The American Petroleum Institute announced Monday it has settled its lawsuit against blender and distributor Tailor Made Oil of Indiana over counterfeiting of API engine oil quality certification marks. API sued seven companies and individuals associated with blender and distributor Tailor Made Oil in October 2011. Filed in Federal District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the lawsuit named Tailor Made Oil Co. LLC, TM Oil LLC, Circle Town Oil – three related Indiana companies ...

Innospec Inc. of Littleton, Colo., last week offered a non-binding all-cash acquisition proposal of up to $721 million for TPC Group, Inc., upsetting an earlier offer from two private equity companies for the Houston-based specialty chemicals producer. First Reserve Corp. and SK Capital Partners on Aug. 24 offered $40 per share of TPC common stock, or approximately $627.2 million. Innospec upped the ante to between $44 and $46 per share, an offer the TPC board of directors said it will carefull...

Rerefiner Universal Lubricants last week introduced what it billed as the nations first retail motor oil packaged in FlexPak – a sustainable, flexible and durable stand-up pouch. Called FlexPak, the durable packaging for Universals Eco Ultra synthetic blend motor oil is designed to offer consumers a faster, easier and cleaner way to change their oil. Once drained and flattened, flexible pouches can significantly reduce landfill waste and require much less raw material to make, Universal C...

The Automotive Oil Change Association recently moved its headquarters from Richardson, Texas, to Chicago, and replaced its management staff with association management firm SmithBucklin. Founded in 1987, AOCA is a non-profit trade organization. Lube Report was unable to reach AOCA officials for comment by press time. The decision to move to a management company was made to better position AOCA for future growth and to provide improved benefits and services to membership, the association stated...

Russia is the worlds fifth largest finished lubricants producer, and industry experts suggest recent additions to its production capacity could improve that position if its lubricants market continues its current growth rate, and it maintains a positive investment climate. Russias engine oil market has seen good results in recent years, and that trend is expected to continue with 2 to 3 percent annual growth through 2016, with even faster growth by 2020, Shell Neft general director William Kozi...

WD-40s net income for its fiscal year ending Aug. 31 totaled $35.5 million, down 2.6 percent from its fiscal 2011 results. For the three months ending Aug. 31, net income reached $9 million, down 12 percent from the year-earlier period. Its lubricants WD-40, WD-40 Specialist, 3-in-One and Blue Works saw sales of $70.6 million in the fourth quarter, down 5 percent from the year-ago period. The products global sales for 2012 climbed to $286.5 million, up 3 percent from the total for fiscal year 2...

Toyota last week announced a safety recall of 2.5 million vehicles to inspect and apply fluorinated grease to the drivers side power window master switch. When customers tried to lubricate the switch because it was sticking due to imprecise application of grease at the factory, it often resulted in malfunctioning and overheating. The recall includes a variety of car models from a mix of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 model years, including the Yaris, RAV4, Tundra, Camry and Camry hybrid, two Scion mod...

Chevron Oronite Co. LLC is increasing its analytical testing capabilities in China. The additives giant last week signed an agreement with Intertek Group, PLC to use Intertek’s testing services and laboratory in Shanghai following a rigorous audit. The addition of the Shanghai testing facility is part of a longer term strategy for China that supplements Chevron Oronites other technical support and research network around the world, including our technology center in Japan, which has a fu...

Business in the United States is starting to grow more active, and the oversupply of tonnage has diminished. Europe is slow in the North, but Southern Europe is active. Asia is busy and rates are firm. U.S. Gulf of Mexico Over the past two weeks, the amount of prompt open space in the U.S. Gulf has dwindled to just a handful of ships. Perhaps it is too early to start talking of the year-end rush, but as there are fewer ships around, it does mean that rates will begin to react soon. There has be...