Indane (LPG)

The marketing operations for LPG commenced in India in 1955 at Mumbai, under the Burmah Shell Oil Company. It was not until Indian Oil took charge that it actually became a flourishing and recognizable industry. Brand Indane was conceived in 1964 and had very modest beginnings. The first Indane LPG connection was released on 22 October 1965 at Kolkata. Indane began operations in October 1965, with two dealerships in Kolkata and Patna, and a consumer base of around 2,000.[7] At that time the concept of a cooking gas was new to the customers and they were apprehensive of keeping a gas cylinder in their kitchens, perceiving it as unsafe and a potential hazard.[8]

More than 50 years later, Indane now has a customer base of more than 98 million and its distribution network delivers more than 2 million LPG cylinders in a day.[9]

The main product of Indane is packed Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. It also provides LPG through Reticulated Piped Gas System which directly pipe Indane LPG into the kitchens of modern urban customers. Through its Indane LPG distributors, Indian Oil markets several home aids and conveniences. These include electric exhaust chimneys, non-stick kitchen cookware, pressure cookers, pressure pans, oven-proof crockery, cotton aprons, gas detection alarms, prefabricated modular kitchen cabinets, Nestle ready-to-cook items, microwave and multi-wave ovens, fire extinguishers, direct-to-home receivers for free-to-air channels, FMCG items, water purifiers, LPG industrial burners and auto LPG kits.[10]

Bulk LPG is packed in LPG cylinders in bottling plants. IOCL currently has 91 bottling plants in the country to do such bottling. In a bottling plant, bulk LPG is received from the sources through pipelines, by road or by rail. This is then stored in the vessels and then filled in cylinders using sophisticated filling machines called Carousals.[11] The world’s highest LPG bottling plant – situated 3500 metres above sea level – is the Indane plant at Leh.[12]

Indane has a network of more than 9100 distributors across India with presence in more than 6,250 towns.[13] The sales network is backed by 45 Indane Area Offices.

• Increase in penetration of LPG to all remote and uncovered parts of the country with a view to achieve 75% coverage of the population from the present 50%. This is envisaged through Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitaran, a small format LPG distributorship and community kitchens.
• Better affordability of LPG connection for customers by providing access subsidization towards security deposit of cylinder and regulator.
• Enhancing customer service through services such as SMS/IVRS booking, Toll Free Feedback System, Preferred Time Delivery and Portability of connections and products such as multi-function Pressure Regulators, and High Fuel efficient Gas Stoves.
• Control diversion with the help of Anti Pilfer Device.[14]

• Indian Oil Corporation