For Nandan Petrochem Ltd. (NPL), Automechanika Dubai marked a strategic inflection point. Making its debut as an exhibitor at the global aftermarket platform, the India-headquartered lubricant and specialty oils player used the show to formally signal its global intent, backed by a strong domestic foundation and rising confidence in India as a manufacturing hub.
Reflecting on the decision to exhibit, Nandan Agrawaal, Managing Director, Nandan Petrochem Ltd., said the move had been carefully planned. “We have been in India for a long time, and now we have started harbouring global aspirations. I had been contemplating exhibiting at Automechanika for the last year or so, and once we set the right team in place, we felt this was the right first step. The experience so far has been very good, with strong learnings.”
For Nandan, the biggest takeaway from the show was perspective. “The biggest learning is that the world is a stage, not just India. The exposure you get here and the scale you see is something that we don’t experience back home. It really broadens your thinking.”
Strong enquiries and a shifting global supply narrative
By the final day of the show, NPL had already seen meaningful traction. According to Nandan, interest came not only from the UAE but from customers across multiple geographies who are actively reassessing their sourcing strategies.
“We’ve received some very good enquiries and seen a lot of interest. While there are several regional players in the UAE, global customers are now looking at India very favourably,” he said. “Many customers who were earlier procuring from other regions are keen to diversify their supply chain and include India. From that perspective, Automechanika Dubai has been a great experience.”
This early response has reinforced NPL’s conviction about scaling its presence at the show in the coming years. “With this experience, next year we will be much bigger and much stronger here,” Nandan added, underlining the company’s intent to use the platform consistently as part of its global roadmap.
Replicating India success through fundamentals
When it comes to replicating its domestic success internationally, Nandan was clear that execution discipline, rather than novelty, will drive results. “At the end of the day, it’s all about customer experience. What we have done successfully in India is getting the basics right and doing them really well,” he said.
“We didn’t try to do anything completely out of the box. We focused on quality, service, and overall customer experience – cost, quality, delivery and service.”
Quality, in particular, will remain the cornerstone of NPL’s global strategy. “A lot of products manufactured and sold in this region are not of the highest quality standards. That is something we are looking to change. Quality will be the foundation as we move forward.”
Nandan also highlighted the improving perception of India as a manufacturing destination. “It’s all about perception. Today, the brand India is getting stronger by the day. Earlier, we had to explain to customers that we could deliver good quality. Now, there is much more confidence.”
Priority markets and a bullish outlook
While exports are still at an early stage, NPL has identified clear priority regions. “The markets we are looking at include LATAM, GCC, Southeast Asia and Africa,” Nandan said. “Africa, in particular, is the next big opportunity with tremendous growth potential.”
At this stage, the company is deliberately avoiding rigid export targets. “We haven’t set percentage targets yet. It’s very early days, and we are taking baby steps.”
On performance, Nandan said the current financial year has delivered solid momentum. “This year has been quite promising. We expect to close with decent double-digit growth, with both our OEM business and our Velvex brand performing exceedingly well.”
Exports from India have grown across product categories including lubricants, AdBlue, white oil and transformer oil. Brand-building remains a parallel priority. “This is the second year of our partnership with Lucknow Super Giants. During the IPL, you’ll see a lot of Velvex through the campaigns we have planned. That visibility will help drive sales.”
Looking ahead, Nandan confirmed that NPL is also evaluating the possibility of setting up operations in the UAE, as part of its medium-term international strategy.
