Volume 5 Issue 46

South Korean SIT Joins Flock to Russia

South Korean lubricant marketer startup Seoul Innovative Technologies Corp. recently began to have lubricants produced in Russia through a toll blending agreement, the company told Lube report last week. SIT is adopting a strategy followed by numerous other Asian businesses that have flocked to Russia since Western companies exited the market in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

BRB Opens Additives Factory

BRB International announced last week the opening of a lubricant additives factory in Echt, Netherlands, a facility that will serve as the Petronas subsidiary’s global hub for lube oil additives and chemicals. Officials said the new plant will enable the company to expand production volumes as well as product offerings. The company’s existing plant in Ittervoort, Netherlands, will now focus on silicones.

Euro 7 Draft Lowers NOx Caps

The European Commission last week released a much-awaited draft of Euro 7, its next automobile emissions standard, focused on cracking down further on nitrous oxides and doubling the length of time that vehicles must comply with limits.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Shell Expands Indonesia Plant

Puraglobe Moves Forward on U.S. Rerefinery

Grepar Bullish on Brazil Base Oils

Briefly Noted

BP reported that underlying replacement cost profit before interest and tax for its Castrol lubricants business fell 35% to $151 million in the third quarter, compared to $231 million in the same period last year. The London-based company attributed the decline to increasing input costs and ongoing COVID restrictions, particularly in China, as well as adverse foreign exchange impacts.