The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on consumer product warranty rules under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and key industry groups may take the opportunity to air their grievances about General Motors Dexos1 motor oil. The act prohibits tying arrangements that require the warranted products purchaser buy a particular brand item or service to use with the product to be eligible for warranty coverage, unless the item or service is provided free of charge. Earlier this year, ...

Idemitsu Lubricants America Corp. is investing $21.2 million to expand its lubricants warehouse in Indiana, and increase blending and packaging capacity. Within the next year we are adding a new, dedicated blending vessel for high performance lubricants to expand our blending capability, and over the next four years plan to add tankage and other equipment to expand capacity, Tammi Walts, senior vice president of manufacturing and global business operations, told Lube Report. Our automotive fact...

While motor vehicles will remain the largest market for lubricants through 2015, the fastest growth will take place in manufacturing and other markets, according to World Lubricants, a new study from market research firm Freedonia Group. Freedonia projects motor vehicle aftermarket lubricants demand to grow 1.8 percent per year to 16.2 million metric tons in 2015, while it expects manufacturing market lubricants demand to increase 3.5 percent per year to 14 million tons in 2015. Automotive manu...

Standing 37 miles east of Cairo, gathering fine, sandy dust, are a dormant rerefinery and lubricant blending plant. Construction of the facilities finished four years ago, but they have yet to be operated, victims of political vagaries and financial decisions by would-be operator Misr Canada Co. and its owner, Egyptian Arab Trading Co. Now a California businessman says he has bought into the facilities and intends to have them operating early next year. Victor Noval, chairman of Noval Internat...

It has been another tough week for ship owners who have vessels open in the U.S. or Europe. With good demand reported, Asia is by far the better location in which to have open tonnage. U.S. Gulf of Mexico There has been some additional activity in the Gulf-to-Caribbean trade this week, although rates appear to be stable, probably because there is still adequate tonnage available in the area. A couple of base oil cargoes can be counted among the new bits of business, including a fixture into Mex...