Sasol Chevrons proposed base oil plant at the Oryx refinery in Ras Laffan, Qatar, is no longer in line to become the worlds first large-scale source of gas-to-liquids base oils. The company disclosed this week that it has no timetable for the base oil plant, which previously had been slated to open in early 2009. A Chevron official acknowledged that the Ras Laffan plant may not be built, although he insisted that the joint venture is determined to build a GTL base oil plant somewhere. We remain ...

Croda International on Monday said it sold its refrigeration lubricants business to Lubrizol Corp. for 62 million pounds (U.S. $124.9 million), as part of its restructuring program announced following its acquisition of Uniqema last year. The acquisition includes Crodas polyol ester and alkyl benzene refrigeration lubricant technology, Emkarate and Icematic brand names, customer lists, manufacturing know-how and complementary intellectual property. No manufacturing facilities are included in the...

Sears Auto Centers will offer Valvoline as its primary brand for motor oil changes at Sears more than 850 locations under an agreement announced last week. Valvoline will be the default brand – consumers can ask for other brands, Barry Bronson, spokesman for Valvoline parent company Ashland, told Lube Report. Valvoline was chosen over other brands to be the primary/featured brand. In addition, Sears will offer Valvolines Maxlife brand motor oil for vehicles with more than 75,000 miles, and...

Neste Oil announced Aug. 29 that it will close a lubricant blending plant in Helsinki – Neste’s only such facility – by the end of 2009. Management said it is being forced to take the action because the city has designated the property for residential development. Officials declined to discuss the possibility of opening another blending plant or the fate of 45 employees at the existing facility, known as the Laajasalo plant. Labor laws in Finland require us to enter a negotiati...

The McPherson Companies Inc., parent company of McPherson Oil Products, said it has completed its purchase of the BP Castrol Heavy Duty lubricants distribution facility in College Park, Ga. Terms were not disclosed. McPherson, which has leased and operated the facility since June 2006, said it plans to relocate its Georgia regional distribution center from downtown Atlanta to the College Park location in the second quarter of 2008. The company has experienced significant growth in its Georgia ...

Harbour Group subsidiary Lincoln Industrial has acquired Lincoln Helios (India), which makes automatic lubrication systems, for an undisclosed amount. A spokesman for Lincoln Industrial told Lube Report the company had owned 50 percent of the Indian company since 1993, when it helped form it as a joint venture. Lincoln Helios (India) designs and manufactures automatic lubrication systems, ink delivery equipment and related services to clients throughout India. Headquartered in Bangalore, the co...

MPH Ventures Corp. has signed an agreement with Rio Algom Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BHP Billiton Ltd., and with Goldcorp Inc., for the acquisition of 93 percent of the outstanding shares of northern Ontarios Pidgeon Molybdenum Mines Ltd. for Canadian $906,500 (U.S. $856,000). Separately, the U.S. Department of Energy will provide up to $491,000 for research by Argonne National Laboratory into use of very small particles of molybdenum disulfide as a lubricant additive for motor oils. Base...