turkish Republic, has realized an investment project in Derince that increases the production capacity of its facility from 150 thousand to 230 thousand tons. Thus, the company has reached the capacity to meet half of Türkiye’s lubricant consumption and has successfully entered the top 10 manufacturing and logistics centers in the world in terms of facility capacity in its field.
In addition to the growing domestic market, Petrol Ofisi, which serves as a production hub for the global giant Chevron and seeks new export opportunities, required additional capacity. With its newly inaugurated investment, the company is now ready for the second century of the Republic of Türkiye. After Maxima Adaptech technology representing the company’s ability to adapt to any situation, the Maxima EV series, prepared in anticipation of developments in the electric vehicle market, also demonstrate that this preparation is not only limited to facility infrastructure.
The opening of the facility that left its mark on the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye took place with the participation of Zeynel Kılınç, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Investment Office and prominent public officials, hosted by Mehmet Abbasoğlu, Petrol Ofisi Group CEO and Sezgin Gürsu, Petrol Ofisi Group Lubricants Director.
“We will continue our investments in sustainable growth in the new century of our Republic”
In his speech during the opening ceremony, Petrol Ofisi Group CEO Mehmet Abbasoğlu made the following assessments regarding the facility: “Our growth in lubricants and our 13-year tradition of leadership gain momentum with the opening of this facility. The integrated mega-center, which we have doubled in capacity, stands as a technological hub that exports to four continents, provides our country with millions of dollars in foreign exchange inflow, promotes Turkish engineering to the world and plays a significant role in our country’s energy independence strategy.
This massive facility, where we obtain 30% of our total electricity needs from solar energy, contains a large diesel tank park that we believe will cover almost a week of our fuel station sales in the city in the event of a possible Istanbul earthquake and will play an important role in reducing diesel imports. By proudly commissioning the T34 transit diesel tank, a critical component of this integrated facility, we effectively manage the energy risk in the market.
Our center, built on a completely digital ecosystem, makes significant contributions to international projects, serving as a reference point in collaboration with POTEM, the most comprehensive and innovative lubricant technology center in the nearby region. As Petrol Ofisi Group, we will continue to increase our investments for the sustainable growth of our economy in the new century of our Republic.”
“We will work with all our might to contribute to the future of our Republic”
Sezgin Gürsu, Petrol Ofisi Group Lubricants Director, in his speech during the opening ceremony stated: “Our facility located in the heart of Kocaeli, the industrial hub, is one of the largest in the world. We produce and offer a product portfolio with the latest technology that can meet the diverse needs of Türkiye’s heavy industry facilities, major infrastructure construction projects, local governments, public institutions, logistic and agriculture companies, providing them with all kinds of lubricants and greases.
Our center, with its 8,000 ton product storage capacity managed in a digital environment, will reduce carbon emissions caused by traditional logistics operations by 60% by eliminating the need for forklifts. Taking into consideration the seismic sensitivity of the region, we have constructed our facility using 10,000 tons of steel and 2,300 concrete piles to make it resistant even to the most severe earthquakes.
This investment, which was built as the largest closed area facility not only in Turkey but also in the nearby geography, is an indicator of our belief in the potential and growth of our country. As Petrol Ofisi, we will continue our investments in this direction, working with all our might to contribute to the future of our Republic and represent our country successfully on the global stage.”
Environmentally friendly facility contributing to the circular economy
Thanks to the 8,000-square-meter solar roof system consisting of 2,074 solar panels, the facility generates one-third of its electricity needs, which is a significant achievement. It is planned to increase this ratio to two-thirds in the near future.
During the opening ceremony of the facility, we had a conversation with Tolga Şahin, The Factory Manager of Petrol Ofisi Lubricants, who shared details about the facility’s environmentally friendly and sustainable practices:
“We operate with the principle of zero environmental impact in our factory while implementing all these investments. All ground waters from our production facilities and tank fields is collected in intermediate transfer stations and mechanical separators. At the outlets of these separators, there are collection pools equipped with hydrocarbon sensors that lead to our treatment facility. Therefore, there is no chance of any chemical mixture escaping from any part of the facility into the factory’s surroundings. As I mentioned, all these intermediate control systems are transferred to our treatment facility. Likewise, the exhaust systems of our production facilities have 100% filtration.
Petrol Ofisi Lubricants Factory operates in full cooperation with all environmental authorities and adheres to regulations with a 100% compliance principle. In addition, we strive to incorporate renewable energy methods in all our new projects. Currently, the entire roof area of our newly inaugurated warehouse is equipped with a Solar Energy System (SES). As of today, our solar roof has the capacity to meet approximately 35% of our facility’s electricity needs. The roof of our new filling station building, which is currently under construction, is also being designed with a solar system, and it will be operational in 2024. This will enable the facility to meet more than 50% of its electricity needs with solar energy.
The “Energy Hunters” project team, formed by employees at the Petrol Ofisi Derince facilities, monitors every area where energy and natural resources are used in the facility. They develop projects aimed at improving efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
The integration with POTEM
Located within the facility, Petrol Ofisi Technology Center (POTEM), the most comprehensive technology center in its field in Türkiye and the surrounding region, conducts an average of 150,000 tests annually with its state-of-the-art equipment and expert team. The center, where qualified Turkish engineers develop products, services, and innovations in accordance with international standards, also utilizes test methods accredited both domestically and internationally. POTEM provides R&D, quality control, and analysis services to a wide range of domestic and international companies, including government agencies and global giants.
Based on the scientific data obtained from POTEM, more than 400 products manufactured in the lubricant factory can meet the demands of all types of vehicles, including electric vehicles. The facility produces a wide range of lubricants, including passenger car engine oils, motorcycle oils, heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine oils, transmission and gear oils, marine oils, industrial oils, greases, and other special products.
A massive T34 diesel tank with a capacity of 42,000 cubic meters
Petrol Ofisi Group has increased its investments in line with regulations aimed at the growth of the Turkish fuel market. To meet the additional capacity needs, they have also constructed a massive T34 diesel tank with a capacity of 42,000 cubic meters within the facility. As a result, the company’s current capacity has now reached 263,000 cubic meters. Petrol Ofisi Group plans to increase its total tank storage capacity to over 400,000 cubic meters in the future. With the T34 tank in place, in the event of a potential earthquake in Istanbul, it will be possible to cover the total sales volume of Petrol Ofisi stations in the city for a period of four days. This tank investment will also lead the industry in reducing diesel imports.
Earthquake safety and precautions
In the renovation project of the facility, considerations for the potential Istanbul earthquake have been taken into account. The facility, constructed with 10,000 tons of steel and 2,300 concrete piles, has been built to withstand even most severe earthquakes.
The contribution of the renovated facility to the environment is not limited to the solar roof system. The facility’s 8,000-ton storage capacity contributes to sustainability in terms of reduced carbon emissions, lower production losses, and operational efficiency.
