Indian Oil Corporation leverages Project Sprint 2.0 to enhance market share, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen its retail footprint ahead of significant refining capacity increases, as the state-run fuel provider aims to boost brand focus and profit margins.
Indian Oil Corporation is using Project Sprint 2.0 to push beyond cost control and widen its retail footprint, as the state-run fuel supplier seeks to sharpen its brand and build a more customer-focused image, chairman A.S. Sahney said. The company, India’s largest oil marketing firm, controls more than 40% of the country’s roughly 107,000 petrol pumps and is aiming to deepen its presence in high-consumption markets while improving performance across retail, commercial and industrial operations.
Sahney told BusinessLine that the programme is designed to lift market share and operational efficiency as much as it is to trim expenditure. Indian Oil said the first phase of Sprint delivered savings of about ₹2,200 crore last year, with the company highlighting lower fuel and loss levels as evidence that tighter controls were already feeding through into earnings. The initiative was launched on April 1, 2025 and is intended to run for three years.
The latest push comes as Indian Oil prepares for a larger refining base. Sahney said the company will have a cumulative 27 million tonnes a year of refining capacity by the end of FY27, with more capacity due to come on stream by December 2026. That expansion is expected to generate more diesel than the company can rely on wholesale channels alone to absorb, increasing the importance of stronger retail outlets and better throughput at pumps in cities and on highways.
Indian Oil has also separated retail sales into its own business unit as it tries to give more focused attention to product sales from retail outlets. According to company disclosures in its annual report, Sprint is part of a broader transformation plan that also covers technology, innovation, leadership development and transition readiness, while earlier company updates said the programme was already producing gains in refinery performance and retail dominance. The company’s finance director, Anuj Jain, said on an analyst call that Sprint 2.0 could save ₹2,000 crore to ₹2,500 crore in FY27 as Indian Oil continues to cut waste, improve margins and defend its position in a changing fuel market.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
