ExxonMobil Lubricants and Specialties announced last week that it has won a contract to become the sole source, worldwide supplier of lubricants and in-plant lube services to Mexican cement maker Cemex. ExxonMobil was already doing some business with the Monterrey-based company but, under the expanded arrangement, will now provide a standard global package to all Cemex facilities, which are located throughout North, Central and South America, in Asia, and in Spain and Egypt. ExxonMobil is able t...

Fast lube industry growth continues to slow, and profit margins slipped in the past year, according to National Oil & Lube News. For the fifth consecutive year, smaller fast oil change operators reported that they plan to open fewer stores than the previous year. Average profit margins for smaller operators declined from 13.1 percent last year to 11.8 percent this year, while average profits at larger companies dropped from 14 percent a year ago to 12.7 percent this year. National Oil & ...

Calumet Lubricants Co. says it will adjust operations at its Shreveport, La., base oil refinery, eliminating production of naphthenics while adding capacity for paraffinics, including Group II stocks. The Indianapolis, Ind., company plans to make up for some of the lost naphthenic capacity by increasing production at its Princeton, La., plant. Observers predicted that the net effect on the naphthenic market will be negligible but that lube blenders may benefit to the extent that the additional p...