Volume 3 Issue 32
Italian Rerefiner Set to Make Group II
August 13, 2003Italian oil rerefiner Viscolube SpA plans to become the first European producer of Group II base stocks next month when it completes an upgrade of its plant in the northern city of Pieve Fissiraga. Viscolube says the plant will make base oil of higher quality than other rerefineries thanks to a Euro 30 million hydrofinishing unit. Officials predicted strong demand for the new oil, especially in light of continuing upgrades of motor oil standards. Apart from a few small plants, most of the base o...
No Growth for Grease
August 13, 2003Total reported worldwide grease production was 1.61 billion pounds (726 million kilograms) in 2002, unchanged from 2001, according to the latest Grease Production Survey from the National Lubricating Grease Institute. Lithium soap greases accounted for 70 percent of global production, calcium soap greases accounted for 13 percent, aluminum soap greases for 5 percent, polyurea greases for almost 5 percent, greases with organophilic clay thickeners for 3 percent, and other greases for the remainin...
Pennzoil, Castrol Launch TV Ads
August 13, 2003The lubricants industry traditionally has not been a big source of advertising revenue for television broadcasters, but at least two of the biggest motor oil marketers, Pennzoil and Castrol, recently launched campaigns in the United States. Shell Lubricants Pennzoil began airing the first of two TV ads in late June. The first commercial, named Homage, depicts dozens of engines jumping out of vehicles and speeding to a warehouse where Pennzoil is being unloaded. Shell officials claimed that the c...
Ethyl Reports Improved Profits
August 13, 2003Ethyl Corp. reported that its petroleum additive segments operating profits for the quarter and half-year ending June 30, excluding nonrecurring items, were up 34 percent and 31 percent compared to the same periods last year. These results represent the best first-half petroleum additive results since 1999, the company said. Ethyl’s net income for the second quarter of 2003 was $5.7 million, or 34 cents per share. This compares to $0.8 million or 5 cents per share for the same period last...