Pilot Chemical has announced increases in prices for corrosion inhibitors and emulsifiers used in metalworking fluids, while Dow Chemical and Oxea eachannounced elevated prices for oxygenated solvents. It continues a wave of price increases in recent weeks, as suppliers of a variety of chemicals used in lubricant manufacturing say they have been hammered by supply/demand pressures and raw material costs.
Cincinnati-based specialty chemical supplier Pilot on Friday announced price increases effective Jan. 15 or as contracts allow. The price of Aristonate alkyl aryl sulfonates will climb 2 cents to 7.5 cents per pound, and Aristonic acids will go up 2 to 11 cents per pound. Calimulse emulsion aids will rise 3.5 to 15 cents per pound, and Calamide amides will jump up by 13 cents per pound.
According to Pilot, the increases are a direct result of increased raw materials, energy and transportation costs.
Midland, Mich.-based Dow on Dec. 11 said it would raise list and off-list prices by 3 to 5 cents per pound on a number of its oxygenated solvents in North America effective Jan. 1, or as contracts allow. The company cited as reasons the continuous rise of raw material and energy costs along with tight supply in the raw material market.
Over the past 10 months, we have seen significant increases in most raw materials [costs], especially in the last three months with oil, gasoline and olefins at record levels, said Carol Miller, Dow global business director, solvents and intermediates. With the resulting significant increase in the cost of our products and challenging supply/demand dynamics, the price increases we have announced throughout the fourth quarter are imperative.
Oxea on Dec. 11 announced it would increase off-list prices on a variety of solvents – butyl acetate, butanol, propyl acetate and propanol – by 10 cents per pound effective Jan. 1 or as contracts allow.