Seven weeks after its lubricant blending plant was destroyed by fire, Third Coast Packaging has resumed operations and is developing plans to rebuild its Friendswood, Texas, facility. Hopefully well come back bigger and better, plant manager Oscar Botello told Lube Report last week. Details are still being worked out, but this is not going to put this company out of business. The May 1 fire destroyed 74 tanks and a 150,000-square-foot warehouse, leaving behind just 19 tanks and a maintenance bui...

Choosing trade group management experience over knowledge of its industry, the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association announced Monday that it has appointed Celeste Powers as executive director. Powers, who has 11 years of experience with trade associations, will take over day-to-day management of ILMA July 15. She will succeed Mark Sever and Jeff Leiter, who have shared the post on an interim basis since Michael C. Metallo left in late February. The groups president, American Oil &...

General Motors representatives confirmed yesterday that American and Japanese car companies have postponed their deadline for the next motor oil upgrade, after determining that oils meeting desired phosphorus limits and protecting existing engines cannot be develop in time for the 2004 model year.A key factor for the delay is a nearly universal desire that GF-4 be “backward compatible,” able to replace current oils with no problems or harm to older engines. GM’s representatives...