ICONIC Technology Center
ICONIC Technology Center – ICONIC, a national leader in the lubricants sector, is opening its new Technology Center, a 1,100 m2 space located at its Duque de Caxias unit in Rio de Janeiro. This Center represents a milestone for the company, consolidating its leadership role and a benchmark in innovation and development in the sector.
The Technology Center was designed to integrate, in a single environment, product and packaging quality control activities, technical services, advanced analyses for customers and its solid structure dedicated to research and development (R&D). Investments reached R$ 10 million in the construction phase, in addition to the expected annual contributions of R$ 4 million for the acquisition and updating of equipment, ensuring a center that is always innovative and up-to-date, with quality services and a customized portfolio for each new project.
Equipped with cutting-edge technologies, the space has specific equipment for field and application testing that allows simulation under real operating conditions and a pilot plant for the development of specific solutions for customers.
Roberta Teixeira, ICONIC’s Director of Technology and Sustainability, highlights the benefits brought by the new Technology Center: “It has more than 300 pieces of equipment and provides increased automation and specific assessments for base oils, additives, greases, coolants, fuels, fluids and biofuels. It is one of the few technology parks in South America that performs such a wide range of tests and analyses for the downstream sector, in addition to excellence in research and development of innovations for the market. Our strategy is the result of a constant effort in innovation, reinforcing our commitment to customization and service focused on the needs of our customers”, she says.
The executive also mentions the Center’s networking and exchange of expertise with important technology institutes and universities, in Brazil and abroad, in addition to continuous investment in new equipment and professional training.
The Technology Center operates with unique equipment, many of which are exclusive to the laboratory in Latin America. These include the FZG, designed to perform gear tests, and a dynamometer coupled to a motorcycle engine, which allows different operating conditions to be simulated and the lubricant’s behavior to be evaluated in practice, in addition to reactors in its pilot plant for semi-industrial scale testing of new products and customer tests.
Sustainability and Innovation
The Technology Center operates as a Technology Hub for managing innovative solutions in the development of products and packaging that combine sustainability and high performance. Initiatives include the formulation of solutions based on renewable sources, with a lower carbon footprint and compatible with Brazilian biofuels. In the case of packaging, the focus is on reducing the use of virgin plastic and increasing the use of post-consumer recycled raw materials (PCR), promoting the circular economy.
The products developed not only meet high global energy efficiency standards, but also optimize equipment performance, reducing energy consumption and ensuring greater durability and operational reliability. This commitment consolidates ICONIC’s position as a leader in solutions that integrate innovation and sustainability.
Operations
The ICONIC Technology Center tests more than 100,000 samples annually, performing more than 500,000 analyses. It covers a wide range of tests ranging from quality control to advanced developments, such as performance simulations under real operating conditions.
These tests, carried out with the support of state-of-the-art equipment, not only guarantee technical excellence, but also feed a robust database of product performance information. This database is a strategic asset, providing valuable insights that drive the development of new solutions, allowing ICONIC to continually innovate and create products that are increasingly efficient, sustainable and aligned with market needs.
In addition, all processes carried out at the center are certified and accredited according to rigorous international standards, ensuring credibility and trust in the results obtained. This combination of high technical capacity and quality certifications reinforces the Technology Center’s commitment to excellence and innovation, providing accurate and safe solutions for customers and partners, often created from scratch.
“All the products and services we offer are designed to meet the needs of our customers, without neglecting the characteristics that make them unique. The combination of experience in the national market with our already established brands, Ipiranga and Texaco, and the global vision brought by Chevron, ensures that the quality of our offerings is designed in a different way for our customers”, says Roberta.
Among the services, the Technology Center develops Lubewatch: a program developed to provide maintenance engineers with an accurate diagnosis of the oil used, detailing the lubricant’s performance and identifying possible contaminants. As a powerful predictive maintenance tool, the project continuously monitors the operation of equipment, providing crucial insights into its conditions before serious failures occur. In this way, it guarantees productivity and minimizes unplanned downtime. Construction and people management
The construction of ICONIC’s new technology park took just over two years – from August 2022 to October 2024 – and also included the transfer of a large part of the laboratory that was located at the São Cristóvão unit to the Duque de Caxias plant. This entire process was carried out without causing any accidents or interruptions in service. “There was no interruption in the manufacturing process or in the service provided to our customers. We were able to maintain the quality of our services and activities, even with the construction of our new technology space”, says Roberta.
Today, around 40 highly qualified professionals work at the Technology Center. Most have degrees in chemistry and chemical and mechanical engineering. In addition, most of these professionals are certified by the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML), a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth and development of machine lubrication as a technical field for the company.
Among its many activities, the ICML offers skill tests to obtain certifications in the fields of condition monitoring, lubrication and oil analysis. In total, ICONIC has 39 professionals in Brazil with this qualification, making it the largest in its sector in this essential training for the excellence of products and services related to vehicle and equipment lubrication.
ICONIC’s Technology Center also has a partnership with the Euvaldo Lodi Institute, IEL, through the INOVA Talentos program. Researchers with Master’s and Doctorate degrees work on developing innovation projects focused on sustainable solutions in products and services.
About ICONIC
Founded in 2018, from a joint venture between Ipiranga and Chevron, ICONIC is the leader in the marketing of lubricants in Brazil, responsible for the two main brands in the market: Texaco and Ipiranga Lubrificantes. It develops, produces, markets and distributes lubricants, greases and coolants, building solid partnerships and putting the Brazilian soul and global DNA at the service of those who make the world go round. ICONIC offers a wide range of products produced in 2 manufacturing units and distributes base oils through a dedicated terminal connected to the port of Rio de Janeiro. The company focuses on growing the lubricants and base oils business, always adopting global safety and quality procedures and standards, and under good ethics and governance practices. More information about ICONIC is available at www.iconic.com.br
