ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas, refinery – site of the second-largest base oil plant in the United States – is operating at reduced rates following a fire on Dec. 23. The company declined to say specifically if the base oil plant was affected by the incident or to discuss when the facility might return to normal operations.

Private equity firm American Industrial Partners announced last week that it has acquired RelaDyne, one of the leaders of the consolidation trend in North America’s lubricant distribution market. RelaDyne’s reach extends across the United States, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic region, in states bordering the U.S. Gulf Coast, in Rocky Mountain states and Northern California.

Swedish company VBG Group acquired all shares of U.S.-based Carlyle Johnson Machine Co. for $16.5 million. Carlyle Johnson designs and manufactures components for motion control used in industrial applications, including lubrication seals. VBG acquired the shares through subsidiary Ringfeder Power Transmission and said the deal will strengthen its industrial business.