Valvolines operating income for the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose 36 percent from the same period a year earlier, thanks to higher sales volumes, particularly for premium products. Parent company Ashland Inc. reported Thursday that the lubricant and car care products business recorded operating income of $15 million for the first quarter of its fiscal year, up from $11 million for the same period a year earlier. Sales revenue grew from $255 million to $281 million. Total lubricant sales rose 2.9 pe...

Shell Marine Products has announced plans to increase its presence in the United States, primarily by venturing inland. Officials declined to identify particular regions of the inland marine market that may be targeted, saying details of the strategy have yet to take shape. The plans for lubricants are part of a broader initiative, announced this month, for Shell Marine to take over the fuels operations previously managed by Equiva Trading and to expand the combined fuels and lubricants business...

Asia is rising and will surpass the West by the end of this century, Standard Chartered Banks chief economist for S.E. Asia, Steve Brice, told the Fuels & Lubes Asia conference in Singapore last week. We are positive on Asia. Economists worldwide are particularly positive on China, with its sustainable annual growth rates of 6 to 8 percent. Chinas lubricant blending capacity has jumped nearly 330 percent in the past10 years, and profits on high-end products can be juicy. Multinational oil co...