The blending plant will manufacture forge lubricant products exclusively. We are currently toll blending for majors and anticipate quickly moving into private blending as well, a Hasco spokeswoman told Lube Report.

The blending plant is Hascos first, and Hasco is retaining a core crew of plant employees. We have enveloped them into Hasco and Pacific Precision formulators, the official noted.

The purchase of Castrol Industrials forge lubricant line includes product formulations, manufacturing and laboratory equipment, contracts and inventories. Effective with the second quarter this year, all the products will be branded under the Hasco Forge name. Hasco plans to use a combination of direct and distributor sales to promote the forge lubricants line. Hasco said it believes the forge business will benefit from a rebounding global economy.

The ability to manufacture lubricants in-house is a logical extension of our customer service and positions Hasco perfectly for a successful long-term presence in the market, said company president Renee Bjorklund. Hasco looks forward to partnering with Castrol Industrial in future projects, she added.

The blending plant purchase includes production, packaging and analytical equipment. The facilitys laboratory will conduct quality control for finished products, and also have the capability to analyze field samples.

Hasco was founded in Long Beach, Calif., in 1965.

The Vernon blending plant was originally owned by the Arthur C. Withrow Co., which was sold in the mid 1980s to Van Straaten Chemical Co., which in turn was acquired by Castrol Industrial.