Properly draining motor oil bottles can save 9.8 million gallons of oil a year in the United States alone, keeping the oil out of landfills and groundwater, one quick lube owner contends. While quick lubes are a small part of the problem – most of their oil is purchased in bulk – hes urging the oil change industry to take the lead in promoting bottled oil draining. R. Scotti Lee, owner of Oil Change Express in New Castle, Del., has launched a one-man campaign to reduce the amount of...

Consulting firm Kline and Co. Inc. said it has formed a partnership with four firms in Central and Eastern Europe. The company said Kline KnowledgeNet Alliance will bolster its knowledge of markets, including the lubricants industry, in those regions. Weve seen an increase in interest from clients in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joe Tarantola said, and a growing number of our global syndicated studies now include these countries. The alliance includ...

Chattem Chemicals Inc. said last week that it has purchased the Hamposyl line of surfactants from a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co. An official said Chattem has transferred production of the surfactants – which are used in lubricants and other applications – to its manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattem is a specialty chemical manufacturer, and this business fits well with some of the other products we make, such as glycene and aluminum catalysts, said Sales and Marketin...

The first three months of 2006 yielded varying results for major players in the lubricant industry, according to financial reports released the past two weeks. Valvolines parent company blamed what it called the toughest motor oil market in more than a decade for an 88-percent dive in operating income. Afton Chemical Corp., on the other hand, came close to tripling its quarterly profit, allowing parent company NewMarket Corp. to pay a dividend for only the second time in five years. Meanwhile, i...

Following a two-year investigation, British regulators have identified metalworking fluid mist as the cause of occupational lung diseases developed by 101 employees at a transmission factory. The U.K. Health and Safety Executive two weeks ago declared the outbreak at Powertrain Ltd. the nations largest ever triggered by metalworking fluid mist. Officials said the case changed views about health risks posed by mist and led the agency to strengthen worker protections. As a result of the investigat...