Shell yesterday began construction of its largest grease manufacturing plant in Zhuhai, in Chinas Guangdong province. A new addition to its Zhuhai lubricants manufacturing complex, Shells grease plant will produce lithium, lithium calcium and lithium complex greases used in passenger cars and industrial bearing lubrication. According to a Shell statement issued in China, the plant is primarily designed to meet Chinas growing grease demand, but in time may also export to other markets. Initial c...

A growing number of Russian car owners have extended their engine oil drain intervals and become do-it-for-me oil change customers since 2007, although the do-it-yourself segment remains dominant. Automotive aftermarket research firm GIPA surveyed Russian owners of light vehicles and presented the results Nov. 22 at the Engine Oil and Automobile Chemicals 2010 conference in Moscow. Based on the surveys numbers, we know the countrys passenger car park and what percent of drivers changed the oil...

Fuchs Lubricants (India) on Thursday outlined its expansion plans for the Indian market, including a new blending plant in Ambernath on the outskirts of Mumbai. Representing an investment of more than 400 million Indian rupees (U.S. $8.9 million), phase one of the state-of-the-art plant is ready to go onstream, according to Fuchs. Construction of phase two will commence in 2011 at an investment of Rs. 100 million. Fuchs said it plans to triple sales in India to Rs. 2 billion in the next two to ...

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Independent lubricant brands account for half of Mexicos 644,000 metric ton per year finished lubricant market, and lubricant quality continues to rise, according to Comercial Roshfrans. Its difficult to get data on the Mexican market, Victor Franco Paredes, operations director for Comercial Roshfrans, told the ICIS Pan-American Base Oils & Lubricants Conference here on Dec. 3. Paredes interviewed suppliers, customers, government sources and other blenders to prov...

Illinois Tool Works will acquire Shells Pennzoil-Quaker State Car Care business, including wipers, chemicals and appearance products. Terms of the transaction, expected to close in early 2011, were not disclosed. The business includes brands such as Rain-X, Black Magic and Gumout, among others. SOPUS Products conducted a strategic review of its Car Care business earlier this year, a Shell spokesperson told Lube Report. The goal of the review was to evaluate our long-term opportunities and requ...

Oxea and BASF each raised prices for several chemicals used in lubricants. BASF of Ludwigshafen, Germany, recently increased prices in Europe for the polyols neopentylglycol and trimethylolpropane by 100 (U.S. $132) per metric ton or as existing contracts permit. Oxea outlined list and off-list price increases for its carboxylic acids, olefin derivatives and poly alcohols, along with off-list price hikes for solvents, effective Jan. 1 or as contracts allow. The carboxylic acids price increases...

The U.S. Gulf is now very tight for the balance of the month and rates are rising. European volumes are building, but at a slow pace. Asian markets are reasonably buoyant. U.S. Gulf of Mexico As expected, the tonnage situation in the U.S. Gulf has tightened up considerably. There are still a number of fully-uncommitted ships around, but the number is decreasing fast. There are still ships too that are on berth and that might be able to free up some space. This applies to the Gulf-to-Caribbean r...