Trinidad & Tobago National Petroleum Marketing Company Limited (NP) has a long history in T&T, dating back to 1972 and the current Lube and Grease Plant has been a part of NP’s offering since 1986. In September 1986, NP bought a grease plant from the company ILEX, to meet the growing needs of its customers locally and in the region. Over the last 30 years NP has steadily increased and improved the quality and output of the products that very grease plant has been able to manufacture.
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From inception, the Grease Plant extended NP’s presence locally and across the wider region, adding to its strong range of products. With a complement of three kettles and hoppers to make and store the grease, most of the greases NP manufactures are used by its large industrial client base, which relies on the company for the greases needed to keep its machinery operating at optimum level.

The demand for grease products is on the rise and the plant has helped position NP to meet the increasing demand and contribute to the growth of regional economies. The demand for these very specific types of greases used by its industrial client base is in fact so great that NP is now about to commission the use of a spare kettle kept in storage to help with the demand for increased production output.

There is great potential and opportunity in the region and NP is dedicated to applying its technical knowledge and product expertise for the benefit of meeting customer needs. In fact, one of the Company’s biggest industrial customers happens to be in the export market and NP creates grease that is specifically made for the sugar cane industry.

Grease made at NP’s facility is used in a variety of industries and applications. One unique product made at NP’s grease plant is NP Open Gear Compound, which is the only one of its kind and is made by NP using local bitumen, base oil and additives.

The plant incorporates tried and proven manufacturing practices which demonstrate the Company’s continuing commitment to the region and bringing innovative quality products to the market. Although the Industrial customers account for about half of the market share for the Grease Plant’s products, the automotive industry is also a major consumer of NP’s greases. Spare parts outlets around the country and NP’s QuikShoppes can barely keep NP’s greases on its shelves as they are sought after by mechanics and car owners who use them on ball joints and bearings. An affordably priced grease, the quality is on par with its foreign counterparts.

After commissioning the grease plant, NP manufactured products under license from ILEX which included items like Apollo Tool Joint Thread Compound, Zinc 60, API High Pressure Modify, and Onion Drill Colour Thread Compound. Supporting the production of grease products is an on-site quality control laboratory and over the years NP has continued to improve and expand its product offering, adding many different products to the line. Soon, NP will launch a Multipurpose Complex Grease on the market as it keeps up with the changing trends and demands in the lubricant world. NP’s Lab Superintendent Peter Ransome explained, “Companies have started moving away from traditional lithium multipurpose based greases to the Lithium complex greases and we want to be a part of that innovation.” Indeed, NP’s Grease Plant marks a significant milestone with its 32nd Anniversary as the Company continues to meet the growing needs of its customers, both locally and up the region.