Both companiesdeclined to discuss the transaction beyond their press release.The Paratac line includes two products, Paratac and Paratac XT, formulated from polyisobutylene and used in industrial oils to protect against dripping, spattering and wipe-off.

Functional Products intends to immediately reach out to existing and former customers with an aggressive relaunching program that offers improved service and technical support. David DeVore, president of Functional Products, said that there will be no change in the formulas of these products, and the company will continue producing additives at its Macedonia, Ohio, facility due to customer requirements.

Mobil 1 Streams in Singapore

ExxonMobil began producing Mobil 1 synthetic engine oils in Asia for the first time last month at its standalone lubricants blending plant in Singapore, which opened earlier this year.

The firm did not disclose capacity or investment figures, but noted that the new lubes facility is the first manufacturing site in Asia-Pacific for Mobil 1-branded engine oils and the sixth worldwide.

ExxonMobil brought the plant online in April, following the opening of a grease factory in January. Both facilities were established to expand the oil majors finished lubricants output from its integrated refinery complex in Jurong.

GF-6 Timeline Wobbles Again

The estimated launch date for ILSAC GF-6, the much-delayed passenger car engine oil specification upgrade, has been kicked down the road once more-to July 2019.

Members of ASTM Committee D2s Passenger Car Engine Oil Panel met in Boston in June to discuss the status of the specification, including tests needed to support it. The projected date is unofficial, as details on the tests are not finalized and stakeholders do not want to issue a revised timeline until they are more confident in their ability to confirm an official new date, the panel noted.

It appears that the new Sequence IVB engine test, which uses a late-model Toyota engine to gauge valvetrain wear, is critical on the path to determine final ILSAC GF-6 timing. The earliest that test could be finalized is year-end 2017. The projected July 2019 date accounts for the one-year tech/demo period for the additive companies to finalize their technology as well as the one-year mandatory waiting period once the specification is defined and limits are agreed on.

Hyundai Fined for Lube Policies

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co.s business in India was fined by a regulatory agency for antitrust practices, including controlling dealers prices and choices of lubricants.

The Competition Commission of India, the countrys competition regulator, imposed a penalty of 870 million rupees (U.S. $13.5 million) on Hyundai Motor India Ltd. and ordered it to cease and desist influencing aspects of its dealers business.

The commissions director general launched an investigation after two Hyundai car dealers brought forth contentions in 2014, and found that Hyundai penalized and threatened businesses with termination of contract if they did not purchase engine oils at pre-fixed prices from two designated vendors: Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. and Shell Oil Co.

Hyundai argued that it merely recommended preferred motor oil suppliers, both of which offered genuine oils specifically made for its vehicles, according to the cease and desist order.

Fujian Hosts New Rerefining Process

Fujian Jinrong Energy Technology broke ground on a base oil rerefinery that will use proprietary technology co-developed by the firm and Chinese partners. The first stage of the rerefinery, with a proposed capacity of 300,000 metric tons per year, will begin operating by year-end, according to the company.

Jinrong said it developed a new distillation process for rerefining waste oils along with Anhui Guo Fu Lubricant Industry Co. and a state-backed research and development firm. The technology will involve two-way NMP solvent extraction to help reduce pollution, reported Shen Hong, project manager at Jinrong.

The company considered licensing foreign rerefining technology for the project before deciding to develop its own process, Shen said, noting that cost was not the only factor. For example, there is no official system of classification for spent oils in China, and drivers typically change their oil after 9,000 or 12,000 miles, compared with about 6,000 miles in Western countries. Recycled oils in China contain much more impurities than in the West, which could clog pipes in foreign-made facilities, Shen elaborated.

A 150,000 t/y in-house blending facility will use at least some of the rerefinerys output to produce marine and industrial lubricants.

Idemitsu Conflict Continues

Some Idemitsu Kosan shareholders are seeking a court injunction to stop the company from issuing new shares that would help finance its merger with Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.

On July 3, Idemitsu announced that it would issue 48 million new shares to help fund both past and future purchases of Showa Shell shares and to invest in expanding some of its segments, such as its lubricant business in Southeast Asia.

The following day, members of the companys founding family filed a petition in the Tokyo District Court to protest the issuance. The groups statement claims that the issuances purpose is to erode the voting rights of members who have opposed the merger, which Idemitsu CEO Takashi Tsukioka has dismissed as incorrect.

Idemitsu requires at least two-thirds of its shareholders to approve the merger. The opposing party-led by the founders eldest son, 89-year-old honorary chairman and former company president Shosuke Idemitsu-has used its 33.92 percent share of Idemitsu to block the deal.

MJ Tribology Launches

Based near Frankfurt, Germany, MJ Tribology is a new venture in the field of specialty lubrication, aiming to link the research community, end users, lubricant producers and suppliers.

