PHILADELPHIA -With REACH (registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals) legislation going into force June 1 in Europe, now is the time for lubricant and chemical manufacturers to communicate with suppliers to be sure they plan to comply with REACH and with European customers to understand their expectations, an industry expert warned. In a presentation here on May 7, at the annual meeting of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, Rich Kraska of Kraska Consultants, Bon...

The world’s largest producer of polyalkylene glycol (PAG) is getting even larger: Dow Chemical is adding capacity in Tarragona, Spain, to make an additional 7 million pounds per year of its Ucon synthetic base fluids. In North America, Dow has a multi-million dollar project under way to upgrade PAG compressor lubricants production at Freeport, Texas. And it has just completed a significant upgrade of its West Virginia PAG plant. The moves are all aimed at meeting strong global demand for s...

Ashland Inc. and Cargill have joined forces in a new $80 million to $100 million joint venture to develop and produce biobased chemicals, with plans for a European plant that will produce propylene glycol from glycerin, a by-product of biodiesel production. Jim Stoppert, senior director of industrial bioproducts for Cargill, said Europe, which has mandated biodiesel through legislation, is well ahead of the United States in biodiesel capacity. There is probably double the biodiesel capacity Euro...

Maxum Petroleum Inc., wholly-owned subsidiary of SPI Petroleum LLC, acquired lubricant and fuel distributor Petroleum Products Inc. and its affiliates for an undisclosed amount effective May 1, a move Maxum said will increase its growing presence in the energy sector and help extend its business reach closer to the eastern seaboard. Headquartered in Charlestown, W. Va., Petroleum Products was founded in 1938 and supplies fuels, lubricants and related services – including Chevron, Mobil, Ex...

Calumet Specialty Products Partners last week reported first quarter net income of $28.2 million, up from $3.8 million in the year-ago quarter. Total sales for the first quarter were $351 million, down from $398 million in first-quarter 2006. Total refinery production in the latest quarter also declined to under 45,000 barrels per day, of which 10,100 b/d was base oil production, from more than 50,000 b/d (including 11,700 b/d of base oil) in last years first quarter. Decreased sales revenues an...

Rhein Chemie Corp. has upgraded the technical service lab for its lubricant oil additives business at its U.S. headquarters in Chardon, Ohio, including addition of a full-time chemist and an applications chemist who also does work in the field. The lab offers fluid testing, analysis and trouble-shooting of lab and field samples for U.S. customers. Bruce Ernst, vice president of sales and marketing for the lubricant oil additives division, said the company in January began the process of revampin...

MS Fluid Technologies has formed a distributor agreement with ICQL Quimica Ltda., which will sell MS Fluid products, including synthetic stamping lubricants, in Brazil and throughout South America. MS Fluid Technologies develops and distributes specialty chemicals for metalworking, metal forming and metal finishing industries. ICQL Quimica is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. MS Fluid has a subsidiary in Mexico, MSC Technologies, going into its second year in operation. Paul Bosler, chief execut...