Shell Continues To Have Strong Presence In Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- Global oil giant Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) will continue to have a strong presence in Malaysia for many years, Shell Lubricant Executive Director for Southeast Asia Troy Chapman said. He said the company is always looking at its existing portfolio comprising retail fuels and lubricants to make sure Shell is competitive. "We have announced the refinery arm is in a transitioning process now. Beyond that we don't have any plans on any other thing right now," he told reporters at the launch of the Shell Helix Engine Warranty (SHEW) programme here Tuesday. On Feb 1 this year, Shell announced that it was selling its entire 51 per cent stake in a refinery in Port Dickson, Malaysia's Negeri Sembilan state to a Chinese company. It had reached a conditional agreement with Malaysian Hengyuan International Ltd (HIL), a unit of China's Shandong Hengyuan Petrochemical Co, for the sale of its 51 per cent shareholding in Shell Refining Co (SRC) in Malaysia for US$66.3 million (US$1.00=RM4.04). Earlier, Chapman said Shell expected the SHEW programme to increase its lubricant market share to 36 per cent by year-end from the current 35 per cent. "Based on our experience in other markets, some of them have increased by one per cent market share. We would love for something like that to happen in Malaysia, and it is certainly possible," he said. SHEW is a free extended engine warranty programme for car owners, the first of its kind to be offered by a lubricant manufacturer. The warranty covers 15 major engine parts for up to 12 years or 200,000 km against lubricant-caused engine failures from Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology and Shell Helix HX7 motor oils. Meanwhile, Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd Managing Director Azman Ismail said SHEW has enabled Shell to team up with loyal trade workshops to grow their business to the next level by providing them with a platform to better service their customers. "Workshops that are authorised as SHEW issuers would enjoy the confidence of car owners, who seek genuine Shell Helix products. "More than 1,000 authorised workshops and Shell petrol stations nationwide will be offering the SHEW programme by June this year," he said. -- BERNAMA