Chinese metalworking fluid manufacturers must make big changes in how they run businesses to survive, as they are increasingly pressured by uncertainties in China’s economy, speakers said at a lube conference in Shanghai late last month. Industry insiders said small fluid suppliers are pressed to keep up with shifts to new manufacturing materials and the sustainability movement.

As part of a strategy to grab a bigger share of Indonesia’s lubricant market, ExxonMobil plans to double the size of its local manufacturing plant, according to a news report last week. The American energy giant held a news conference April 6 where officials disclosed that the company has purchased land next to its blending plant in Cilegon, on the northeast tip of Indonesia’s Java island, reported the Indonesian automotive news site Otomotifnet.

China’s Richful Lube Additives reported that its lubricant additives operating income surged 188% in 2022, while its overall net profit spiked more than 180% for the fourth quarter, compared to the same period in 2021, according to financial statements released last week. The company said lubricant additive demand in China has grown steadily the past few years, and it is boosting production capacity to keep up.