Volume 4 Issue 49

Russian Base Oils Rebound

Russian base oil production increased by 14% in the first nine months of 2021, driven by higher demand at home and abroad, and representing a partial rebound from the very low demand observed in 2020, according to a market report. The country’s base oil exports also increased.

Aramco Enters Lubricants Business

The world’s largest crude oil supplier and one of the largest owners of base oil assets is getting back into the finished lubricants business. Saudi Aramco announced Sunday that it is launching a brand of automotive and industrial lubes, Orizon – apparently on a modest scale to begin with.

Field Trials for Engine Oil Specs?

Modern lubricant performance specifications usually contain a number of bench and engine tests, but an official with a German firm suggested recently that industry should also consider field trials as a way of verifying product quality.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Kangtai Additive Project Scaled Back

Japan Demand Fell in October

U.S. Base Oil Output Remains High

Briefly Noted

OQ Chemicals on Dec. 6 said it raised prices on neopentyl glycol – a polyalcohol used in manufacturing synthetic lubricants – in Europe by €380 per metric ton for slurry and €420/t for molten or flakes. For the rest of the world – outside of Americas and Mexico – prices increased $440/t for slurry and $490/t for molten or flakes.   New passenger car vehicle registrations in the European Union dropped 30% to 665,001 units in October, compared to the same month last year, the fourth consecutive month of year over year, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association reported.