Whitmore Manufacturing Co., a maker of industrial lubricants, has begun expansion at its Rockwell, Texas, headquarters, which when completed in 2013 will add 120,000 square feet to its corporate facilities. In addition to increasing the size of its corporate headquarters to a combined 200,000 square feet, the company will make improvements to its existing production and laboratory facilities, reported Jeff Kilpatrick, Whitmores president and CEO. The company makes specialized lubricants, as wel...

Ineos Chlor Americas ended importation of short-chained chlorinated paraffins into the United States and agreed to pay a $175,000 civil penalty under a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency to resolve violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act. According to the EPA, Ineos Chlor allegedly imported various chain-length CP into the United States without providing the required notice. Wilmington, Del.-based Ineos Chlor Americas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ineos, based in Rolle...

After purchasing the historic Veedol lubricant brand last year, Tide Water Oil is moving forward with efforts to expand in several markets around the world. The company has already begun selling Veedol product in the Middle East, is arranging toll blending operations in Germany and is seeking a partner in Mexico. Tide Water, which is based in Kolkata, India, bought Veedol from BP last October, saying at the time it intended to use the brand as a vehicle for growth in Europe, the Middle East, L...

Firefighters yesterday extinguished the last of three fuel storage tank fires triggered by a devastating gas leak explosion Saturday at Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.s Amuay refinery in Venezuela. The refinery has a base oil plant with 1,250 b/d API Group I capacity. According to an Aug. 28 Bloomberg report, a gas leak that formed a cloud at the refinery exploded at 1:10 a.m. on Aug. 25, sending a ball of flame into the air, killing 48 people, destroying a nearby National Guard post and damaging a...

Small and powerful, new turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines improve fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions, but they present significant challenges for lubrication. TGDI engines currently account for 15 to 20 percent of new engine production, and in three to four years, their share will double in Europe, Keith Howard, technical manager with Lubrizols Engine Oils Group, told the ICIS Asian Base Oils & Lubricants Conference in Singapore in June. TGDI penetration is moving very fast...