The Chemical Hub of Hinduja Group was created with Gulf Oil India Limited merging with IDL Industries Limited from January 01, 2002. The merger has enabled the company to leverage the large marketing networks of lubricants and industrial explosives businesses and achieve a turnover for the financial year 2008-09 of Rs 1,000 crore ($200 million). Exports accounted for 5% of the turnover.

IDL Industries Limited was renamed as GULF OIL Corporation Limited with the merger of Gulf Oil India’s business. A property Development Division was started in the Company from 2006. With effect from April 1, 2008 the business of specialty chemicals Division has been transferred to a 100% subsdiary - IDL Speciality Chemicals Limited through a scheme of arrangement sanctioned by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad.

Gulf Oil Corporation (GOCL) is engaged in manufacturing industrial explosives, mining products, lubricants, speciality oils and chemicals, active pharma ingredients (bulk drugs) and pharma formulations. Gulf has an agreement with GULF Oil International (Mauritius) Inc for trademarks licence and technical know-how. It introduced range of GULF’s international products in India. In 1994 subsidiary company of GOCL was set up under the name GULF CareX India (GCIL) India in technical collaboration with SIPAL Arexons SpA, Italy. SIPAL Arexons SpA is engaged manufacture and marketing of wide range of vehicle maintenance products and is part of Fiat Group Companies. GULF CareX India introduced product range of 'Do-it-yourself' that keep the vehicle fit.

In 1995 the company set up its first State-of-the-art blending plant at Silvassa. This plant has a capacity of producing 75,000 tpa of lubricating oil. In 1996 the name of GULF CareX was changed to GULF Carosserie India. In the same year GOCL was merged with Pita Ashish Oils & Lubricants

GCIL started production of greases in 1997. During 1997 the second manufacturing facility was started at Calcutta under blending and filling arrangements to cater to Eastern and North-eastern locations.

Products

Lubricants

The division was started in 1993 to manufacture and market lubricating oil and greases. Within a short span of seven years, the Division has grown to become the second largest lubricant oil manufacturer in the private sector in India. The Gulf brand today is one of the best known brands with an expansive distribution network spread across the length and breadth of the country.

With the wealth of the knowledge and experience of its principal, Gulf Oil International, including a vast database of formulations running into thousands, the Lubricants Division is well placed to cater to all possible applications in the lube sector. The state of the art PLC controlled manufacturing facility ensures highest product quality and reliability enabling the division to export its product to many countries in Asia.

The Division is a regular supplier to almost all major automobile and tractor manufacturers in the country and is approved by almost all major original equipment manufacturers. With the recent marketing initiatives undertaken by the Division, it is poised to take a significant share of the lubricating oil market in the country and neighbouring countries.

Over the last 2 years, this Division has been steadily diversifying into automotive accessories such as various types of automotive filters and mechanic services in large metropolitan cities for maintenance of passenger cars. It is also supplying automatic greasing equipments to large garages which are now handling large number of transport vehicles due to phenomenal increase in the medium and heavy transport vehicles over the last 2-3 years in India.

Industrial Explosives Division

The Division has the country's largest explosives and detonators manufacturing facilities (9 manufacturing plants and 6 bulk explosives support facilities) around India. Its Hyderabad Plant is one of the largest detonator manufacturing facilities in the world (192 million nos per annum). The other plants manufacture cartridge explosives as well as intermediaries for site mix explosives.

The Division employs well-qualified, trained and experienced team of mining engineers, operating in various regions of the Indian subcontinent with offices in Hyderabad, Rourkela, Ahmedabad, Asansol, Barbil, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Dhanbad, Guwahati, Kolkata, Nagpur, Ramagundam, Ranchi, Satna, Siliguri, Singrauli, Talcher and Udaipur, supporting a nationwide distribution.

A well-equipped and well-staffed R&D wing has succeeded in developing new products in line with customer demands and in obtaining a large number of explosives related patents in India and abroad. The R&D wing has been able to commercialize several products for defense and space applications, explosively bonded clad metal plates for chemical industries and ship building and recently electronically programmable detonators used for precision blasting in mines.

The Division is the country’s largest exporter of explosives and detonators (CE Certified) to 25 countries, which includes countries in the Far East, South East Asia, Southern Asia, West Asia, Gulf, Middle East, North Africa and Southern Europe.

In 2014 the company got the approval of the demerger of the Lubricants business of the Company, Gulf Oil Corporation Limited (GOCL) into a separate company ( wholly owned subsidiary of the Company ) namely Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited ( GOLIL ).

Mining & Infrastructure Contracts Division

Mining Contracts

Observing the need of efficient and well planned mining operations, IDLconsult division was formed in 2001. Since then the Division has expanded its services in coal, iron ore, manganese, limestone mines. The Division plans and operates the mines and currently handling about 60 million tonnes of rock and ore annually.

The Division has also started taking up mineral screening and crushing in the iron ore sector and planning for coal washeries in the near future. The company has prestigious contracts with:

• Coal India Limited, Kolkata
• Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Hyderabad
• National Mineral Development Corporation Limited, Hyderabad
• Aditya Birla Group, Mumbai
• Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur
• Patnaik Minerals, Orissa
• Adhunik Metalliks Group, Kolkata

Infrastructure Contracts

• Projects executed / under execution:
• Large R&D building for Reliance Industries at Jamnagar, Gujarat
• Bridges and Culverts for Outer Ring Road Project in Hyderabad
• Various Quarry operations in the Road Projects under NHAI
• Advanced engineering work in Delhi Metro by controlled underground blasting
• Controlled demolition activities in Hyderabad and Kolkata by implosion techniques
• Infrastructure development for alumina plant in Orissa. The work involves piling, construction of plants, workshop, residential colony, bridges for railway and roads.

The Division has plans to undertake various infrastructure activities in line with the growth plans of the Indian Government.

Property Development

The company has large land bank. Properties are mainly situated at Bangalore (Bengaluru) and Hyderabad. Development of these properties is being taken up progressively as opportunities are identified to unlock shareholder value and fund major expansion projects.

Milestones

2014

• Gulf Oil Corporation demerges into two listed companies

2010

• Gulf SUPERFLEET LE Max becomes India's first engine oil with a drain interval of 40,000 km

2008

• Gulf Oil wins SAP ACE award for best implementation
• The company undertakes mining related infrastructure works at Rayagada, Orissa.
• The company equips itself with a state-of-art 3D scanner

2009

• The company wins Best Employer Brand Award, Oil & Gas - Private Sector for the year 2009-10

2011

• The company, which hived off its explosives business into a wholly-owned subsidiary last year, would induct a strategy partner by end 0f 2011. With margins coming under pressure due to high interest rates and increasing costs, the company would be de-risking its business strategy foraying into property development and cutting losses in mining business.
• The company, which has a lubricants manufacturing plant at Silvassa, plans to set up a second plantin South India at an investment of Rs 150 crore.