Volume 8 Issue 7

Fuchs Picks Up Vietnam Distributor

Fuchs Group announced this week that it has purchased a controlling stake in the lubricants business of Vietnamese distributor STD & S Co., aiming to expand in the country’s growing lubricant market. It becomes the latest in a series of distributor acquisitions for the German independent lube manufacturer.

Profits Rise for Indian Companies

Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd., Apar Industries’ transformer oil and specialty oil segment, Balmer Lawrie’s grease segment, Savita Oil and Maximus International all reported year-to-year improvements in profits from the quarter ended Dec. 31. Several noted that India’s economic conditions improved during the quarter.

Japan Demand Fell in 2020

Japan consumed 1.4 million kiloliters of finished lubricants in 2020, down 13% from 1.6 million kL in 2019, according to data released Feb. 9 by a government agency. On the bright side, demand peaked in the final month of the year. Annual lubricant imports and exports also fell.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

U.S. Base Oil Output Up for November

Petrobras Agrees on Refinery Sale

Colonial Breaks Ground in Saudi Arabia

Briefly Noted

Pioneer New Material Technology Company Ltd. in Luoyang, China, became a distribution partner for Ohio, United States-based LSI Chemical. Pioneer, which manufactures lubricating grease for automotive manufacturing, will distribute LSI Chemical’s nanotechnology-based oil and fuel additives in China.