The Mannol UK Relabelling Allegations: A Scandal That’s Rocking the Industry

The Mannol UK Relabelling Allegations: A Scandal That’s Rocking the Industry

The lubricants industry is under scrutiny after Lubes’n’Greases published an article titled “Relabelling Rife at Mannol’s U.K. Distributor”. The report highlights serious allegations surrounding Mannol UK, its distributor Lubriage, and the senior figures behind the brand, Juri Sudheimer and Erik Sudheimer.

According to the article, several former employees have claimed that Lubriage, the exclusive UK distributor for SCT FZE Dubai, engaged in systematic product relabelling. Customers allegedly received different lubricants from what they ordered, with new labels applied to disguise the substitutions.

The investigation references spreadsheets, warehouse dockets, and WhatsApp messages that appear to show management instructing staff to swap product labels before dispatch.

For a business representing Mannol UK, part of the wider network owned by SCT (“SCT-Vertriebs” GmbH) and operated in the UK by Erik Sudheimer, these allegations have sent shockwaves through the industry.

A Familiar Pattern on a Larger Scale

Many in the lubricant trade have described the revelations as “interesting but not surprising.” Concerns over brand integrity and supply chain transparency have been growing for some time. What this report outlines appears to go further than the usual whispers about grey imports or relabelled stock.

Former Lubriage staff described routine instructions to change labels on bulk orders. One ex-employee claimed that it happened on almost every full truck leaving the warehouse.

Examples listed in the report include the substitution of high-specification heavy-duty engine oils with different viscosity grades, and even the use of tractor transmission fluids where engine oils had been ordered. Some of these products are listed on Mannol’s own website as “not recommended” for the applications they were allegedly sold for.

Leadership, Accountability and the SCT Connection

The report names Erik Sudheimer, who manages Mannol UK, and Juri Sudheimer, owner of SCT Vertriebs GmbH, the German parent company that oversees global Mannol operations. Both have denied the allegations, but the detailed accounts have raised questions about oversight and accountability across the group.

Industry professionals are asking how such activity could occur within a distributor so closely tied to SCT. There is increasing interest in what controls were in place to verify product authenticity and whether customers were misled about what they were receiving.

A Wider Web of Financial Shadows

And it’s worth remembering the wider context around the Sudheimer family and their network of companies. Public records and media coverage have already highlighted investigations touching on offshore accounts, tax-evasion probes, money-laundering allegations and connections to Russian business circles. Some reports have even noted figures said to have advised the Kremlin appearing in the orbit of former Mannol executives. Together, these create a picture of associations that few would expect from a lubricant supplier operating in the UK market.

Attempts to Control the Narrative

In the months following these reports, Mannol UK and SCT Vertriebs GmbH appeared to intensify their marketing and SEO efforts. A wave of interviews and press articles promoting product quality and innovation began appearing online, seemingly designed to dominate search results with positive content.

At the same time, domain brokers reportedly contacted independent websites publishing critical coverage, attempting to purchase or remove them. The timing aligns closely with the company’s PR surge, leading some to see it as an effort to manage public perception rather than address the underlying issues.

Final Thoughts

The ongoing stream of investigations and reports adds yet another layer to the growing list of questions surrounding Mannol UK, Lubriage, and SCT Vertriebs GmbH. Each new revelation deepens industry concern and fuels the debate about transparency, accountability and governance within their operations.

How many more stories will surface before there is a full and open response? The latest allegations feel less like an isolated issue and more like part of a continuing pattern that the lubricant industry can no longer ignore.

One thing remains certain: trust in this sector is earned through honesty and verified quality, not marketing campaigns or quick statements. Until the facts are addressed publicly and transparently, the questions will keep coming.

You can read the full report via Lubes’n’Greases: Relabelling Rife at Mannol’s U.K. Distributor.