Calumet is working at its Shreveport, La., refinery to bring back online critical equipment damaged by a Feb. 5 scrubber unit explosion that forced the company to curtail base oil production at the site. “We will be restarting our pollution control devices in the next 24 to 48 hours. Once that is accomplished, we will start bringing our other units back up, including our catalytic lube oil units, Calumet Shreveport spokeswoman Liz Swaine told Lube Report yesterday. Once we achieve our min...

Schumann Steier Inc. has added a wax division, following its acquisition of the Caromex wax brand, employees and worldwide agency network. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. “The Caromex product line is synergistic with the Schumann Steier lube oils product line,” SSI President Arthur Steier told Lube Report. “We have a lot of the same suppliers, and a lot of the same customers, so we can really benefit from combining the resources of both entities.” The Carom...

Fuchs Petrolub AG reported earnings of 121.4 million (U.S. $167 million) on full-year 2009 sales revenues of 1.18 billion, up from earnings of 110.3 million on sales of 1.39 billion in 2008. Despite the material decrease in revenues due to the worldwide financial crisis and the consequent economic collapse, we exceeded our previous years earnings, both in profit after tax, and in earnings before interest and taxes, the company stated. Cash flow in 2009 reached a record level, as reduced invent...

The National Science Foundation will award the Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) a four-year, $16 million grant to support research and teaching efforts aimed at reducing the size and energy drain of hydraulic systems. Industry partners will augment NSF funding with cash and in-kind contributions, and the centers seven universities will contribute an additional $3.2 million. The CCEFPs research goals include increasing efficiency in existing fluid applica...

The possibility of bearing grease failure in rear wheels has led to a massive recall of passenger vehicles by Volkswagen in Brazil. Volkswagen Brazil on Thursday said it is recalling 193,620 Novo Gol and Voyage models made in Brazil before July 2009 due to the possibility of insufficient bearing grease in the rear wheels of some vehicles. The use of the vehicle when the rear wheel bearing grease has failed can cause noise, Volkwagen Brazil stated, and continued use can cause the wheel to lock....

Dow Europe increased prices for lubricants, BASF boosted prices for polyalcohols used in synthetic lubricants, and Oxea raised prices on a variety of solvents. Horgen, Switzerland-based Dow Europe GmbH last week said it increased prices 6 percent for all lubricants sold to the building and construction, packaging, durables and transportation industries in Europe. The price hike went into effect Feb. 15, or as contract terms allow. In addition to lubricants, the company’s prices for acryl...

It was mostly an active week. Asia traded to the very last moment prior to the holidays, with plenty of cargo worked. Europe too had a bountiful week with rates generally firmer. The Americas saw slightly less business overall, and freights slipped on a couple of routes. U.S. Gulf of Mexico The U.S. Gulf to the Caribbean can be subdivided. Space is tight into Venezuela and the surrounding islands, but availability can be found going into Colombia and east coast of Central America. Numbers have...