Shell is transferring its Motor Oil Matters consumer education program to the American Petroleum Institute – andasserted that its flush oil sales are consistent with the principles of product quality promoted by that program. We had two goals for the Motor Oil Matters initiative, Shell told Lube Report. The first is to educate consumers about the benefits of using quality motor oil to help engines perform optimally. API will continue these efforts as it expands Motor Oil Matters into an i...

Chevron last week gave layoff notices to nearly 1,500 employees in U.S. downstream businesses, including finished lubricants and base oils. We notified employees in three communities, Chevron spokesman Sean Comey told Lube Report: 620 at the companys San Ramon, Calif., headquarters, 305 in Concord, Calif., and 570 in Houston. While Comey confirmed that finished lubricants and base oils are affected, he declined to provide further details about the impact of the downsizing on those businesses....

Croda has agreed to sell Uniqema GmbH, its German oleochemicals business, to Malaysias Kuala Lumpur Kepong for 60.5 million (U.S. $75 million). Croda, based in East Yorkshire, U.K., acquired Uniqema from Imperial Chemical Industries in 2006. The sale of the Emmerich site and associated business in Germany largely completes Crodas restructuring program, to reposition its oleochemical operations following the Uniqema acquisition, according to Eversheds, the international law firm that advised Cro...

LAS VEGAS – ExxonMobil Chemical on Monday said it has launched production of a new generation of high-viscosity polyalphaolefin, created with a proprietary metallocene catalyst process. With a planned initial production of 15,000 tons per year, it boasts that the beefy synthetic base stock will lift PAO in terms of both availability and performance. The new base stock, called mPAO to distinguish its metallocene roots from conventional PAOs, is being manufactured under contract at Albemar...

Royal Dutch Shell continues to negotiate with Essar for the potential sale of three European refineries, but it has also reopened such talks with other companies. Two of the refineries – one in Harburg, Germany, the other in Stanlow, United Kingdom – include base oil plants. Shell spokesman Rainer Winzenried confirmed Monday that the company is entertaining discussions with other companies, even as it continues talks with Indian refiner Essar Oil. Other news organizations first repo...

The U.S. National Toxicology Program has deferred for future consideration a decision on whether to include metalworking fluids in its Report on Carcinogens. On May 5 the NTP identified a number of substances proposed for inclusion in the 12th Report on Carcinogens as well as several, including metalworking fluids, which will not be included. Metalworking fluids had been nominated by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in 2004 for possible listing in the 12th report. We fe...

TPC Group reported revenues of $401 million and net income of $4.1 million in the quarter ending March 31, the third quarter of its fiscal year, up from $163 million in revenue and a $5 million loss in the year-ago quarter. In January, the Houston-based company changed its name from Texas Petrochemicals to TPC Group. It is a major supplier of polyisobutylenes used to formulate lubricants, as well as other C4 and C3 hydrocarbons. With estimated PIB capacity of 65,000 metric tons per year, TPC is...

The Federal Railroad Administration is offering a total of $700,000 for two separate studies, one on the feasibility of using bio-based lubricants in locomotive, rolling stock and other equipment, the other on locomotive biofuels. FRA, a division of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, spelled out six requirements for the lubricants study in its May 13 grant announcement. First, it wants an analysis of the potential use of soy-based grease and soy-based hydraulic fluids to perform according to rai...

Pilot Chemical announced price increases for chemicals used in manufacturing metalworking fluids and lubricants, TPC will raise prices for its polyisobutylene products and Oxea hiked prices for several solvents. Cincinnati-based specialty chemical supplier Pilot outlined price increases effective June 1 on several chemicals used in metalworking fluids. Those include increases of 1.5 to 3.5 cents per pound on Aristonate alkyl aryl sulfonates, 1 to 4 cents per pound for Calimulse emulsion aids an...

Space that is fully open or uncommitted in the U.S. Gulf in May is less common than before. Business in Europe has been slow, largely because of public holidays. Asia had a quiet week too. U.S. Gulf of Mexico The U.S. Gulf looks somewhat tighter for May. The reasons seem to be threefold. Firstly, contractual business has been a little busier, soaking up some of the spare capacity. Secondly, owners have opted to take whatever cargo was there, such as vegetable oils or tallow into the Caribbean o...