Process oils are organic substances that are usually added to polymers to improve their processability. These oils are used to process and manufacture multiple rubber compounds. The manufacturing cost of rubber products can be reduced by adding process oils to them as it increases the efficiency of the manufacturing process. The use of process oils improves the quality of finished rubber products by improving the chemical stability and enhancing the fuel economy of specific engines. They are also used as lubricants in low-temperature applications and offer higher resistance to oxidation than mineral oils. _____________ 1. Micromarkets are defined as further segments and subsegments of the process oil market included in the report. 2. Core competencies of companies are captured in terms of key developments, SWOT analysis, and key strategies adopted by them to sustain their positions in the market.

Visionary leaders are the leading market players in terms of new developments such as product launches, innovative technologies, and the adoption of growth strategies. These players have a broad product offering that caters to most of the regions globally. Visionary leaders primarily focus on acquiring the leading market position through their strong financial capabilities and their well-established brand equity.

Dynamic Differentiators are established players with very strong business strategies. However, they have a weaker product portfolio compared to the visionary leaders. They generally focus only on a specific type of technology related to the product.

Innovators in the competitive leadership mapping are vendors that have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. The companies have focused on product portfolios. However, they do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business, when compared with the visionary leaders.

Emerging companies have niche product and service offerings. Their business strategies are not as strong as that of the established vendors. The emerging vendors include the new entrants in the market, emerging in terms of product portfolio and geographic reach, and require time to gain significant traction in the market.