An Illinois congressman asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last week to investigate whether ExxonMobil is using its power in the base oil market to grab a bigger share of the market for motor oils. In a Nov. 24 letter, Rep. Bobby L. Rush also questioned whether actions taken by the commission in approving large mergers have succeeded in keeping the base oil market competitive. Independent lubricant blenders said Rushs letter echoed concerns that they have had for some time and which have de...

Lubrizol Corp. has purchased several small companies in the past few years, but officials say the company is bent on making more and bigger acquisitions in the not-too-distant future. President James L. Hambrick told stock analysts yesterday that acquisitions will play a big role in Lubrizols commitment to follow through on a growth strategy that it adopted three years ago. By its own account, the company has earned only a C grade in meeting that goal, but Hambrick said it is working on a numbe...

After observing the success of a similar case in the United States, a Canadian man has filed a lawsuit claiming Mercedes-Benz set motorists up for engine damage by failing to advise them to use synthetic motor oil. Toronto resident Michael Malc asked the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last month to certify the case as a class action suit in Canada. Mercedes-Benz settled the U.S. case earlier this year but has vowed to fight the action north of the border. Like the case in the United States, t...

Dover Chemical Corp. said it has nearly completed manufacturing integration of the Mayco and Keil Chemical businesses that it acquired in the past year, and it will continue to produce chlorinated paraffins at both its Dover, Ohio, and Hammond, Ind., plants. Dover, which is based in Dover, Ohio, became North Americas dominant supplier of chlorinated paraffins when it acquired Ferro Corp.s Keil Chemical Division in July. Cutting-fluid manufacturers, who use chlorinated paraffins for extreme press...