Volume 5 Issue 17

Kendall Is In at Goodyear Outlets

Kendall motor oils are now offered at 1,800 U.S. Goodyear Gemini tire and auto service outlets, according to an announcement Monday by Kendall owner ConocoPhillips Co. The agreement marks the second auto service segment initiative announcedthis month by ConocoPhillips, which now claims tobe the fourth-largest lubricant supplier in the United States. Earlier the company unveiled Lube Shop, a signage program for independent quick-lube operators. Under terms of the agreement with Goodyear Tire and ...

Unlicensed Motor Oils: Bane or Boon?

DETROIT – More consumer education and more government enforcement were two of the reactions to the significant volumes of unlicensed motor oils in the marketplace, aired at an Open Forum at SAEs Fuels and Lubricants Council here on April 12. The American Petroleum Institutes voluntary licensing and certification program authorizes engine oil marketers whose products meet specified requirements to use APIs trademarked donut or starburst on those engine oils. Only oils meeting current specif...

Profits Up for Lubrizol, Unchanged at Valvoline

Lubrizol Corp. reported Friday that its profit for the first three months of 2005 increased 29 percent from the same period of 2004, thanks largely to last years acquisition of Noveon International. Valvolines income for the period was unchanged, with higher prices counter-balancing a decrease in sales volumes, its parent company said Monday. Lubrizol posted net income of $48.5 million for the first quarter, up from $37.5 million for the first quarter of 2004. Most of the improvement stemmed fro...

Testing Tops GF-5 Engine Oil Agenda

DETROIT – ILSAC/Oil, the committee developing GF-5, the next gasoline engine oil quality upgrade, rejected replacing an engine sequence test with a less costly bench test; moved ahead on developing a new fuel-economy test for engine oils; explored adoption of a Japanese chain-wear test; and established an emissions system compatibility team at its meeting here April 14. Representing the automotive, chemical additive and petroleum industries, the ILSAC/Oil Committee has targeted mid-2009 as...

Finished Lube Prices Climb Again

Several major lubricant manufacturers announced across-the-board price increases the past two weeks, reinforcing the rapid pace at which finished oil prices have risen over the past year. This is shaping up as the fourth round of increases in 12 months – an extraordinarily high number for the market. As was the case with three rounds of markups last year, suppliers said the latest hikes are in reaction to rising costs for base oil, chemical additives, energy, transportation and packaging. ...