OSTFILDERN, Germany — How did the global lubricants industry fare in 2009? Based on preliminary year-end data, Fuchs Petrolub AG is projecting that global lubricant demand suffered a painful double-digit decline, in the range of 12 percent to 13 percent worldwide. Europe, Fuchs research indicates, bore the brunt of this decline, with total lubricant demand falling about 17 percent. The Americas did slightly better, with demand off 13 percent, while Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world sa...

Chevron has confirmed it is restructuring its global downstream business, though it has not yet disclosed whether or how the plans will impact its base oil or lubricants operations. The company is building a new global downstream organization, said Chevron spokesman Lloyd Avram. It will be smaller and less complex, requiring fewer positions and people, Avram told Lube Report. No decisions have been made. He said the company will have more information to share in March, and that it will put a n...

Branding agency The Brand Union received a three-year contract to design packaging for PetroChina Lubricant Co.s Kunlun brand lubricants, aiming to unify its 12 sub-brands under one compelling and consistent brand identity. PetroChina Lubricant Co., based in Beijing, is a wholly owned subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corp. For lube oil products, the packaging is a vital touch point and is where our customers and stakeholders begin to develop their perception of the Kunlun brand, said the...

For the quarter ending Dec. 31, lubricant blender Valvoline reported a hefty increase in operating income and increased sales compared to the year-earlier period. South Korean base oil refiner SK Energys lubricants division reported a drop in quarterly and full year operating profit. According to parent company Ashland, Valvoline reported operating income of $67 million for the three months ending Dec. 31, which is the first quarter of Ashlands fiscal year. The operating income was up 71.6 perc...

SKF has signed a five-year contract with Imperial College Londons Department of Mechanical Engineering to set up the SKF University Technology Center on Tribology. The initial contract will focus on research in modeling to simulate tribological systems. The objective is to further reduce friction and wear, and extend the associated service life and environmental performance of SKF products. The company provides bearings, lubrication, sealing, mechatronic and linear motion technologies. Not onl...

Lubricants distributor Central Penn Oil is expanding its Elmira Heights, N.Y. location, adding bulk storage in a 33,000 square foot warehouse and extending its distribution area further into the state of New York. Chevron/Texaco came to us and wanted to know if we could expand, and help fill in some areas for them that were kind of sparing, David Clark, manager of the Elmira Heights location, told Lube Report. Weve stepped up to that challenge, and thats going to be our goal. A subsidiary of R...

European markets have recorded a substantial increase in cargo volumes over the past week. Asia is so far coping with the influx of tonnage, which means rates have perhaps stopped rising. The Americas presents a more sedate picture. U.S. Gulf of Mexico U.S. Gulf to the Caribbean sees increased activity, both in terms of spot and contractual work, although pockets of January space can still be found. The amount of open space for February is beginning to diminish too, which ensures that rates i...