Quaker State Joins Wear Wars
Quaker State wants to join Castrol, Valvoline and Mobil 1 in
the marketing boxing ring to decide whose synthetic motor oil has better wear
protection, but the question is whether any of the three other brands will
accept the challenge.
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Chemtura Files for Chapter 11
A New York bankruptcy court on Friday approved Chemtura’s
“first day” motions in its recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, which will allow for continuation of normal business operations during the specialty chemical manufacturer’s restructuring process.
[FULL STORY]
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Lanxess Starts China Additives Plant
Lanxess AG has started up its new lubricant oil additives
manufacturing plant in Qingdao, China, the company announced Friday. The new
plant cost €5 million (U.S. $6.8 million) and will initially employ 20 people.
[FULL STORY]
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Biobased Oil Sports a Donut
Green Earth Technologies’ biodegradable G-Oil 5W-30 motor
oil can now display the American Petroleum Institute’s “donut” service symbol. It is the first biobased motor oil to receive an API license.
[FULL STORY]
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U.S. Base Oil Price Report
In what appears to be pulling out all the stops, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Motiva told customers they are significantly lowering posted prices by as much as 85 cents per gallon, while Calumet adjusted its API Group II postings downward by 21 to 47 cents/gal.
[FULL STORY]
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Europe-MidEast-Africa Base Oil Price Report
Reality has kicked in, and base oil prices are moving upwards, up to $100 per ton over prices seen in recent weeks. Producers, having sold out lately to sub break-even price levels, are now trying to recoup some of those negative netbacks.
[FULL STORY]
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SSY Base Oil Shipping Report
Whereas most long-haul routes enjoyed another productive week, the same cannot be said for most coastal routes, with the exception of the United States. Inter-European and inter-Asian markets are fiercely competitive. Demand is good for chemicals, including base oils, from Europe and U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Asia, but Transatlantic has lost its shine.
[FULL STORY]
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