Volume 6 Issue 44

UEIL Appoints Interel

During last weeks annual General Meeting of the Union of European Independent Lubricant Manufacturers in Nice, France, UEIL President Hugh Dowding announced the appointment of Interel, a Brussels-based lobbying and association management company, as the choice to take over these key activities for UEIL. The appointment of Interel brings a level of professional resource that would be beyond the reach of UEIL in isolation in the areas of lobbying expertise, contacts within the political community ...

ILMA Launches Metalworking Fluid Symposium

Noting that it will soon be a decade since the last comparable event, the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association announced at its annual meeting last month that it will take the lead in sponsoring a multi-day symposium on metalworking fluid health, safety and environmental issues, tentatively targeted for mid-2008 in the Detroit area. While emphasizing that plans for the symposium are still preliminary, several members of the ILMA planning committee fleshed out their vision for Lube Rep...

Pale Oil Output Rises, But So Does Demand

Lubricant manufacturers who rely on naphthenic base stocks for critical applications – metalworking fluids, lubricating greases, heavy industrial oils – might feel heartened by recent data from the Energy Information Administration. Despite a few bumps in April and May, U.S. production of naphthenic base stocks is on track this year to pass the 10-million-barrel mark for the first time since 2002, the final year before Shell withdrew from the market. Production through June had alrea...

Afton, Lubrizol Strong; Tough Times at Valvoline

Financial results for the quarter ending Sept. 30 highlighted continued tough times for lube blender Valvoline, while two of the largest lubricant additive companies reported positive quarters. Afton Chemical last week and Lubrizols Lubricant Additive segment this week reported gains of 65 and 6 percent, respectively, in operating income for the quarter ending Sept. 30. Valvoline this week posted a loss of $14.6 million for the quarter. For the 2006 fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Valvoline parent ...

Nippon Oil Makes U.S. Debut

Japans number one oil company is making a two-pronged debut in the worlds largest lubricant market, with introduction of its Eneos-branded motor oils on the U.S. West Coast by Nippon Oil U.S.A., while sister company Nippon Oil Lubricants (America) has begun production of engine oils, automatic transmission fluids and shock absorber oils at its new Childersburg, Ala., blending plant. Production has begun as of Sept. 29, Nippon Oil Lubricants (America) President Masaaki Hasegawa told Lube Report. ...

Fire Causes $1.5M Damage to Lube Facility

A fire on Oct. 26 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, destroyed a 11,250-square-foot warehouse building owned by South Dakota-based motor oil distributor Stern Oil Co., said Scott Stern, vice president of Stern Oil. Stern told Lube Report that the fluids stored at the warehouse, predominantly were engine oils, hydraulic fluids, gear oils, greases, and some cutting fluids. He said the oil involved in the fire was predominantly ExxonMobil brand. We also handle some Petro-Canada fluids and Caterpillar fluids...