North America’s finished lubricant demand is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 0.8% out to 2032, held back by shrinking consumer demand for automotive lubes, while the South American market is forecast to expand at a 2.5% rate, boosted by rising demand in the consumer and industrial segments, according to consultancy Kline & Co.

The United States exported 22% less base oil in July – as shipments to Colombia and Brazil plummeted – and imported 21% less, according to data released by a U.S. government agency. Imports from South Korea, Indonesia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates all shrank sharply.

The October issue features a special report on additives. Find out from where Russia is sourcing its additives after the major additive suppliers withdrew from the country as well as which factors have affected global additive supply during the past few years. Plus, discover how a Shell employee with ties to Oppenheimer was critical to key developments in additives and finished lubricants.

Three years since its founding, the International Fluids Consortium has begun working on its third engine oil specification even as it writes base oil interchange rules and develops a registration system that will allow its first two specs to come to market.