API Group II base oils will continue to be used in many applications for years to come, despite the move towards vehicle electrification, Laura Pottorf, ExxonMobil’s global marketing manager for base stocks and waxes, asserted in early December in an interview on the sidelines of the ICIS Pan American Base Oils & Lubricants. Pottorf also confirmed the company’s Group II expansion in Singapore was on track to come on stream in 2025.

Chinese lubricant marketer Lopal Tech Co. reported a 23% drop in operating income for its lubricant products segment for the first nine months of this year, while Richful Lube Additives Co. said its net profit skyrocketed almost 600% in the third quarter, compared to the same periods last year.

PT Pertamina Lubricants announced recently that it has entered a partnership with Indonesia’s national power company to develop electrical transformer oils and lubricants used by energy companies as a way of encouraging domestic industry. The partnership was formed through the signing of a memorandum of understanding with PLN, a state-owned electricity supplier.