Volume 16 Issue 2

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

It has been a much improved picture in terms of activity in the U.S. and to some extent in Europe. Asia is slower to restart after the holidays, held back by the lack of confidence in China. Americas U.S. Gulf-to-Europe cargo volumes multiplied throughout the week, causing January space to rapidly diminish. Ethanol to the United Kingdom, the Baltic and Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam was among the flood of cargoes, along with some styrene, corn oil, cumene, lysine, isopropanol, monoethylene glycol, ...

Forecast: Demand Tops 45M Tons in 2019

Freedonia Group projects global lubricant demand to expand by 2 percent per year to 45.4 million metric tons in 2019, though more mature markets are expected to remain flat as greater availability of premium lubricant products with longer drain intervals restrains growth. The Cleveland-based industry research firm expects the fastest gains in the Asia-Pacific region, with expanding numbers of motor vehicles and continued industrialization in large countries raising demand. The company also expec...

Parts Stores Accused of Unfair Pricing

New Jersey authorities filed a civil suit Dec. 21 accusing several Pep Boys and Advance Auto Parts stores in the state of unlawful pricing practices. Two offices in New Jerseys Division of Consumer Affairs said several stores in both chains failed to adequately disclose prices for automotive lubes and other products. Pep Boys said it has cooperated to address the complaints but claimed that the government tried to force the company to adopt impractical business practices and that it blindsided t...

Nigerian Blenders Expect Base Oil Shift

LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigerian lubricant blenders at an industry conference here agreed that a shift from API Group I to higher grade base oils is inevitable but that the countrys base oil traders must embrace the change for it to happen. The Nigerian lubricant market definitely needs premium base oils, and Group I is not sufficient anymore. And Group II and even Group III for synthetics are needed, Viken Najarian, specialty project manager for Total Nigeria, told Lube Report on the sidelines o...

WD-40 Blames Mixed Results on Foreign Currency

WD-40 Co. posted $12.1 million in net income for the quarter ending Nov. 30, up 12 percent from a year earlier. For the WD-40, 3-in-One and Blue Works lubricants segment, worldwide net sales amounted to $82.2 million in net sales for its first fiscal quarter, down 3 percent from the same period a year earlier. San Diego-based WD-40s fiscal year goes from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. Compared to year-earlier figures, fiscal first-quarter sales in the Americas declined 1 percent to $44.4 million, sales in ...

Briefly Noted

RelaDyne acquired lubricant distributor Parker Oil Co. of Wichita, Kan., expanding its geographic reach into northern Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Holly Daley is the new president for lubricants and metalworking fluids, as well as chemical industries, rubber and plastic additives, at Azelis Americas, the parent of chemical distributor Monson Cos. She takes over from Steve Barney, who retired last month.