2015 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Comma Oil & Chemicals Ltd. In the half century since it was established, Comma has evolved from a fledgling, privately-owned blender of mineral motor oils to become the leading supplier of high quality contemporary engine lubricants, coolants and automotive chemicals to the UK independent aftermarket.

Today, under the stewardship of Brazilian energy giant Cosan Lubricants, the company is rapidly extending its global reach and introducing the Comma brand to new markets in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

In 1965, when Comma’s founding partners filled the very first cans of Comma oil in Dartford, Kent, they took on competition from over three hundred other such enterprises selling lubricants in the UK. But the ambitious young duo had a good grounding in the distributive side of the car parts and accessories trade, and by focusing early on the vehicle servicing sector, the company very soon built a loyal customer base and an enviable reputation for the quality of its products and service.

From a market perspective, the introduction in 1996 of the ACEA lubricants standards marked the most important transitional change in lubricant technology from mineral-base to synthetic-based products.

As coolant technology also advanced in step with engine lubricants, Comma entered into a licensing agreement with BASF, Europe’s leading industrial chemicals producer, to introduce to the UK a range of the German company’s Glysantin® based all-seasons antifreeze coolants branded as Comma Xstream®.

Delivering advanced protection to the many different cooling and engine component materials with which they come into contact, the Xstream® range covers all the automotive aftermarket coolant requirements for silicate-based (G48), OAT-based (G30) and Si-OAT-based (G40) products.

Cosan Lubricants – the São Paulo based Mobil licensee in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay – purchased Comma from ExxonMobil in 2012. Major new capital investments and initiatives were embarked upon to extend manufacturing and logistics capabilities at Gravesend, while refreshing the Comma brand image for an ambitious thrust into previously unexplored global markets.

By the beginning of 2015, distribution partnerships for the Comma brand had been established in over 40 global markets, contributing to Comma’s record of sustained year-on-year growth in revenues and profitability.

“As we embark on the second half of Comma’s first century, we remain dedicated to our core values of customer service, product excellence and absolute commitment to fulfilling the needs and requirements of end-user professional service technicians” said Cosan Lubricants chief executive, David Hopkinson.

For more information visit www.commaoil.com ENDS.