Volume 7 Issue 35

Achesons Fate Hinges on Akzo

Henkels proposal to acquire part of Imperial Chemical Industries PLCs National Starch subsidiary – including lubricant and additives supplier Acheson Colloids Co. – for 2.7 billion pounds (U.S. $5.4 billion) remains in limbo, as it is conditional upon Akzo Nobels successful acquisition of ICI. Akzo Nobel and ICI last week said they have reached agreement on terms of a recommended cash offer by Akzo Nobel. Under the terms of the transaction, ICI shareholders will receive 670 pence (U....

Sharjah Fire Sidelines Elco

A United Arab Emirates lubricant supplier suffered major damage in a fire that temporarily closed a busy port Friday. News reports said the blaze appeared to have been concentrated on Emirates Lube Oil Co. facility at Port Khalid in Sharjah and that the companys storage facility was gutted. Three people suffered minor burns and were released after hospital treatment, according to articles published by several local and regional news organizations. The port – the nations largest – re...

Petronas Group III Plant Delayed

Material shortages and equipment delivery delays have slowed construction work on Petronas new API Group III base oil refinery in Melaka, Malaysia, but the company still hopes to bring the plant online in 2008. The Petronas Melaka Group III base oil refinery is expected to have capacity to produce 270,000 metric tons per year of API Group III base oils and another 70,000 t/y of Group II. Over the past few months, the construction contracts have encountered a number of basic building material sho...

Pilot, Ciba, Dow Raise Chemical Prices

Pilot Chemical Co., Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Dow Chemical have announced price increases for certain chemical products. Pilot Chemicals products are used in metalworking fluids, Cibas products are lubricant additives, and Dows product is used in production of textile lubricants. Cincinnati-based specialty chemical supplier Pilot announced price increases effective Sept. 1 or as contracts allow on chemicals used in metalworking fluids, including Aristonate and Aristol alkyl aryl sulfonates o...

Kaman to Distribute Klber Specialty Oils, Greases

Kaman Industrial Technologies recently announced a distribution agreement with specialty lubricants manufacturer Klber Lubrication North America L.P to distribute Klbers line of specialty oils and greases throughout the United States and British Columbia, Canada. David Grebowski, Kamans accessory products manager, said the company will distribute Klubers products for industrial use. They are for mostly heavy duty industries, such as mining, steel-making, things like that, Grebowski told Lube Re...

Shell Seals Suzuki Deal

Suzuki Motors Corp. has signed a long-term agreement to use Shell lubricants and oils exclusively in vehicles manufactured at two Suzuki automotive plants in Kosai and Iwata, Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, all Suzuki vehicles manufactured from July 2007 at the Kosai and Iwata plants will have a Suzuki-Shell label under the engine hood as a symbol of the joint partnership. Shell Lubricants and Suzuki have had a global partnership since 2004, according to Patricia Singer, spokeswoman for...

Military Planes Fly on Hatco Fluids

Hatco Corp., a subsidiary of Chemtura, last week won a $14.8 million contract from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency to supplyester-based aviation turbine oils to the U.S. military. All jet planes fly on these types of fluids, Hatco Vice President Avron Magram told Lube Report. Its one of the major applications for the fluids. Hatco, based in Fords, N.J., was awarded a maximum $14,770,880.23 fixed-price-with-economic-adjustment contract to supply the polyol ester-based aviation turbine oils thro...