Our history

The Trading & Producing Group ARGO was founded in 1997. Young chemists and engineers had united by the idea to create innovative Russian greases and founded the new Company. Carefully selecting a raw materials base and implementing new technologies to create unique greases, the company has been willing to the best result – to save and extend its clients’ equipment life with the help of application of lubricants.

In 1998, the necessity of constructing own production reached its maximum. The modern production is the whole process complex without which it is impossible to guarantee the declared product quality. Only own production capacity allows guaranteeing the continuous availability and fast manufacturing of greases to our clients.

The development of own industrial production of Neozon plant, forming a part of the Commercial and Industrial Group ARGO, allowed us extending the nomenclature of issued greases and increasing the packing assortment. Even then, our clients could purchase plastic greases from 100g tube to barrel. The plant has produced first batches of such greases as: lithol-24, shrus-4М, graphite grease, tsiatim-201, tsiatim-203, plastic grease Nr. 158, tsiatim-221, VNII NP-207 grease, VNII NP-232 paste, UNIOL–2MN grease, UNIOL 2M\2 grease, SOLIDOL-Zh. Convenient tare and different types of packing contributed to the development of the domestic grease market in Russia.

A launch of the ARGO premium products, which can really compete with important industry giants, is one of the most important events at the domestic plastic grease market. The Russian company ARGO challenged the world grease-producing society, having utilized the advanced technology of SM-ART (System Molecular Argo Technology). Such series of greases as: Termo, ELIT, BuroLit appeared in the market. These plastic greases of a new generation allowed many companies substituting GOST greases (e.g., lithol-24) to professional products, created for reliable equipment protection. The main difference of premium greases is the improved tribological characteristics, designed taking into account national and import equipment in Russian conditions.

The utilization of the new technology allowed producing premium plastic greases. We considered climatologic, geologic, process, economic features in order to help the industrial potential of Russia to become more independent with regard to import grease production. Premium ARGO greases effectively substitute import plastic greases, so they are completely equal products, which quality corresponds to such standards as DIN and NLGI. Such enterprises of the industrial segment as: Severstal, Karelian Okatysh, Norilsk Nikel, VSMPO-Avisma became the first consumers introducing the import substitution with ARGO. Plastic ARGO greases are supplied to these enterprises today too.

Due to a wide assortment of both the GOST products and premium grease group, more and more dealers joined our company. The variety of application and packing areas allowed dealers conducting their activities both in B2C and B2B segments. Proposing a high economical effect from the application of plastic ARGO greases, the company clearly stands out among other national manufacturers. Our quality corresponds to world standards, and prices are clearly lower than that of import greases.

Hi-tech greases, import substitution program and increasing popularity of the Russian manufacturer of ARGO lubricants allowed the company expanding the plant. In 2010, international experts denoted a trend shift towards hi-tech premium greases, which had been based on modern complex bases. Simple lithium and fat bases were reduced. What does it mean? First of all, the main equipment park (Russian industry) to 2010 consisted of import equipment, which requires and required more difficult greases for its maintenance. Initiated test programs at large mining and metallurgical enterprises allowed surely using plastic greases in different import equipment, e.g.: Sangvik, Komatsu, Lincoln.

As the trends in the sphere of lubricants application changed towards high-specialized products, the company needed to increase the research group for quick reacting to requests of industrial enterprises. The variety of raw material base as well as the accumulated experience of cooperation with industrial enterprises allowed quick implementation of exclusive materials, specially designed for the customer. As contrasted with other companies, the cycle from development to supply of new grease is 4 weeks. So, a series of unique SpecLub products, designed taking into account the operation features of domestic and import equipment, appears. This grease series is supplied directly to industrial enterprises of Russia. A quick implementation cycle of new products allows the clients developing their own private label; we guarantee the quality and privacy.

The implementation of the enterprise resource planning system was an important step in the ARGO company history. Being the technological leader in lubricant production, the ARGO is willing to correspond with modern company management standards. Due to the integrated enterprise and production management system, the company ensured transparent interaction business-processes with its suppliers and partners.

An additional sale office and warehouse allow our clients selecting the most convenient way of product shipment or payment.

The certificate and registration of test laboratory accreditation certificate in the System State Register is the official confirmation of technical competence in test conducting. To obtain this certificate, the company shall have: own material and technical base, documented procedures, management structure, qualified personnel, administration, legal and economical capacities, quality assurance system, set of regulatory, legal and organizational and methodical documents. All the ARGO products pass through the 5-stage quality control; a quality passport confirmed by a certified laboratory is issued for each batch. We store official samples during more than a year, it allows our clients inspecting in any moment the quality of produced batch and conducting repeated tests.

The ten-year experience of plastic grease import substitution, the plant expansion as well as the availability of a research department allow the ARGO company going to new markets and occupying firm positions there. One of such solutions was the appearance of a food-compatible grease line with Н1 access. In Russia as well as in the whole world, there are enough strict quality requirements to food products. That is why all the industrial enterprises of food industry are obliged to improve their processes and more carefully approach to the grease selection, ensuring the processes, e.g.: grease for conveyor rollers in the baking industry. Taking care of its own consumers, the ARGO obtained the international permission Н1, which allows a random food contact. The ARGO Food Line H1 grease composition contains only allowable ingredients, corresponding to the 21 CFR 178.3750 document.

Distributors present our production in each RF region. Our partners value value not only the stability of the product quality. Working with industrial customers, regional distributors have appreciated our ability to develop and manufacture greases with the formulation and characteristics that meet the needs of their customer and their equipment.

The price&volume policy of big corporations that produce lubricants, the sanctions policy of Western countries effects on profitability of sales. It forces companies to research a new assortment management approach. To meet the customers needs our Company has launched a new direction – private label production. Our partners get a high-quality, highly profitable product, transfering all processing to our side. We offer full cycle process from consulting, formulation choice, documents and layouts preparation - to produced on time product delivery to the client.

ARGO R&D is a team of highly qualified professionals who daily work to improve lubricants, they select formulations and ingredients that meet the task to extend the mechanisms life. Important part of technologists’ work is to create the new innovative products. This year the new grease ranges TermoPlex on an aluminum thickener, TermoLub S on a thickener calcium sulfonate, TermoLux on polyurea have been added to our sales.

Guided by the task of introducing innovative ARGO greases at major russian enterprises and at small industrial facilities, a team of ARGO sales representatives began to work in the regions. Technically savvy representatives of our company introduce the ARGO brand in their region and offer the main assortment products to the end industrial consumers. Regional team is also able to work out a complex problem related to grease perfomance with the technological team and put the product that will solve the problem and prolong the life of the mechanism for testing.