China and India are the second- and third-largest lubricant markets, but they handle their used oil differently, according to a report from Kline & Co. India burns most of what it collects as industrial fuel, while China focuses more on rerefining to produce base stocks.

Sanyo Chemical Industries lubricant and lube additive plant in China is barely half a year old, but the Japanese company is already considering an expansion. The facility, located in Jiangsu province, makes viscosity index improvers and finished lubricants marketed under Sanyos Aclube brand.

Chinese blender Qingdao Copton Technology Co. posted a 10 percent gain in its first quarter compared to a year earlier. Koreas SK Lubricants has more than tripled its second quarter operating profit, owing to increased sales volume, while S-Oils base oil business earned 61 percent higher operating income.

Kyodo Yushi Co. announced last week that it has finished building a synthetic grease plant in Kameyama city in Japans Mie prefecture. While the nations lubricant demand is slowly contracting, Kyodo Yushi said grease demand is rising thanks to the expanding automobile industry.