Despite the very tough operating environment, oil and additive specialist LIQUI MOLY grew by 23% in the first half of the year and has enjoyed a high sales volume in July to mark the start of the second half of the year.

LIQUI MOLY first six months sales stood at 355 million euros, an increase of 23 percent compared with the same period in the previous year. “We have emerged stronger from the pandemic because we refused to put our heads in the sand, instead we worked hard and got the job done,” says Managing Director Ernst Prost.

Prost pointed out that compared to the first half of 2019, growth even stands at 38% and it was not just revenue that increased. From January to July, 53 new employees were hired. Ernst Prost attributes this success to, "Being uncompromising, when it comes to the quality of our products. Uncompromising, in delivering the very best service to our customers. Uncompromising, in investing in our four pillars: people, markets, machines and brand."

LIQUI MOLY also benefits from the fact that engine oils are increasingly becoming high-tech lubricants that are increasingly demanding to produce, with some oil manufacturers struggling to keep up with this technological change. In contrast, LIQUI MOLY is constantly investing in research, production and logistics, even in difficult times.

Rising raw material costs and availability issues have meant earnings, while still healthy, are down on 2019 levels. Ernst Prost says “Due to the pandemic, air traffic has collapsed. The demand for kerosene is correspondingly lower. However, since refineries cannot simply start making heating oil or something else from crude oil instead of kerosene, they are shutting down their production as a whole. Engine oil manufacturers such as LIQUI MOLY can also feel this because the ingredients for their oils are becoming scarce. And once the motor oils have been produced, it can take some time for the goods to reach the customer. There is also a lack of container space on cargo ships.” He adds, “Nevertheless, July closed the month with earnings of 2.2 million euros, which is noticeably higher than in previous months, and offers an optimistic outlook for the second half of the year.”