How have Dutylex’s capabilities evolved?

Dutylex is a Ghana-based lubricant solutions provider. Our relationship with Petro-Canada Lubricants has matured significantly, and we now represent the brand in close to 40 countries across West, East and Central Africa.

As part of your African expansion, Dutylex has recently decided to open an office in Rwanda. Could you comment on this development?

We received a request for support from a large Rwandan power generation company that operates MWM gas engines. Dutylex bid against other brands and was able to demonstrate that our products could double the oil drain intervals compared to the lubricants previously in use, resulting in significant cost savings. We also showed that we could streamline their supply chain by utilizing an existing warehouse to store inventory, which led to a 45% reduction in overall supply chain associated costs. This contract is not only a springboard into East Africa’s power sector but also into manufacturing, mining, and logistics sectors of the region. 

To cover 40 countries in Africa, Dutylex is also working in partnerships with local dealers. What are you looking for in a local partner?

Indeed, our strategy is not to be physically present as Dutylex in every market but to collaborate with local partners who already have a strong footprint, business knowledge, and customer relationships. From our two regional hubs -Ghana for West Africa and Rwanda for East and Central Africa - we can service customers across the continent. Some of our priority markets in the East include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the DRC, Congo (Brazzaville) and Burundi. The main criterion we look for in a partner is a background in the lubricant and energy provision space. Experience is key to achieving critical mass in this industry. We also seek collaborators who are well-established, have the right infrastructure, sufficient financial capacity, and comply with local laws. In other words, we look for partners who “own” their space and can help us build win-win synergies.

Dutylex already has two lubricant terminals in Ghana. Are you exploring other opportunities for localizing lubricants within Ghana, such as through a blending or packaging facility?

Our end goal has always been to localize production instead of continuously importing from Canada. This would not only create opportunities for youth employment and contribute to the local economy but also reduce total costs by lowering logistics expenses and leveraging lower labor costs. That said, localization is a phased process. Before making any large capital investment in a blending plant, we needed to first establish the market. The next step, an intermediate phase before blending, is to import in bulk and repackage locally into smaller units. This would allow us to generate local employment while cutting costs by importing in ISO tanks, decanting, and then redistributing the product. After consolidating this stage over the next three to four years, we plan to build a blending plant in Ghana to manufacture the finished product locally.

As we’ve consistently shown, we are determined and ambitious. Our goal isn’t just to generate profit, but to create opportunities for broader society - that’s what drives us and brings joy to what we do.

Dutylex represents specialty oils. What are some of the key differentiators of your products?

We will always position ourselves as a specialty oil provider, not a commodity oil provider. While many of our competitors are fuel companies that use base oils engineered for fuels to produce lubricants, Petro-Canada lubricants use base oils engineered for lubricants to produce lubricants resulting in a purity rate of 99.9%. Our products are specialty products because they are very intentional in its production.

Additionally, Petro-Canada lubricants is at the forefront of R&D, offering sustainable, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly alternatives. We already have biodegradable products in our hydraulic, engine, and gear oil range, and these formulations are constantly being improved. Our recent introduction of EV lubricants and advanced cooling fluids in the EV and Tech industries is deeply innovative and sustainability-driven, with strong alignment to global net-zero transition.

Do you have a final message?

We’d like to thank our partners at Petro-Canada lubricants. Without the right collaboration, we wouldn’t have achieved the remarkable results we see today, and Petro-Canada Lubricants would not have the presence it now enjoys in Africa. I’d like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to our partners.