GS Caltex launched commercial production of lubricating base oils at its Yeosu complex in South Korea Oct. 29, as the joint venture completed a 1.5 trillion won (U.S. $1.6 billion) project to build a heavy oil upgrading facility and base oil plant. Ultimately, the base oil plant will have 12,000 barrels per day of API Group II and 4,000 b/d of Group III capacity under the companys new Kixx Lubo brand name. GS Caltex will focus on producing Group II 150N and 600N until December 2007 and start pro...

Indias Gulf Oil International Group announced Monday that its joint venture in Saudi Arabia has acquired Petromin, that nations largest lubricant supplier. Gulf officials said the transaction is part of its broader strategy to expand in the region. Terms were not disclosed. Gulf has been very keen to consolidate its position in the Middle East, spokesman Richard Hoare said. It isa market thatGulf views as having significant potential for its products. Since its formation in1968, Petromin had bee...

The board of directors of automotive aftermarket supplier Industrial Enterprises of America Inc. suspended Chief Financial Officer Jorge Yepes as of Nov. 6, to conduct an internal integrity review. The review is being conducted to investigate possible violations of the companys policies and procedures, the company said in a statement Nov. 7. The company did not respond to Lube Reports requests for comments and additional information. According to Industrial Enterprises of Americas Nov. 8 filing...

Fuchs Petrolub AG posted a gain in earnings for 2007s first nine months, while Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP reported a steep drop for the third quarter. Fuchs said strong growth in gross profit and slower growth in expenses helped raise its net profit for the first nine months by 21 percent compared to the same period last year. Specialty refiner Calumet pointed to lower gross profit and the rising cost of crude as underlying reasons for a 74 percent earnings decrease compared to the y...

Rohm and Haas recently announced a price increase for specialty amines used in lubricant additives, while Dow announced a rise in price for hydraulic fluids and certain oxygenated solvents, and Oxea raised off-list prices for several solvents. Dow and Rohm and Haas cited skyrocketing raw material costs as a key reason for the price hikes. Rohm and Haas Co. on Oct. 30 said it would increase prices by 4 to 14 percent effective Nov. 15 for select products in its Primene line of specialty amines, wh...

Hercules Inc. on Nov. 1 completed expansion of its Louisiana, Mo., synthetic lubricants manufacturing facility, which produces synthetic polyol esters used as lubricants for refrigeration and air conditioning applications. The expansion doubled manufacturing capacity, Hercules spokeswoman Catherine Abernathy told Lube Report. Although they are doing some final optimizing, the plant is in operation. Hercules Paper Technologies and Ventures is based in Wilmington, Del. Since the mid-1990s, Hercule...

If you live in Indiana, you will soon be able to check e-mail and sip a cappuccino while having your cars oil changed. Thats what Lucas Oil has in mind as it plans to launch its inaugural automobile aftermarket retail centers in Indiana in the spring of 2008. With fewer and fewer people doing their own oil changes, this is a natural progression for the company, Robert Patison, executive vice president of Lucas Oil told Lube Report. [The car care centers] will make our product better known to th...