Chevron plans to build a world-class API Group II/Group III base oil plant in the Gulf Coast region, industry sources confirmed to Lube Report. The new plant at Chevrons Pascagoula, Miss., refinery complex will have capacity to produce more than 1 million metric tons per year (over 19,200 barrels per day). A help wanted ad last month seeking a planner/scheduler for a Pascagoula Base Oil Project also signaled Chevrons plans. Rumors about a possible expansion have intensified recently. Some point ...

LONDON – Russian oil giant Lukoil is investing $270 million to upgrade its base oils, and has already begun two initiatives to produce bright stocks at its Perm and Volgograd refineries. In his overview of Russias lubricants markets, a senior Lukoil executive told an industry conference here that Perm produced 600 metric tons of bright stock in January, and plans to produce up to 2,000 tons per month by April. Lukoil lubricants company LLK-International General Director Maxim Donde told th...

Lubricant supplier Fuchs Petrolub reported strong earnings for 2007, and Milacrons Industrial Fluids segment posted positive results for the quarter and year ending Dec. 31. Meanwhile, independent refiner Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP saw earnings slip for the quarter and year. Startup of Calumets Shreveport, La., refinery expansion has been delayed to the second quarter of 2008. Fuchs According to preliminary figures released Friday, Fuchs Petrolube AG, the worlds largest independent l...

Shell Oil Co.s Pennzoil, one of Americas leading brands, kicked off a new marketing campaign during this months Daytona 500 in an effort to secure a larger share of the 715 million gallon U.S. passenger car motor oil market, and separate the brand from its competitors. The Feel the Clean campaign focuses on active cleansing agents, thus shifting attention to what Pennzoil can do positively for the engine – and representing a shift in strategy for the oil marketer. Consumer, customer and t...

U.S. Oil Co. has bundled three recent acquisitions into U.S. AutoForce, a new organization to market automotive lubricants, tires and parts in 14 upper Midwestern and mountain states. U.S. AutoForce, whose parts had a combined total of $300 million in sales last year, will operate as a division of privately held U.S. Oil Co., based in Combined Locks, Wis. U.S. Oil reported over $1.5 billion in revenues last year, primarily from petroleum distribution, noted Steve Friswold, vice president and gen...

Ciba last week announced a global increase in prices for lubricant additives, and Oxiteno yesterday said it would raise prices on surfactants in the United States and Canada. Basel, Switzerland-based Ciba Specialty Chemicals on Friday said that effective March 1 or as contracts allow, it would increase prices on lubricant additives by 3 to 11 percent. The products are sold into lubricant applications primarily under the trade names Ciba Irganox, Irgalube, Irgacor, Irgamet and Irgafos. The price ...