In its domestic market of Germany Liqui Moly is considered the best oil brand and has a significant market share. The company wants to repeat this success abroad. The new export director Salvatore Coniglio explains how that is to work and how the automotive aftermarket is currently changing.
German oil and additive specialist Liqui Moly has a new director for its increasingly important export business: Salvatore Coniglio (50). He was previously the deputy export director. “We will reinforce our internationalisation policy,” he announces.
Removing injectors can require a feat of strength, as hardened combustion residue sticks them to the engine. Rather than use mechanical force, additives and lubricants supplier Liqui Moly says it is much simpler to remove by means of chemical intelligence. The company’s Pro-Line Injector and Glow Plug Dismantling Aid were developed precisely for this purpose.
For the first time in the history of the Liqui Moly calendar, a casting was held for the car to be featured in the photographs. 330 vehicle enthusiasts applied with their four-wheel dreams for the sole place in the oil and additive specialist’s most popular promotional medium. The winner was Rudolf Polzer’s DeLorean DMC-12 – a car with cult status and a famous former owner.
An oil change for automatic transmissions is a tricky business and not to be compared to a motor oil change. The new Gear Tronic II by German oil and additive specialist Liqui Moly fully automatically deals with it. “This makes an ATF change a cinch and is no longer reserved only for specialist garages,” says David Kaiser, Head of Research and Development at Liqui Moly.
It is a fundamental problem of combustion engines: exhaust emissions and fuel residues dirty the fuel and intake system. Performance levels drop, fuel consumption rises and the exhaust gas values become worse. With the JetClean Tronic II by German additive specialist Liqui Moly garages can give the engine and fuel system a thorough cleaning. “The engine breathe freely again and the garage attains additional sales with the service,” says David Kaiser, research and development manager at Liqui Moly.
The German oil and additive specialist Liqui Moly has now significantly improved its delivery times by opening a warehouse of its own in Milton Keynes. “It’s important for us to ensure our customers don’t have to wait long for their orders arrive,” says Ibrahim Memis, who is responsible at Liqui Moly for trade in the UK.
In Denmark the best national teams will cross sticks at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from May 4 to 20. The German oil and additive specialist Liqui Moly is the official sponsor of the competitions that will be carried out in Copenhagen and Herning.
A total of 7.2 million readers in Germany have been asked to name the best oil brand, with Auto Bild, Auto Motor und Sport, Auto Zeitung and Motor Klassik all receiving Liqui Moly as the answer. “This clear vote is an award and an obligation at the same time,” says Ernst Prost, CEO of the company.
2017 was a good year for Liqui Moly, as CEO Ernst Prost explains: “Our turnover in 2017 was 532 million euros, an increase of 9 per cent on the 489 million euros achieved in 2016. Our profit before tax is 52 million euros. Also an increase of 9 per cent compared to the previous year. That’s what we need! Just to maintain our equity capital ratio of 80 per cent.”
The longstanding collaboration between German oil manufacturer Liqui Moly and several partners of Autodistribution International (ADI) has now resulted in an official cooperation agreement being concluded with the umbrella organization. Both sides expect a significant boost in sales as a result. “We look forward to multiplying our success with ADI,” says Salvatore Coniglio, deputy export manager with Liqui Moly.
It is LIQUI MOLY’s largest sponsorship investment in the US. The German oil specialist enters the International Motor Sports Association WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Turner Motorsport. “That adds a big boost to LIQUI MOLY’s reputation,” said Peter Baumann, marketing director for LIQUI MOLY.
Liqui Moly is getting a new owner. At the turn of the year the CEO Ernst Prost is selling his company shares to the Würth Group. “I have hereby secured the future of Liqui Moly for a time when I may no longer be at the helm myself,” says Prost. He remains the CEO of the corporate group.
The number of registered vehicles with alternative drives is still minimal compared to those with diesel and petrol motors, but the new drive types are revolutionizing the car industry. Liqui Moly is also intensively dealing with this topic and is launching an innovation on the market: The Hybrid Additive, a fuel additive specially developed for hybrid vehicles. Furthermore, motor oils suitable for these motors are identified with a pictogram.
This year the jump to the very top was successful. In the past Liqui Moly had always come second place when the question of which is the best oil brand was posed to the readers of German magazine Sport Auto. Now the medium-sized company has made its way to the very top in the favour of the readers.
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