Bel-Ray Co. has formed a new partnership in Thailand with Chieng Thai Trading Ltd. to distribute Bel-Rays general industrial and No-Tox products in the Thai and Laos industrial and food grade markets. Founded in 1970, Chieng Thai Trading is based in the Praves district of Bangkok. Bel-Ray said that because Chieng Thai Trading already distributes food additives, it was an ideal partner to promote and sell the Bel-Ray No-Tox line of NSF H1 registered food grade lubricants along with their industr...

Car dealer Towell Auto Centre announced an agreement last week to supply Total lubricants to Al Maha Petroleums chain of fuel stations in Oman. Towell, which distributes and markets Total lubricants in Oman, said it entered the new deal because Al Maha is one of the sultanates leading retailers of petroleum products. Al Maha has 150 stations in the Persian Gulf sultanate, making it one of the countrys leading retailers of petroleum products. Towell is based in Azaiba, Oman, and sells Mazda, Seat...

Kraton Polymers announced plans to raise prices on SBS-based polymers and compounds in the Asia Pacific region, and Oxea said it would raise list and off-list prices for several solvents across several regions. Houston-based Kraton said that effective June 1, it will implement a general price increase of $330 per metric ton on all shipments for SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene block) and O/E (oil extended) SBS polymers and compounds in the Asia Pacific Region. SBS polymers can be used in lubrican...

Chemtura Corp. last week announced the expansion of manufacturing capacity for its Hybase overbased calcium sulfonate line in West Hill, Ont., Canada. The product is typically used as a detergent and rust inhibitor in crankcase lubricants. Kirk Schlup, Chemturas global industry leader for marine and fuels, said the expansion – expected to be completed by November 2008 – will increases the capacity by more than 25 percent and is driven by growth in the marine and industrial areas. App...

Maine recently repealed a motor vehicle oil change fee put in place last October, amending the law to replace it with a fee imposed on distributors of bulk motor oil. The collected fees will still go to help pay for clean up of four former waste-oil sites. Retailers providing oil change services and fleet owners conducting their own oil changes are no longer required to collect and/or report the $1, $2 and $3 oil change premiums on or after Aug. 1, 2008. The state will impose a new fee effectiv...

CLEVELAND – Friction and wear may be the biggest obstacles to harnessing wind energy, Larry Viterna, a tribologist at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, said in his keynote address at the annual Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers meeting last week. This $28 billion global market may be one of the most exciting opportunities for the lubricants industry today. Lubricants are the life blood of todays modern wind turbines – permeating critical subsystems includi...

Lukoil has reformulated and relaunched its premium tier engine oils, part of its effort to adapt to Russias rapidly changing automobile market. The Moscow-based company said its top line passenger car motor oils are now certified for meeting API-SL and SM standards. It also introduced heavy duty diesel oils that comply with the API CG-4 and CI-4 specifications. Officials said the company upgraded its products to appeal to the growing number of motorists who own foreign-made vehicles. [The] Rus...

SK and Lithcon Petroleum USA have jointly agreed not to renew their 12-year marketing agreement when it expires at the end of August, and SK will begin marketing its Yubase-branded API Group III base oils directly in the Americas June 1. As part of SKs shift in marketing strategy, two new employees will join his base oil team June 1, Y.M. Park, Houston-based general manager of SK E&P Co., told Lube Report. Beth Fields, formerly Lithcon vice president of marketing, will become Yubase sales ...