Mobil, now ExxonMobil, has developed over the course of 125 years from an American kerosene company to the world’s biggest petrochemical and petroleum business.
The Mobil name persists as a brand within the ExxonMobil company, along with Exxon and Esso. ExxonMobil products include lubricants, fuels, and petrochemicals that are used to manufacture a range of goods.
The Mobil oil company was established in 1911. It was originally known as the Standard Oil Company of New York, which was shortened to the snappier name of Socony. “Mobiloil” became a registered trademark in 1920.
Socony then merged with a company known as Vacuum Oil in 1931, becoming Socony-Vacuum Oil. This firm then merged with the oil company Jersey Standard in 1933 and, in 1935, the business became known as Socony Mobil Oil Company. In 1966 the Socony part of the name was dropped and the company was then known simply as the Mobil Oil Corporation.
Over the years, Mobil was one of America’s foremost motor oil and gasoline suppliers. In 1974, the company introduced a synthetic lubricant for car engines, known as Mobil 1. This has since become the world’s most successful synthetic motor oil. By 1982, Mobil had transformed itself from a national kerosene refiner and distributor to a huge multinational company, involved in petrochemical manufacturing as well as oil and gas production, marketing, exploration and refining.
In 1999, Mobil joined with Exxon to become ExxonMobil Corporation. The Mobil brand has continued to be used by service stations and for fuel products, as well as a variety of lubricants for the automotive, aviation, marine and other industries.
Mobil has three important sub-brands. These are Mobil 1, which is a range of motor oils, gear lubricants, greases, and transmission fluids, Mobil Delvac, which consists of heavy-duty lubricants suitable for use in commercial vehicles, and Mobil Industrial, a range of oils and greases.
