BASF plans to acquire Ciba Holding AG via a public takeover offer to shareholders, bringing together two specialty chemical giants with products that include synthetic lubricants and base stocks, lube additives and many components used in lubricants, additives and metalworking fluids. The offer is 50 Swiss francs (U.S. $44.96) in cash for each nominal Ciba share, for a total value of about CHF 6.1 billion (U.S. $5.5 billion). The total value is based on all outstanding Ciba shares and includes ...

An explosion Sunday morning at Dengta Jinhang Petrochemical Co. Ltd. in Liaoning Province, northeast China, killed two workers and injured others, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. The facility in Jianshanzi Village produces lubricant additives. The explosion at 5:46 a.m. toppled a workshop and shattered windows in nearby buildings, injuring many local residents and leaving a three-meter-deep hole in the northeast corner of the plant, Xinhua stated. Firefighters brought the fire und...

Total U.S. lubricant sales volumes in the second quarter of this year edged down 3.2 percent compared to the same period in 2007, according to the latest sales data from the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. The likely cause: fewer miles driven per vehicle as owners recoiled from high fuel prices, says an industry expert. The organization on Sept. 12 released its Quarterly Index of Lubricant Sales, showing that volumes for the second quarter fell across the automotive and grease s...

While base oil, additive and chemical manufacturers in southeastern Texas face power, fuel, water, food and transportation challenges in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the industry may be breathing a sigh of relief it has escaped the type of structural damage Hurricanes Katrina and Rita unleashed in 2005. Companies largely chose to shut down operations in an orderly fashion last week in preparation for the hurricane, which struck the Texas coast Saturday, Sept. 13.While most report little damag...