Volume 3 Issue 25

Baton Rouge Upgrade Has Buyers Buzzing

ExxonMobil is apparently preparing to upgrade to Group II the automatic transmission fluid base produced at its Baton Rouge, La., refinery. And that has customers wondering what will happen to the rest of the plants output. Market sources say ExxonMobil informed them recently that Baton Rouge will stop producing 1391 ATF base, a Group I stock, by early in the second quarter of 2004, andit will be replaced by a Group II ATF base, EHC 30. But the company has remained tight-lipped, these sources sa...

Thieves Target Used Oil Tanks

When crude oil prices are riding high – as has been their habit this year – many quick-lube operators have a built-in means of reducing the impact on their business. They sell their used oil and get better returns from the fuel oil market. But the industrys biggest trade organization is warning operators that a problem accompanies that opportunity: The threat of thieves stealing that used oil. According to the Automotive Oil Change Association, the danger far surpasses the revenue th...

ILMA: Keep that Base Oil on the Market

The Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association told the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Monday that it has no objections to Shell Oil Co.s plans to sell its stake in Excel Paralubes to Flint Hills Resources L.P., as long asFlint Hills doesnot enter an agreement with Shell or another major oil company to exchange base oil for finished industrial lubes. The associations comments were part of a letter submitted two days before the commissions deadline for public input on the proposed sale. The l...