NLGI Interviews Mr. Enrique Riquelme, Director Quimica Liposoluble, S.A. de C.V. Guadalajara, Mexico By Raj Shah and Mary Moon
Mr. Enrique Riquelme is Director of Quimica Liposoluble, S.A. de C.V., a producer and supplier of additives to the global lubricants industry. Quimica Liposoluble specializes in sulfur chemistry. The Company is integrated vertically from the sulfonation of hydrocarbons to produce sulfonates, to the toll manufacture of sulfonate greases. Quimica Liposoluble currently employs 65 workers, and annual sales are approximately US$8.5 million. The Company is privately held. Products include barium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium sulfonates for use in lubricating greases, engine oils, food grade lubricants, metalworking fluids, and a variety of other applications. Quimica Liposoluble sells sulfonates to customers in Mexico, the United States, India, Japan, and throughout Europe. Company headquarters are located in Guadalajara, a city of over 8 million citizens in
the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Guadalajara is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Manufacturing facilities are in Poncitlan, in the Guadalajara-Barca industrial corridor in Jalisco. The state of Jalisco is situated on the western shore of central Mexico. It is a transportation hub with four airports and extensive networks of bridges, highways, and railroad tracks. NLGI: How did you become interested in chemicals and lubricants? ER: There was always in me an interest in Chemistry. While I was in high school, there was in Mexico a large petrochemical industry development based on the excellent results of the government petroleum company, PEMEX, and the future for chemistry careers looked promising. PEMEX or Pemex is the trademark for Petroleos Mexicanos, the Mexican stateowned petroleum company. PEMEX was formed in 1938 when the Mexican government nationalized and combined oil companies that were operating in Mexico at that time. The Mexican government continues to hold a majority interest in PEMEX. The Company is vertically integrated, - 76 VOLUME 83, NUMBER 3
from exploration and refining through product development and marketing. Starting in the mid-1950’s, discovery and development of domestic onshore and offshore oil fields led to the expansion of refining capacity. Daily production grew to 3 million barrels per day in 2004. Major recent developments include the PEMEX gas station franchise, greater reliance on offshore drilling, increased emphasis on environmental priorities, and changes in the Mexican national legal framework to reform managerial decision making and encourage new private investments in PEMEX. NLGI: How did you start your career in the lubricants industry? ER: I started working in the lubricants industry 51 years ago. In 1968, after obtaining my BS Degree in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Mexico, I started to work for one of the two major lube oil additives manufacturers in Mexico at that time. My Employer was starting up their plant for the production of detergents, antioxidants, and dispersants for the lubricants market, which was controlled by the Government petroleum company, PEMEX, at that time.
