Dual clutch transmissions could account for up to 10 percent of global automotive demand by 2015, so lube manufacturers need to prepare for this coming shift in automotive technology. Thats one lesson out of a recent webcast hosted by SAE Internationals Automotive Engineering magazine. Speakers from BorgWarner, Getrag Ford Transmissions and Lubrizol participated in the Enabling DCT Growth Around the World Through Innovation, Design and Collaboration webcast on Oct. 15. Used primarily in passen...

BASF on Friday declared force majeure at its 115,000 metric tons per year maleic anhydride facility in Feluy, Belgium, in response to a strike by workers protesting plans to close the plant, BASF spokesman Klaus-Peter Rieser confirmed to Lube Report. On Thursday, BASF said it would close the plant by the end of this year. Its MA business is suffering from unsatisfactory profitability due to overcapacity and resulting low margins together with the effects of the current economic crisis, BASF sta...

ISTANBUL – Automakers will need to make significant improvements in fuel economy in coming years. Lubricants can make a small but valuable contribution, a Lubrizol official told an industry conference here last week. Engine oils could boost average fuel economy by approximately 1 percent, according to Mike McCabe, regional business manager for engine oils at Lubrizol, who spoke Friday at the annual meeting of the Independent Union of the European Lubricant Industry (UEIL). He added, thoug...

Diverse companies reported diverse results, with additives manufacturer Afton Chemical and lubricant supplier Quaker Chemical each reporting an increase in net profit in the third quarter, while base oil refiner S-Oil saw a decrease, all compared to the year-earlier quarter. Afton Chemical Afton Chemical parent NewMarket Corp. on Thursday reported its petroleum additives segment saw a 242.7 percent jump in operating profit for the third quarter to $96.3 million, compared to $28.81 million in 20...

A 23 cubic meter (about 6,000 gallon) container of industrial lube oils exploded Sunday afternoon at an SATI container depot in Umbogintwini, South Africa, causing a fire that took three hours to bring under control. The eThekwini Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident. It is believed that the tank was full [and] the product was being heated by the indirect application of steam at the time of the explosion, Mark te Water, Durbans chief fire officer and deputy head of fire and disaste...