Adrian Brown is away. His column will reappear in the Sept. 26 edition of Lube Report Americas.

Afton Chemical Corp. said Wednesday that it has completed an expansion of its lubricant additive plant in Singapore and that it expects to start producing antiwear agents in October.

In a move intended to provide access to automobile maintenance providers, Yips Chemical Holdings announced Tuesday that it bought a minority stake in Damai, a start-up Chinese developer of maintenance shops.

The Sri Lankan government invited lubricant suppliers this month to apply for the new permits that it plans to issue for producing and selling products on the island nation.

Tianhe Chemical Groups lubricant additive business recorded significant drops in profit, revenue and gross profit during the six months ending June 30, due to decreased demand from major consumers.