Shell Goes After Off-brand Lubes
A third-party independent laboratory began testing motor oil
samples from Shell installers in Detroit this month, part of a Shell Lubricants
campaign to crack down on installers who substitute off-brand or out-of-specification
lubricants for the branded products they claim to use.
[FULL STORY]
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Dow, BASF Pare Down
Dow Chemical recently outlined a restructuring plan calling
for shutdown of several ethylene-related manufacturing assets in Louisiana,
while BASF is reviewing strategic options – including restructuring, sale or
closure – for 23 of the 55 former Ciba production sites worldwide it acquired.
[FULL STORY]
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Base Oils Beyond GTL
Looking beyond gas-to-liquids, governments and private enterprises are eyeing other carbon sources of clean fuels that can also produce high quality lubricant base oils. Carbon-to-liquids activity is tied to crude prices, an industry expert noted. “If crude spikes, coal-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids will stampede."
[FULL STORY]
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Northwest ExMo Distributor Grows
PetroCard Systems has acquired Estacada Oil and its Northwest
Petroleum lubricants division, extending the ExxonMobil lube distributor’s reach into northern and central Oregon. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
[FULL STORY]
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WD-40 Sales, Earnings Slump
WD-40 on July 8 reported $6.9 million in net income for its
third quarter ending May 31, down 14.6 percent compared to the year-ago period.
[FULL STORY]
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U.S. Base Oil Price Report
ExxonMobil, Chevron, Flint Hills Resources, Holly, ConocoPhillips, Valero, Calumet and SK stepped out with plans to raise API Group I, II, II+, III and III+ posted prices by 5 cents to 45 cents per gallon this week.
[FULL STORY]
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Europe-MidEast-Africa Base Oil Price Report
Disarray, arguments and disagreement are the flavours of the week. Producers are maintaining their bullish stance with price hikes, which some buyers consider out of order, given the current drift in crude and product prices.
[FULL STORY]
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SSY Base Oil Shipping Report
Intra-European enquiries are keeping short-haul tonnage active while export opportunities continue at a mild pace. Though enquiries for Asian exports still exist, many enquiries are nothing more than that, with the exception of some recent business from the United States, where prompt space remains snug, but available.
[FULL STORY]
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Editor's Note: Now in 35 Languages
Readers can now translate Lube Report articles into 35
languages directly at each full-story page. Click the “Full Story” link to
check it out.
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