The U.S. market is slowing down, which is evidenced by the increasing amount of open space in the U.S. Gulf. Nor do Europe or Asia appear particularly dynamic, although neither region has significantly deteriorated over the past week.-by Adrian Brown

Lubrizol Corp. said Monday that it does not yet have a timetable for the reopening of its lubricant additive factory in Rouen, France, following a fire there Sept. 26.

German lube maker Fuchs Petrolub SE broke ground recently on a U.S. $6.2 million warehouse at the headquarters of its United Kingdom subsidiary - a project aimed at boosting flexibility and increasing production at the facility.

London-based transformer oil rerefiner Hydrodec Group posted a $3.2 million loss for the six months ending June 30, slightly better than the first half of 2018 as a reduced loss from discontinued Australian operations offset weaker U.S. performance.