Market Trends of Kenya Lubricants Industry
The Dominance of Engine Oils in the Market
- Engine oil, or engine lubricant, is one of the various substances used to lubricate internal combustion engines to ensure good performance. Engine oil can be synthetic, mineral, or semi-synthetic in nature but is always made of a unique composition of base oil and additives.
- Mineral engine oils are derived from crude petroleum and contain hydrocarbon, oxygenated or non-oxygenated, and may also contain sulfur or nitrogen. Synthetic oils are created chemically in the laboratory but can also come from refined petroleum. The composition and production complexity of synthetic oils makes them high-end oils with higher performance compared to mineral oils. Semi-synthetic oils are a mixture of synthetic and mineral oils, but different semi-synthetic products may have different mix compositions.
- The engine oil product type dominates the lubricants market in the country because of the high demand from the transportation or automotive end-user industry. All kinds of vehicles with a combustion engine require engine oil to function properly and to ensure a long life.
- According to Waverley Exhaust & Brake, most auto manufacturers recommend engine oil changes once each year or 20,000 km on petrol engines, while diesel engines and turbocharged petrol engines should be changed every 6 months or 10,000 km.
- Moreover, the current automotive market in the country is dominated by vehicles based on internal combustion engines that use either gasoline or diesel or are hybrid in nature. This simultaneously indicates a high volume demand for engine oils or engine lubricants across the country.
- Additionally, the country has a large market for used cars as they have always been a cheaper alternative to buying a new car. According to JapaneseCarTrade.com, used cars account for more than 80% of all vehicles sold in Kenya, and there is great demand for used passenger vehicles in the country.
- This can lead to a further increase in demand for engine oils and help it sustain its dominance in the market because as the engine of a vehicle starts to get old, its engine oil demand also increases gradually.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
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Increasing Usage in Automotive and Other Transportation
- Lubricants such as engine oils, transmission fluids, Hydraulic fluids, Gear oils, and grease are used in various automotive applications to prevent them from wear and tear.
- Due to the increase in urbanization in Kenya, the demand for automobiles has been growing.
- According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the production of assembled vehicles increased from 1,114 units in February 2022 to 1,154 units in March 2022.
- According to AutosKenya, the sale of newly manufactured vehicles in the first three months of 2022 accounted for 3,203 units, which was 367 units more than what was sold in the first three months of last year.
- However, according to Kenya Motor Industry Association (KMIA), new motor vehicle sales for the nine months to September 2023 dropped 12.3% compared to 2022 because the dealers in the country sold a total of 8,715 units between January and September, compared to 9,936 units sold during the same period in 2022.
- Kenya's government plans to boost the domestic assembly of motor vehicles by providing tax exemptions. This, in turn, is expected to increase the local vehicle assembly operations in Kenya in the coming years.
- Increase in the usage of secondhand cars and various government schemes to encourage the automotive segment in the country. The lubricant market is expected to rise in the forecasted years.
