ROMULUS, Mich. — Sept. 4 saw the end of the 30-day comment period for the new gasoline engine oil quality upgrade, GF-4, with no technical impediments in sight that would derail the currently planned first API licensing of the oils in July 2004. On Sept. 11, ILSAC/Oil met to review the comments received. ILSAC/Oil is the six-person ad hoc committee created to develop GF-4, representing U.S. and Japanese automobile manufacturers and the petroleum industry. It is chaired by Bob Olree of Gene...

American and Canadian quick-lube centers served more customers and earned better sales and profits last year than they did in 2000, according to survey results published recently by the Automotive Oil Change Association. Not bad given the state of the U.S. economy the past two years. The associations 2003 Cost of Doing Business Survey, released last month, showed that sales for the average quick-lube center were 7.8 percent higher in 2002 than they were in 2000, the year of the most recent surve...

Kluber Lubrication Munchen KG announced Thursday that it has acquired another German company, specialty lube manufacturer OKS Spezialschmierstoffe GmbH. The companies did not disclose terms of the deal. Munich-based Kluber, a subsidiary of the Freudenberg Group, said OKS will maintain an independent presence in the market under its current management. Thoroughly new and highly interesting perspectives are offered by OKS’ eminent position in the Indian market, President Hanno D. Wentzler sa...

German packaging company Mauser Group announced Aug. 29 that it has bought the blow-molding business of Hoover Materials Handling Group Inc. Mauser added that it has formed a new company, Mauser USA Inc., which plans to begin a broad capital investment program by the end of this year. Hoover, which is based in Alpharetta, Ga., has been a licensee of Mauser blow-molding technology for approximately five years. The recent transaction includes production facilities in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Anniston, Al...