Intertek Caleb Bretts share of the lubricant testing market will grow significantly when its $34.5 million purchase of PerkinElmers Automotive Research Laboratory closes tomorrow. The Automotive Research Laboratory conducts an estimated 30 percent of all approval testing for API engine oils.In August, Intertek Caleb Brett acquired PARC, which tests automotive lubricants at the research and development stage. Houston-based Intertek Caleb Brett, a division of Intertek Group plc, last week announce...

Safety-Kleen Systems Inc. said recently that it has landed an exclusive contract to collect used motor oil generated by the United States Postal Service. The Plano, Texas, company called it the largest-ever government contract for used oil recycling. Under the contract, announced Oct. 20, Safety-Kleen will collect oil from 750 vehicle service centers across the country. Those centers support more than 37,000 post offices and service more than 200,000 postal trucks and vans – the largest c...

Quaker Chemical Corp. said last week that third quarter net income jumped 83 percent from the same period of 2004, thanks primarily to increases in prices for its own products. The industrial lubricant supplier also announced a restructuring plan aimed at trimming costs by up to $10 million. Milacron Inc., meanwhile, reported a 36 percent drop in earnings for its Industrial Fluids segment, largely due to its inability to keep up with higher costs. Quaker Chemical reported Nov. 1 that it had sale...

Brazil’s lubricants market saw 10 percent growth in consumption rates for 2004, outpacing the economic juggernauts of China and India for the year, says an upcoming study from market research firm Kline & Company. Still, the market in Brazil is likely to remain highly competitive, it predicts, and lube marketers should not expect significant growth in profits. “Ten percent growth in the lubricants industry is virtually unheard of,” pointed out Geeta Agashe, director of Klin...