Kobe Lubricants Co., Ltd. will support you from the selection of the optimum lubricating oil to the purchase. | [Blog] ENEOS, Idemitsu, Cosmo... Were they different companies in the past? The evolution of oil refining companies | Introducing articles about products handled by Kobe Lubricants Co., Ltd.

You may not often hear the term "oil refining company."

Simply put, it's a company that procures crude oil from overseas, refines it into petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, and heavy oil, and then sells them.

The gasoline we fill up at gas stations is also
Upstream from there are these oil companies.

And it's not just gasoline.

Lubricants such as engine oil, gear oil, and hydraulic fluid used in automobiles and machinery are also important products handled by petroleum companies.

The oil companies we see today are
The number of gas stations is somewhat limited, including ENEOS , Idemitsu, and Cosmo.

However, there used to be many oil companies.

for example,

* Nippon Oil

* Mitsubishi Oil

* Kyodo Oil

* Maruzen Oil

* Daikyo Oil

* Showa Oil

* Showa Shell Oil

* Idemitsu Kosan

Many companies have since changed their names or merged with other companies.

So why have so many companies merged?

This is due to changes in the environment surrounding the oil industry .

After a period in which the demand for petroleum products increased significantly due to the spread of automobiles and economic growth,
The Japanese oil market gradually matured.

Furthermore, since the 1990s , deregulation surrounding petroleum products has also progressed.
The competitive landscape surrounding oil companies is changing.

The petroleum industry includes large-scale facilities such as refineries and logistics networks that deliver products nationwide.
This is an industry that requires a lot of equipment and capital.

Therefore, by merging companies, they can streamline facilities, logistics, sales networks, etc.
Efforts to enhance competitiveness progressed.

In this way, a large group that would later become the major oil companies of today was formed.

Currently, one of the most familiar petroleum brands in Japan is probably " ENEOS ".

However, the name ENEOS hasn't always been used.

One of its roots lies in " Nippon Oil ," which was founded in 1888 .

Subsequently, after mergers with various companies,

Nippon Oil

↓

Nippon Oil Corporation

↓

JX

↓

JX Energy

↓

JXTG Energy

↓

ENEOS

This leads to a larger trend.

Another familiar example is Idemitsu and Showa Shell .

They were formerly two separate companies: "Idemitsu Kosan" and "Showa Shell Sekiyu."

When you think of Showa Shell Oil, many people probably picture the red and yellow seashell logo on the " Shell " sign.

These two companies merged in 2019 .

And currently, Idemitsu service stations are operating under the brand name " apollostation ".

For those who used to see the " Shell " sign, seeing the current " Apollostation " sign will be quite a shock.
You might be wondering, "When did this change?"

This, too, is a result of the restructuring of the oil industry .

The current " Cosmo Oil " wasn't originally a single company either.

In 1986 , Daikyo Oil, Maruzen Oil, and the former Cosmo Oil merged to form "Cosmo Oil."

Furthermore, industry restructuring continued afterward, leading to the current Cosmo Energy Group.

Some people might hear the name "Maruzen Oil" and think, "That reminds me of old-fashioned gas stations."

In fact, that history is still carried on by Cosmo Oil today.

As I've shown, if we trace back the origins of the oil companies we see today, we can see some surprising connections between them.

for example,

"Which current company is the former Nippon Oil related to?"

"What about Mitsubishi Oil in the past?"

"What happened to Showa Shell?"

"What about Maruzen Oil?"

As you investigate further, it starts to resemble the company's "family tree."

Up to this point, we've mainly discussed the history of oil companies, focusing on gasoline, but in fact, the " lubricants " we handle are also deeply connected to the history of these oil companies.

Lubricants, such as engine oil, gear oil, hydraulic fluid, and industrial lubricants, are used in a variety of places, including automobiles and factory machinery.

And even with lubricants, the history of the "old brand" or "former company" before the current company name was adopted remains.

Therefore, in the lubricant industry,

"Which company used to produce this product?"

Upon investigation, you might discover unexpected connections between companies.

We often see the brands of oil companies like " ENEOS ," "Idemitsu," and "Cosmo" without giving it much thought.

However, if you trace each of them back, you'll find a long history behind them.

While the company name has changed over time, the technologies, products, and know-how cultivated during that period have been passed down to the next generation.

When you see a gas station or lubricant products,

"What kind of company was this in the past?"

If we trace back through history a little, we might be able to see things from a different perspective than usual.

The lubricants we handle every day actually have a long history behind them.

If the opportunity arises in the future, I would like to delve deeper into how former oil companies and lubricant brands are connected to the present day.