Shell Lubricants has been named the leading, global supplier of finished lubricants for the 16th time, in a new market analysis report on the substances from Kline and Co. this week.

The report, Global Lubricants: Market Analysis and Assessment 2021, covered all of the leading lubricant-consuming countries and markets, and found that Shell was favoured in three categories: consumer automotive, commercial automotive and industrial.

The company sold a total of 4,500 to 4,700 kilotonnes (kt) of finished lubricants in the year prior to the report, equal to approximately 4.9 to 5.2 billion litres. These sales were split across the above three categories at 33%, 31% and 36% respectively.

According to the report, Shell experienced a 0.6% increase in global market share over that time period, bringing it to a total of 11.6%.

Speaking about the ranking, Machteld de Haan, global executive vice president with Shell Lubricants, said the company’s continued leadership in the global lubricants and fluids sector can be attributed to a number of factors.

“Our success in growing our base business [comes from] a focus on higher value and premium products and differentiating products, whilst continuing to build unique commercial and technical relationships.

“We are now focused on transforming our business, from being the leading global lubricants supplier to be the leading lubricants and fluid solutions provider of tomorrow,” he added.

Shell previously announced that it has set a target to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050 and stated that the lubricants side of the company will play a “critical role” in achieving that.

It launched an e-fluids portfolio in 2019 which focusses on improving the reliability and performance of electric powertrains, and has also begun moving into thermal management of batteries, data centres and clean power.

In a statement, the company also outlined that it is using sustainable packaging, a range of biodegradable products and circular solutions to help customers reduce their carbon footprint.