The FUCHS Group has signed an agreement to acquire OPET’s 50% stake in the OPET FUCHS joint venture, which is headquartered in Istanbul, Türkiye. FUCHS will hold 100% of the company’s shares and operate under the name FUCHS Lubricant Turkiye. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of April 2026. The aim of the acquisition is to further strengthen FUCHS’ market position in Türkiye.
“The Turkish market is of great strategic importance to us due to its market size, industrial base, and growth prospects,” said Dr. Ralph Rheinboldt, Member of the FUCHS Executive Board responsible for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). Türkiye plays a central role for FUCHS in the industrial, OEM, mining, and automotive aftermarket sectors. “With the complete takeover, we will be able to implement strategic decisions more quickly and consistently, enabling us to make better use of growth opportunities,” said Rheinboldt.
The OPET FUCHS joint venture was founded in 2005 and initially focused on industrial business. OPET is owned in equal parts, 50% each, by the Öztürk family and the KOC Group, Türkiye’s largest industrial and services group. In 2011, the joint venture expanded to include the automotive lubricants business and has offered a full range of lubricants since then. A new plant was built in Aliaga (Izmir) in 2019. Extensive FUCHS know-how has been incorporated into the plant’s construction and operation, with state-of-the-art laboratory and production capabilities grounded in the Group’s global expertise and numerous production sites worldwide.
“Thanks to our close connection to the KOC Group, we benefit today from both strong operational and digitalization expertise as well as from a well-established, trusted customer base. With the acquisition of the remaining shares in the company, we will be able to more closely integrate the Turkish subsidiary into the FUCHS Group and further strengthen our proximity to customers,” commented Christian Ohligmacher, Regional Vice President Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Türkiye. “Even after the takeover, the former joint-venture partners intend to continue their long-standing commercial partnership.” .