Lithium grease thickeners still make up the majority of the global market because of their lower cost, but demand for products made with calcium sulfonate thickeners is expected to grow because of their better performance in industries such as mining, industry insiders said at a conference in Singapore.

Although China was the worlds second-largest lubricant market in 2018, it is expected to shrink by a compound annual rate of 0.3 percent out to 2023, according to a Kline & Co. study.

Production volumes of high performance lithium complex and polyurea grease are growing to meet market needs, an industry insider said at a conference in Singapore.