Back in the 1950s, when Lubmarine – then known as Antar - developed a new lubricant for marine engines, it recognized the important role that partners around the world could play to help keep vessels supplied, ensuring engines were consistently lubricated no matter their location.
The model, which identified the strategic benefits of working with a pre-existing network of trusted partners around the world to maintain the supply chain and overcome any logistical issues, was borne and with it the relationship with fellow energy company Repsol.
Today, in a working relationship that spans 60 years, Almudena Ruiz Ruiz and Alberto Falagan Valladares of Madrid-based Repsol talk about the strengths of the reciprocal working relationship between Repsol and Lubmarine, supplying Lubmarine’s marine lubricants to the shipping and power generation sectors globally.
“From those very early days of the relationship back in the 1960’s, the relationship with Lubmarine has blossomed into what today is a truly global one, and one that we very much enjoy, with us blending Lubmarine’s products with our base oils in our main refinery with additional warehousing and logistics across our territories,” says Almudena, Repsol’s Lubricant and Specialities Operations Manager.
“It is one based on communication, collaboration and team work with us supplying both our and Lubmarine’s network customers across our territories and Lubmarine and its partners supplying our customers across their wider territories globally,” Almudena added.
Alberto, a Marine Engineer who now works within the marine lubricants sales team at Repsol adds: “Initially the relationship started with Repsol responsible for mainland Spain. But over time it has expanded to incorporate the Canary Islands, Gibraltar, the Balearic Islands, and more recently the addition of Peru. This includes the marine and power generation sectors.
According to both Almudena and Alberto, the fact that both companies are highly customer-centric with shared values is a critical element of the success of the working relationship.
“We put customers at the heart of the business. The quality of the products and the benefits they deliver goes without saying, but service is everything. We always try and find the best solutions for our customers needs and we have to make sure everything goes smoothly, no matter how big the challenge!”said Alberto.
“The close working relationship between ourselves and the Lubmarine team is absolutely vital. The work we do together is as technically complex as it is logistically challenging. We may have a client of ours requiring lubricants on the other side of the world with only a few hours turn around time. Likewise we may have a Lubmarine client in our territory requiring product during a short stop over themselves. So the approach and delivery has to be seamless whether we are supplying the Lubmarine customer or they are supplying ours. That is only ever going to work through close communication, shared values and teamwork. We can be in communication very late at night depending where the customer is or across the weekend so it is definitely not a Monday to Friday office hours relationship!” Alberto added.
The customer segment is broad with the supply of lubricants to vessels across the tanker, cruise and container markets, LNG vessels, tugboats, hospital vessels and customs officer vessels, in addition to oceanographic vessels in the Canaries.
In addition to the importance of shared working values and close communication between Repsol and Lubmarine, a shared approach to safety is also vital.
“We are working on our processes all the time to ensure the consistency of safety at every level of how we work together. We have to have the same procedures and put them in place no matter where we are working in the world.
“The important thing is clear communication and the opportunity to see each other face to face - to understand each other and to know about each others organisations and to understand the businesses,” said Almudena.
“I think what is very clear is that we understand that by working together we can all better serve our customers – both Lubmarine’s and Repsol’s – and that both companies and both sets of customers can benefit,” she added.