Volume 5 Issue 51
Gazprom Group II and III Plant Nearly Complete
December 19, 2022Gazpromneft-Lubricants’ new 220,000 metric tons per year API Group II and III base oil plant is almost completed, with assembly works about to wrap up and preparations being made for prelaunch testing, the company said recently. The company originally contracted to license technology for the project from ExxonMobil, but the American energy giant said it withdrew from the deal after Russia invaded Ukraine.
France Lube Demand Falls
December 19, 2022Lubricant consumption in France declined 8% to 43,869 metric tons in October, compared to the same month last year, Paris-based Professional Lubricants Center reported in data released Dec. 15. Automotive lubricants consumption dropped 13%, industrial lubricants decreased 2% and process oils usage fell 4%.
Panolin Changes Name to Laemmle Chemicals
December 19, 2022Swiss lubricants company Panolin announced last week a name change to Laemmle Chemicals AG and that it will change its oil brand name early next year. These changes follow the transfer of its bio-lubricants division with the trademark rights to Shell in November.
From Other Editions of Lube Report
December 19, 2022Profits, Sales Down for Lub-rref
Briefly Noted
December 20, 2022New passenger car registrations in the European Union rose 16% to 829,527 units in November, for the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year growth this year, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association reported on Dec. 15. Germany posted the highest year-on-year increase at 31%, followed by Italy’s 15% rise and 10% hikes in Spain and France.