Wal-Mart Gear Oil Draws Hefty Fines
The district attorneys for five California counties recently
reached a $357,800 settlement in a civil suit filed against Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
and Warren Distribution Inc., saying Wal-Mart SuperTech gear oils sold there
from 2004 to 2006 failed to meet advertised viscosity levels.
[FULL STORY]
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EPA Slaps Behnke for Antimicrobial Claims
Behnke Lubricants will pay a $55,055 penalty to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency for violations of federal pesticide rules
because of antimicrobial claims made in marketing and labeling of the company’s
Jax brand food-grade lubricants.
[FULL STORY]
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Valvoline Gets on Goodyear’s Wagon
This month Goodyear begins offering Valvoline motor oils,
transmission fluids, brake and hydraulic fluids, grease and fuel system cleaner
at the chain’s nearly 700 company-owned stores nationwide, another successful push
by the lubricant brand into the “do-it-for-me” market.
[FULL STORY]
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Pertamina Launches Blending Plant
Indonesia’s energy minister inaugurated Pertamina’s 130
million liter per year lubricants blending plant in Gresik, a port in the country’s
East Java province. The state-owned oil and gas company expects the plant to
accommodate about 40 percent of its finished lube production.
[FULL STORY]
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Saudi Amines JV On Target
Construction of Huntsman’s and Al-Zamil Group’s
ethyleneamines joint venture plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, is on schedule and
expected to finish by November, Huntsman said Jan. 28.
[FULL STORY]
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U.S. Base Oil Price Report
More price-decrease announcements hit the U.S. base oil arena this week, as
market conditions struggled to regain a steady footing. Flint Hills Resources, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Sunoco and SK stepped out
with sizeable cuts in the region of 20 to 65 cents per gallon for API Group I,
II and II+ paraffinic grades.
[FULL STORY]
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Europe-MidEast-Africa Base Oil Price Report
Suddenly, there would appear to be a great deal of base oil
for sale in the market. Why this has come about right at this moment is a
little unclear, but many sellers, particularly with lower-specification type
material, have been aggressively touting their wares in the last few days.
[FULL STORY]
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SSY Base Oil Shipping Report
Some regions have registered a slight increase in the amount
of new business quoted. The drivers for the change appear to be a certain
amount of stock replenishment after the Christmas and Asian Lunar holidays, and
an ability to work the arbitrage.
[FULL STORY]
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Correction
Last week's
article "Chemtura Reorganizes (Again)" garbled some information
supplied by a company spokesman. He said the company was willing to explore
divesting a business or part of a business; he did not say Chemtura would
consider divesting its business entirely.
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