Volume 9 Issue 45

Shell Expands Indonesia Plant

Shell completed an expansion that more than doubles the size of its lubricant blending plant on Indonesia’s Java island, raising capacity to 300 million liters (270,000 metric tons) per year and making it one of the company’s largest such facilities. The company said it undertook the project in response to the country’s growing demand for premium lubricants.

Profits Up for SK, Down for GS Caltex

Among South Korean base oil refiners, SK Lubricants reported a slight increase in operating profit for the third quarter, noting that lower costs and higher sales prices helped support pricing margins, while GS Caltex reported a drop in operating profit.

Idemitsu Develops Ash-free Diesel Engine Oil

Japanese lubricant blender Idemitsu Kosan developed an ash-free heavy-duty diesel engine oil with no metallic detergents while maintaining anti-wear performance, the company claimed recently.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Puraglobe Moves Forward on U.S. Rerefinery

Grepar Bullish on Brazil Base Oils

Shell Acquires Panolin’s Biolubes Business

Briefly Noted

Sales of four-wheel automobiles in Southeast Asia rose 38% to 320,962 in September, compared to the same month last year, according to Asean Automobile Federation data. Through this year’s first nine months, sales were up 33% at 2.5 million, compared to 1.9 million for the same period in 2021.