Nippon Oil Corp. is ramping up its motor oil business on opposite sides of the globe. Japans largest oil company announced late last month that it plans to quadruple its motor oil sales in the United States from 2001 to 2005. Separately the company said it plans to more than double its sales volume in China and other parts of Asia during the same period. In the United States Nippon sold 10,000 kiloliters (2.6 million gallons) of motor oil during 2001 and wants to raise that level to 40,000 kilol...

A French-American joint venture to build a synthetic esters plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has stalled due to the bankruptcy of the U.S. partner, Specialty Industrial Products Inc. Officials with Nyco America LLC say they are considering alternatives about how to proceed as they watch for developments with SIP, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late November. Were waiting to see what happens with SIP and looking at other options, Nyco America Director of Sales and Market...

Would-be used oil reprocessor Probex announced last week that it has entered a joint venture agreement to build a 120,000 metric-ton-per-year plant in France. The announcement, included in a Dec. 26 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, puts two publicly identified projects on Probexs plate. The other is a plant in Wellsville, Ohio, that would process up to 183,000 metric tons of used oil per year. Addison, Texas-based Probex announced the Wellsville project two years ago but ...