Volume 1 Issue 8
Indian Marketers Return to Bazaar
February 25, 2014The bazaar may be an ancient part of commerce in India, but the countrys lubricant industry appears to be discovering it once again. Insiders say suppliers are relying increasingly on bazaar channels such as retail outlets, OEM-authorized service centers and transport nagars.
Shell Sheds Aussie Downstream Business
February 25, 2014Shell agreed last week to sell downstream operations in Australia to Swiss energy trader Vitol. The transaction includes lubricant sales activities but not lube and grease blending plants, which will be converted for warehousing.
Chinese Machine Tool Demand Stays Strong
February 25, 2014Chinese demand for machine tools will grow more than 9 percent annually for the next four years, according to forecasts by a United States industry research firm. A study by Freedonia Group predicts a continuing shift toward higher-performance equipment.
Esters Gaining Popularity
February 25, 2014Synthetic esters are enjoying healthy demand growth, according to a Croda official, especially for lubricant applications that require high technical performance or low environmental impact.
Briefly Noted
February 25, 2014Chevron Lubricants Lanka reported that its net profit rose 7.3 percent to 590 million rupees in 2013 as lower costs more than offset a slight drop in revenue. Southern Oil Refineries was scheduled to conduct trials last month to determine if sulfur-removing technology from Australias Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation can upgrade its API Group I rerefinery in Gladstone, Australia, to Group II. Fire broke out Feb. 16 at Pertaminas refinery in Dumai, Indonesia, but the Jakarta Post reported two days later that operations were normal.