Specialty lubricants and chemicals company Condat Corp. completed the acquisition of Renite, a maker of high-temperature lubricants for the forge and glass cutting industries. The deal expands Condats market share in the Americas.

Renites brand name will continue during the transition period, however, Condat will manufacture and sell Renite products from now on, a Condat spokesperson told LubesnGreases.

Established in 1996, Condat has operations in Saline, Michigan, where it formulates and produces metalworking cutting and fire-resistant fluids, technical greases and forming lubricants, as well as lubricants for forges and glass manufacturing.

Condat Corp. is part of Condat Group, which is headquartered in France and has production bases in China and Brazil and subsidiaries in Western Europe. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Renite also sells to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

ExxonMobil Expands Research Capabilities

ExxonMobil, the worlds second-largest energy company after Gazprom, has begun the expansion of its research and innovation center in Clinton, New Jersey. The center will be the location of the companys fundamental and process research and development and is expected to be completed in 2019. It will include an engine testing laboratory and a lube research and development blending plant.

The expansion of our New Jersey research and engineering center will improve collaboration across our organization and enhance our ability to accelerate breakthroughs in new and emerging technologies, said the President of ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company Bruce March in a press statement.

End of an Era at Oronite

Chevron Oronite President Desmond King will retire after more than 36 years at the helm. Throughout his career, King exhibited strong leadership skills and made significant contributions to Chevrons success, including guiding Oronite to new heights as an additives industry leader over the past four and a half years, Pierre Breber, executive vice president of downstream and chemicals at Chevron said in a statement.

King will be replaced by Bruce Chinn, general manager of Chevrons Pascagoula refinery, who brings 30 years of experience in chemicals and manufacturing. The selection of Bruce Chinn as president, Chevron Oronite, will help ensure the continuation of our strong momentum in the fuel and lubricant additive business, added Breber.

Flat-lining Sales Require Creative Strategies

Volume sales are stagnating and lubricant marketers need to anticipate new growth areas to survive, says Kline & Co.s new Global Market Analysis and Assessment Report. The consulting and research firm identified the changing vehicle parc – the population of all vehicles in a territory – in Asia and a move toward greater uptake of synthetic grades in the United States as indicators of future market trends.

An evolving parc in India can mean a shift from two-wheelers to passenger vehicles, more lower-viscosity grade PCMOs [passenger car motor oils], such as 5Ws and 0Ws, growth in the franchised workshop channel during the warranty period, and opportunities in the independent workshop channel post warranty, George Morvey, industry manager in Klines energy practice, said in a press statement.

Global finished lubricant market demand reached 35.9 million metric tons in 2016. The two single-largest markets were the United States and China, which together account for 40 percent. As a region, Asia-Pacific has a 40 percent share of demand, followed by North America at 25 percent.

New Brand Identity for Adnoc

Adnoc launched its new corporate brand, uniting its subsidiaries under one common identity, at the companys headquarters in the United Arab Emirates. The rebranding comes after an announcement by the company earlier in the year that it would offer part of its downstream business, Adnoc Distribution, to the public.

Adnocs activities are carried out by 16 subsidiaries and joint ventures. We are confident that bringing the group together under one brand will significantly enhance the visibility and positioning of Adnoc at a local, regional and international level, said UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber at the event.

Bike Lube Requirements Not Fully Considered

Dont put passenger car motor oil in your four-stroke motorcycle engine, said Matthieu Vaslin, a product line specialist for industrial and specialties additives for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Chevron Oronite, at the 2017 meeting of the Croatian Society for Fuels and Lubricants. The formulation needs for both types of vehicle are growing evermore divergent, he said.

Europe registered 1,307,200 motorcycles and mopeds in 2016, according to the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, offering a significant market for specially formulated motorcycle lubricants.

Passenger car motor oils are formulated to meet fuel efficiency and emissions standards, as well as engine technology, while far smaller bike engines have different needs. They run faster and hotter and cycle the oil much quicker than larger-sump car engines. Motorcycle oil often has to lubricate the clutch and transmission as well, so demands on the lube are greater.

Vivo to List in London

Dutch lubricant and fuel retailer Vivo Energy Investments is getting ready to go public on the London Stock Exchange. The company, which according to a report by Dow Jones is being valued at more than U.S. $3 billion, is one of the main distributors of Shells fuels and lubricants in 16 African countries.

Vivo serves the aviation, marine and mining industries, as well as the retail sector and has more than 1,780 Shell-branded fuel stations across the continent. The company was established when Shell sold much of its African downstream operations to Vitol S.A and Helios Investment Partners for $1 billion in 2011.

EU Votes to Phase Out Biofuels

The European Parliaments environment committee voted to end support for vegetable-oil derived biodiesel and phase out palm-oil biodiesel all together by 2021. The move could be good news for finished lubricant companies, which face technological challenges blending engine oils that can both meet engine makers specifications and government emissions targets for a variety of fuel types, including biofuels.

We welcome the parliaments decision to stop the use of high-emitting biodiesel from palm oil, rapeseed and soy in European cars. This is good news for the climate, the worlds rainforests and people around the world living off of their land, said Laura Buffet, clean fuels manager at Transport & Environment, an NGO that promotes sustainable development in the transport sector.

Songwon Joins with Lehmann & Voss

Chemicals company Songwon Industrial Co., Ltd., and German specialty chemicals and minerals provider Lehmann & Voss & Co. have inked a distribution partnership for the Korean companys fuels and lubrication in Europe. Songwon is the second-largest manufacturer of polymer stabilizers in the world.

Shell Leads Lube Market

Shell Lubricants sold 4.4 million metric tons, equivalent to 5 billion liters, of lubricant in 2016, making it the global market leader for the eleventh year in a row, according to market research by consultancy Kline & Co.

The Anglo-Dutch company has an 11 percent volume share of the global finished lubricant market, divided equally among the consumer and commercial automotive and industrial segments.