Volume 4 Issue 4

Shell, Whitmore JV to Focus on Rail, Mining

Shell’s United States lubricants business and Whitmore Manufacturing LLC will form a joint venture to provide industrial products and services to the North America rail and U.S. mining sectors, under an agreement announced Jan. 22.

Gaskets Firm Acquires Synlube Blender

Cometic Gasket announced yesterday the acquisition of Indiana-based Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, which blends and packages lubricants for the automotive and a variety of racing and recreational applications.

Court Upholds Chevron Win in Patent Case

An appeals court last week upheld a decision by the United States Patent Trial and Appeals Board granting a petition by Chevron Oronite to invalidate a patent by Infineum USA for an ILSAC GF-3 engine oil formulation.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Gazprom Breaks Ground on Omsk Project

PetroChina Opens Pilot PAO Plant

Shell Wins Trademark Suit in China

Briefly Noted

Naugatuck, Connecticut-based Drew Marine will distribute synthetic marine lubricants globally for ExxonMobil Marine Lubricants under an agreement announced last week.  Due to increased demand and shortages of supply for U.S. Oxo intermediate products produced at its site in Bay City, Texas, OQ Chemicals Corp. will allocate global supply for all unfilled and future purchase orders among its contract customers – for whom it has received forecasted demand – and for OQ’s internal demand until the third quarter. OQ Chemicals also announced price increases on neopentyl glycol – a polyalcohol used as a building block in lubricants – of 5 cents per pound in North America and $110 per metric ton in South America effective Feb. 1, due to strong demand and increasing raw material costs.