Woodlands, Texas-based chemical manufacturer Huntsman Corp. said its first Asia Pacific polyetheramines site, which broke ground in Juron Island, Singapore in November 2005, is on schedule and expected to begin commercial production in the third quarter of this year. The new plant will produce 30 million pounds of Jeffamine-brand products annually, complementing Huntsmans larger polyetheramines facilities in Conroe, Texas and Llanelli, Wales. BASF is the other major global supplier of the chemi...

The government of Sri Lanka on Thursday announced it had licensed six more firms to market lubricants locally, as part of its continued efforts to open its lubricants market to companies seeking to blend locally or import products for sale. According to Sri Lankan news agency Lanka Business Online, the Sri Lanka government has given permission to Bharat Petroleum of India, Gulf Oil International of the United Kingdom, French companies Motul and Total S.A., and Sinopec of China to trade and distr...

Financial results for the quarter ending Dec. 31 saw lubricant blender Valvoline on the rebound, and a strong fourth quarter and full year for the lubricants division of South Korean base oil refiner SK Corp. Valvoline parent company Ashland said the lube blender recorded operating income of $18.2 million for the three months ended Dec. 31 – the first quarter of Ashlands 2007 fiscal year – up from operating income of $1.1 million for the same period a year earlier. Valvolines sales a...

A major acquisition in China last year helped Shell Oil Co. get its groove back and leap back to the top as leading global marketer of automotive and industrial lubricants, ahead of ExxonMobil, according to consultant Kline and Co. Shell China Holdings in September 2006 acquired a 75 percent share in Beijing Tongyi Petroleum Chemical Co. and Xianyang Tongyi Petroleum Co., two companies that together produce and market Chinas leading independent lubricant brand, Monarch lubricants. ExxonMobil sup...

South Korean base oil refiner SK Corp. last week announced a strategic alliance with Nippon Oil Corp., Japans largest oil company, saying potential benefits in the lubricants field include exchange and lease of lube base oil and co-utilization of lube blending facilities to build a stable and efficient worldwide supply system of lubricants. Y.D. Chae, general manager for SK’s lubricants overseas marketing team, told Lube Report the amount of base oil swapped between the two companies will ...