Go back

Message from the President – June 2022

29/06/2022

Dear readers,

The acceleration of the EU’s green agenda, the electrification of car parks, car sharing, the continued move towards greater efficiency and longer interval drains – all these trends are threatening the automotive and industrial lubricants market in Europe.

Does this mean that our industry faces a dark future? I don’t think so.

There is no doubt that all these trends will negatively impact demand, with the growth rate depending on the speed at which all these trends will materialise.

However, it is possible to grow in a business environment with dwindling demand. The answer is value growth.

In order to be successful in capturing value growth opportunities, it will be essential to develop strategies that ensure access to value growth areas. As value growth is not evenly distributed, it will be important to identify the target segments where a premium offer is valued, the specific needs of these segments and how best to meet these needs. This may include, for instance, the development of specialised high-performance products that provide tangible value to customers, or the creation of a lubricants-plus offer, involving value-added services to gain greater customer engagement and loyalty.

In order to develop the best solution for a specific segment and a specific customer, it is essential to understand the customer’s requirements. And this starts from the sales interaction. This will require moving from a transactional to a consultative approach, from selling products to selling solutions. There is  vast evidence that moving from a product-centric to a customer-centric sales model has multiple benefits, both in terms of short-term revenue generation and long-term growth.

To start the journey of value-based selling or to progress in this area, we offer you the opportunity to participate in a two-hour workshop conducted by Plan.Grow.Do, a company specialising in value-based selling training specifically for the lubricants and additives industry.

The course will take place in Athens, Greece, on 19 October, just before the start of our Annual Congress which runs until 21 October. Registration for the course can be done at the same time as the congress registration, which is now open via the UEIL website. If you would like to know more about the course, please do not hesitate to contact the UEIL Secretariat or myself.

I look forward to meeting you all in Athens to create more value for our industry, now and in the long term.

Valentina Serra-Holm

President of UEIL