Founder Manfred Jungk, Ph.D., told LubesnGreases that the consultancys offerings include training, strategy development, technology scouting and evaluation services. Having worked closely with knowledge providers and users in the lubricant industry around the world puts us in a position to help clients find a product development route for unsolved problems, optimize their supply chain strategy, and create a roadmap to market, such as toll manufacturing or a capital project, he said.

A chemist, Six Sigma Green Belt and noted expert on grease technology, solid lubrication, anti-friction coatings and silicone fluids, Jungk spent nearly 30 years at Dow Corning, where he held executive positions in R&D, technical service and marketing for the companys Molykote brand lubricants. He has authored more than 30 technical presentations, and is an STLE Fellow. Jungk also served as principal investigator for the U.S. Department of Energys project on wind turbine gearbox lubrication. He can be contacted at manfred.jungk@mj-tribology.com.

Briefly Noted

Puraglobesaid it is producing API Group III base oils at its rerefinery in Troeglitz, Germany, after converting 50 percent of its Group II production to Group III. The plant has capacity to make 50,000 metric tons per year of Group II and 50,000 t/y of Group III base oil there.

Amyris Inc. will build a facility in Queensland, Australia, capable of producing 23,000 metric tons per year of farnesene, a sugarcane-based component used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, polymers and lubricants.

Industrial packaging provider Greif is adding an intermediate bulk container manufacturing facility to its operations in Texas. The 100,000-square foot building, located in Baytown, is scheduled to be operational by second quarter 2018.

Singapore Petroleum Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PetroChina, began operating an 86 million yuan (U.S. $13 million) packaging facility in conjunction with lube and base oil marketer Dongguan Qi Shi Chemical Pte.The 15,000-square meter factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, has capacity to fill 20,000 metric tons of lubes per year.

The Timken Co. announced an agreement to acquire Gorinchem, Netherlands-based Groeneveld Group, a provider of automatic lubrication solutions used in on- and off-highway applications, for $280 million.

Sea-Land Chemical Co. became an authorized distributor for Lockhart Chemical Co., representing its branded additives and surface protection technology products in North America.

Singapores United Global acquired PT Pacific Lubritama Indonesias 150,000 metric tons per year finished lubricants blending plant in Jakarta.

Islamabad-based Berlin Petroleum Pvt. entered the market as a new player with its line of industrial and automotive lubricants and associated automotive products.

Pilot Chemical Co. acquired Pittsburgh-based ATRP Solutions, which makes rheology modifiers for greases, industrial fluids and coatings.

Qingdao Copton Technology Co.recently opened its 100,000 metric tons per year manufacturing facility, dubbed the Huangdao Industrial Park, in Qingdao, China, which produces lubricants, brake fluids and antifreeze.

Tiarco Chemical is expanding its Dalton, Georgia, chemical production facility, which makes various components used to manufacture lubricants. Construction is expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2018 and will increase the plants production capacity by roughly 40 percent.

Faces in the News

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. made several changes to its executive management. Peter Cella, president and CEO, retired from the company, and is succeeded by Mark Lashier, who served as executive vice president of commercial operations. Senior v.p. of manufacturing Scott Sharp was promoted to executive v.p. of manufacturing. Ron Corn, senior v.p. of projects and supply chain, is now senior v.p. of petrochemicals. Dave Morgan, senior v.p. of polymers, became senior v.p. of polymers and specialties, while Jim Becker, v.p. of specialties, will now report to Morgan as v.p. of polymers. Dave Smith, former senior v.p. of petrochemicals, was appointed senior v.p. of corporate planning and technology. Jim Telljohann, v.p. of corporate planning and development, assumed the role of v.p. of specialties.

American Refining Group hired David Breitigam as vice president for environmental, health and safety compliance. He spent 12 years at Marathon Petroleum Co., most recently serving as corporate refining EHS security manager.

Don Shaw is Troy Corporations new senior vice president for Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and India, and for the companys regulatory affairs department.

Lilly Epstein Stotland was named president of Vesco Oil. She joined the company in 2004 and is a co-owner as well as a member of the board of directors.

Acme-Hardesty hired Deanna Mulicka as inside sales and marketing specialist. Prior to Acme-Hardesty, she served as industry representative at Brenntag Solutions.

Jason Denlinger was named Pilot Chemicals new corporate environmental, health and safety manager.

Correction

The PlacesnFaces item California Reviews Oil Ban in the June 2017 issue should have stated that the California Department of Food and Agricultures Division of Measurements and Standards continues to enforce the statute that went into effect in January 2016, while it works on implementing new regulatory language to address the use of specially formulated motor oils.