Engine manufacturers and the lubricants industry are in the midst of simultaneous development of two new engine oil categories, PC-11 for heavy-duty diesels and ILSAC GF-6 for gasoline-fueled vehicles. While the two have differing applications and requirements, there is one point at which they overlap: so-called “universal oils.” In mapping out GF-6, one faction wants to eliminate these cross-fleet oils, while the other hopes to preserve them. Universal oils are formulated to meet t...

Japanese petroleum giant Idemitsu Kosan has announced that it will open a lubricant manufacturing and sales company in Haiphong City, Vietnam. Company officials said the newly minted Idemitsu Lube Vietnam Co. Ltd. will construct lubricant blending facilities at a 60,000 square meter plant with a manufacturing capacity of approximately 35 million liters of lubricants per year. Idemitsu Lube Vietnam will have $23.3 million in registered capital and will focus production on engine oil for motorcyc...

Although volume demand for U.S. commercial automotive lubricants declined 9.6 percent between 2008 and 2011, overall market value increased 18.8 percent to $5.3 billion, consultancy Kline and Co. found in a recently completed study. Demand is expected to grow by 2.2 percent from 2011 to 2016, according to Klines Opportunities in Lubricants, 2011-2013: North American Market Analysis – Volume 1: Commercial Automotive. Commercial automotive lubricants include heavy duty motor oil, hydraulic ...

LLK-International plans a U.S. $2.5 million upgrade to its 30,000 tons per year blending plant in Romania, while promoting its flagship motor oil brand on the European market, the company said. LLK, the lube arm of the Russian oil major Lukoil, last year invested U.S. $3.5 million in the blending plant at the Petrotel-Lukoil fuel refinery in Ploiest, Romania. The refinery is a fully owned subsidiary of Lukoil. The plant, which can make up to 120 types of lubes, opened earlier last year. Once up...

Calumet Specialty Products Partners on Thursday announced plans to expand its Karns City, Pa., specialty products facility to include a 1,000 barrel per day gas-to-liquids plant. The plant design is expected to be completed by late 2012, followed by site engineering and a decision to commence fabrication in the first half of 2013. Production is expected to begin in the second half of 2014. Calumet commissioned Ventech Engineers, which makes modular petroleum processing plants, to design and de...

Activity has increased slightly in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, but it is still pretty woeful. European markets are steady on the whole. Asian markets are doing well and had another busy week. U.S. Gulf of Mexico Chemical production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico is nearly back to normal following Hurricane Isaac, and the backlog in railcar traffic, barges, etc., has almost cleared. Compared to last week, there is more activity, but overall, the USG market has a long way to go before it creates suffici...