While sales of private label or store brand auto products have grown, consumers of motor oils still perceive a quality difference between private label and name brands, concluded a report by market research company NPD Groups automotive unit. The recently released report, Selling Automotive Products in Tough Economic Times, found that 56 percent of consumers believe that motor oil name brands are of better quality than store brands, while 38 percent see no real difference. About 6 percent of co...

Eni SpA planned this week to resume normal operations at its refinery in Livorno, Italy, after employees agreed to end picketing that had disrupted the facility, Reuters reported. The refinery includes one of Western Europes largest base stock plants. According to a Sept. 21 Reuters article, the employees began picketing the week of Sept. 6 to protest the possibility that jobs would be cut. Eni is trying to sell the Livorno facility, one of five refineries in Italy that the company wholly owns....

Lubricant blenders in Nigeria have expressed mixed feelings over the recent directive by the Nigerian authorities that only registered lube blenders will be allowed to import base oil into the country effective Oct. 1. While hailing the new directive – which is partly aimed at finally ending unregistered blending in the country – as a step in the right direction, they noted that the directive can only be successfully carried out if the monitoring agencies are effective in their duti...

James L. Linden of General Motors, who joined the Fuels & Lubricants Department of General Motors Research in 1973 and has been a steady presence in automotive lubricants development for the past two decades, elected to retire at the end of September. During his career as a staff researcher at GM, Linden was responsible for many improvements in engine oils, power transmission fluids and vehicle fuel economy. In retiring, he also steps down as chairman of the auto industry’s Internat...

Total Lubricants Canada has appointed M&R Environmental Ltd. as a distributor in British Columbia, a move Total said demonstrates its commitment to expand across Canada. M&R is a privately owned and operated company based in Burnaby, British Columbia. It has become a member of the Uni-Select Network of Auto Parts Plus stores. Were the largest collector of used oil, filters, antifreeze, solvents, any petroleum related waste in British Columbia, Harold Winberg, M&R co-owner and vi...

Myra Distributing will distribute Irving-branded lubricants in the New England region under an agreement with Irving Oil subsidiary Coastal Blending and Packaging. Kevin Boyle, general manager for Coastal Blending and Packaging, noted that Myra Distributings strategic location in Massachusetts provides a new channel to penetrate the southern New England market for the Irving brand. Myra now distributes a full line of the Irving products throughout Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, southern...

It has been another week of feeble activity in all areas. Europe and the United States have lots of empty ships available for prompt loading, and Asia too has been more subdued than in previous weeks. U.S. Gulf of Mexico A growing number of vessels are showing open in the U.S. Gulf prior the end of the month, most of which are larger units of 12,000 dwt or more. Demand for space is sporadic, and many of the potential cargoes that are quoted do not mature into firm business. Consequently, freig...