The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers meeting in San Antonio last week led to noticeably quieter markets, not just in the U.S., but globally. Easter break, which has begun in many areas, has also contributed to reduced activity. U.S. Gulf There was minimal activity on the major trade lanes out of the U.S. Gulf last week, primarily because of the huge AFPM event that took place in San Antonio. In trade from the U.S. Gulf to Caribbean, a region that has been fairly tight on vessel sp...

LONDON – Base stocks have seen multiple cycles of investment and rationalization, resulting in fewer but larger plants over time, an ExxonMobil expert said. And larger size means lower costs. X B Cox, ExxonMobils global planning manager for base stocks and specialties, looked at base stocks from a historical perspective at the ICIS World Base Oils & Lubricants Conference here Feb. 21. In North America, said Cox, there were 59 base oil plants in 1970, with average capacity of 3,800 bar...

TAMPA BAY, Fla.-California is cracking down on plastic packaging, but many lubricant manufacturers and packagers are unaware or uncertain of their obligation under CalRecycles Rigid Plastic Packaging Container regulation. California is moving in the direction of being anti-plastic, and the state is going after packaging in particular, attorney Randy Pollack told the Petroleum Packaging Council spring meeting in March. Pollack gave an update on the RPPC law, which took effect in January 2013. How...

Freedonia Groups latest study forecasts U.S. lubricants demand to expand by less than one percent per year to 2.5 billion gallons in 2018, valued at $27.5 billion, a reversal from a 0.5 percent per year drop in demand between 2008 and 2013. The market research firm said that growth will stem from an improving economic climate and accelerated manufacturing activity, supported by strength in key lubricant-consuming industries. The research firm concluded stronger volume gains will be held back by ...

Fuchs announced plans last week to build a new manufacturing plant near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The German lubricant manufacturer expects to begin construction in mid-2015 and to be fully operational by mid-2016. Fuchs did not disclose the projects cost. Fuchs selected the new 25,000 square meter piece of landin Beresfield because of its proximity to all major connecting highways to the north, south, east and west, and also because it is close to the companys Wickham facility, whi...

While lubricants consumption continues to increase in Ukraine, Turkey and Romania, economic turmoil in those countries – and political feuds in Ukraine and Turkey – could force the regions lube marketers to look elsewhere for new opportunities, an industry event heard recently. Ukraine and Turkey are the largest lubricant markets in the region, Prista Oil CEO Ivo Todorov told Argus European Base Oils conference in Istanbul in March. With its 350,000 to 400,000 metric tons of annual l...

WD-40 posted $10.3 million in net income for the quarter ending Feb. 28, down 1 percent from the year-ago period, with net sales up 9 percent at $94.2 million. Earnings per share reached 67 cents per diluted share in WD-40s fiscal second quarter, unchanged from the year-earlier period. San Diego-based WD-40s fiscal year goes from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. During the second quarter, sales for WD-40 in the Americas grew 12 percent to $45.2 million, sales in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India rose 16 ...