Journey of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC) is a ‘Maharatna’ company by the Government of India. It was formed in 1964 after the merger of Indian Oil Company Limited with Indian Refineries Limited. It is India’s largest integrated and diversified energy company, with its presence in the streams of oil, petrochemicals, gas, and alternative energy sources. The company's operations include refineries, pipelines and marketing. As of April 1, 2020, the Indian Oil Group had a refining capacity of 80.2 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), constituting approximately 32% of the total national refining capacity of 248.9 MMTPA. Among the 23 refineries in India, the Indian Oil Group manages 9 of them. These refineries vary from the nation's oldest one, operational since 1901 in Digboi with a capacity of 0.65 MMTPA, to the most recent addition at Paradip, with a capacity of 15 MMTPA, which was inaugurated in 2016. IOC has more than 60,000 customer touchpoints and 36,445 fuel stations and is the promoter of the Indian Government’s SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme.

Business Segments

The business segments of IOC include:

• Refining -Under this segment, the company undertakes oil refining and marketing in India. It administers the most significant number of oil refineries in the country. The refineries are located in Digboi, Guwahati, Barauni, Gujarat, Haldia, Bongaigaon, Mathura, Panipat and Paradip.

• Pipeline -The organization is considered a pioneer in oil pipelines in India. They oversee one of the largest oil pipeline networks in the world and accomplished a throughput of 76.019 million metric tonnes in the FY 2020-21.

• Marketing -This segment of IOC tries to reach out to their customers. They have 58,000 marketing touchpoints in Asia.

• Research and Development -This vertical in IOC core priorityes on creating environmentally friendly products and technologies that address critical national energy needs and promote self-reliance. Along with the research in the petroleum department, the organization also works in areas like hydrogen, solar energy, etc.

• Natural Gas -Under this segment, the organization markets and imports natural gas.

• Petrochemicals -The organization has its presence in the petrochemical sector also. They have a separate Strategic Business Unit (SBU) to market petrochemicals.

• E&P -IOC is also involved in the Exploration and Production (E&P) activities both in and out of the country.

• City Gas Distribution (CGD) -The organization is committed to bringing forth clean and green energy solutions. The CGD segment is determined to enhance their Natural Gas infrastructure in India.

• Explosives -The company also delivers bulk explosives and blast-based services in India.

• Cryogenics -IOC also manufactures cryogenic containers in India. These containers are used to preserve embryos and stem cells, to store and transport liquefied gasses, etc.

The domestic subsidiary companies under IOC are,

• Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) -This organization was previously commonly referred to as Madras Refineries Limited (MRL). CPCL is involved in refining petroleum products.
• IOC Global Capital Management IFSC Limited -This company delivers financial services and is a wholly owned subsidiary of IOC.

Foreign subsidiaries include IndianOil (Mauritius) Limited, Lanka IOC PLC, Sri Lanka, IOC Middle East FZE, UAE, IOC Sweden AB, Sweden, IOCL (USA) Inc., USA, IndOil Global B.V. Netherlands, IOCL Singapore Pte Limited, Singapore. There are over 25 Joint Ventures of IOC, including Avi-Oil India, Delhi Aviation Fuel Facility, Green Gas, etc.

Key Personnel of IOC

• Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman

Shrikant Madhav Vaidya heads Indian Oil Corporation. He was recognised as the top Indian CEO in March 2023 and ranked 81 worldwide in the Most Influential Global CEOs list by CEOWORLD Magazine. He has more than 36 years of experience in the petroleum industry and is an expert in refinery-petrochemical integration. He did his Chemical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela.

Corporate Actions

Bonus Shares: The company has declared bonus shares four times since 2009.

• A 1:2 bonus ratio was declared with a record date of July 1, 2022, and an ex-date of June 30, 2022.
• A 1:1 bonus ratio was declared with a record date of March 17, 2018, and an ex-date of March 15, 2018.
• A 1:1 bonus ratio was declared with a record date of October 19, 2016, and an ex-date of October 18, 2016.
• A 1:1 bonus ratio was declared with a record date of October 30, 2009, and an ex-date of October 29, 2009.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• The organization has a strong brand name.
• The organization possesses and manages several refineries in the country.

Weakness

• The organization's market share is limited due to other energy players in the market.

Opportunities 

• The organization can increase its natural gas market.
• The organization can acquire small players in the market and enjoy a bit more market share.
• The organization can expand globally.

Threats

• The organization is subject to government regulations.
• Environment-core priorityed companies can act as barriers.