New Delhi [India], September 12: As India’s automotive and industrial landscape evolves, so does the technology and infrastructure working behind the scenes to keep it moving. Discovery’s upcoming special The Power Behind Progress takes viewers inside IndianOil’s Integrated Lube Complex at Manali Industrial Area in Chennai (TN), the world’s largest lubricant blending plant, offering a glimpse into the scale of India’s manufacturing capabilities today and the journey that brought them here. At the centre of this story is SERVO, a homegrown brand whose evolution has closely mirrored India’s own journey of industrial growth and self-reliance.
The story of SERVO began in 1972, when India was taking important steps towards building indigenous capabilities in lubricant technology. Developed at IndianOil’s R&D Centre in Faridabad, SERVO emerged as the country’s first indigenously developed high-grade lubricant for defence services and commercial vehicles. What began as an effort to build homegrown lubricant capabilities has since evolved into a brand serving some of the country’s most critical sectors, including automotive, railways, power, mining, steel, marine and defence.
Through the documentary, Discovery goes behind the scenes to explore the people, processes and technology that drive SERVO’s production, while tracing the brand’s journey over five decades. From supporting critical applications in defence and industry to becoming an integral part of India’s mobility landscape, SERVO’s journey reflects the changing needs and growing capabilities of the nation.
Sharing her perspective on what sets the film apart, Tanaz Mehta, Executive Director – Advertising Revenues, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, said:
“At Warner Bros. Discovery, we look for stories that reveal the innovation and ingenuity shaping the world around us. The Power Behind Progress takes audiences beyond a familiar brand to discover the scale, technology and human expertise that power it from within. With SERVO and the Manali facility, we wanted to give viewers a closer look at how advanced manufacturing is evolving in India, while bringing alive the larger story of progress that often happens quietly behind the scenes.”
At the heart of the story is IndianOil’s Manali facility, a state-of-the-art facility built on an extraordinary scale to take lubricant manufacturing into a new era. With a planned capacity of 672 TMTPA, the facility is the world’s largest lubricant blending plant. Automated blending, advanced testing and quality-control capabilities come together at the facility, creating an integrated manufacturing ecosystem designed to deliver consistency, efficiency and the capacity to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding automotive and industrial economy.
The episode brings this story to life by taking audiences beyond the finished product and into the infrastructure that supports its making. It offers a closer look at how engineering, automation and human expertise come together at scale, revealing what it takes to manufacture lubricants for some of India’s most demanding automotive, industrial and strategic applications.
At its core, The Power Behind Progress is not simply about how lubricants are made. It is the story of an Indian innovation that began with a national need and grew into a brand woven into the country’s industrial story. From developing indigenous lubricant technology for defence and commercial vehicles in the 1970s to supporting applications across critical sectors today, SERVO’s journey reflects India’s own movement towards greater technological capability and self-reliance. The Manali complex represents the next chapter of that journey, taking this homegrown legacy to a world-scale manufacturing platform.
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