Volume 4 Issue 52
Top Lube Report Asia Stories of 2017
December 26, 2017Chinas market was flat, while Indias grew at a healthy clip. Asian base oil refiners encountered competition from the Middle East. One of two big mergers planned in Japan was not completed, and Southeast Asia made uneven progress toward the elimination of trade barriers on lubricants.
Brenntag Claims Raj Petro
December 26, 2017German chemicals distributor Brenntag AG signed an agreement to acquire Indias Raj Petro Specialities Pvt. in two phases.
Quaker Buys Out India JV
December 26, 2017Quaker Chemical Corp. became the sole owner of Quaker Chemical India Pvt. after acquiring the remaining stake from its former joint venture partner, Asianol Lubricants Pvt.
Sinopec Project Doubles NPG Capacity
December 26, 2017BASF and Sinopec plan to double capacity of neopentyl glycol, a component of polyester resins for synthetic lubricants, at their joint venture facility in Nanjing, China.
Briefly Noted
December 26, 2017Caltex Australia Ltd. signed a deal for 20 percent ownership of Seaoil, a distributor of fuels and lubricants in the Philippines. Shell agreed to supply increased volumes of Shell Helix products to B-Quiks chain of oil change centers in Thailand.
Editor's Letter
December 26, 2017Beginning next week, LubesnGreases is switching to a regional format for Lube Report – and launching a third online newsletter. The new newsletter is Lube Report EMEA, which will focus on the lubricants industry in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and be published each Tuesday. Lube Report is being renamed Lube Report Americas and will continue to be published on Wednesdays. We will continue to publish Lube Report Asia, but its publication day is switching to Friday.
Subscriptions to the newsletters will continue to be free.
In making this change, we are expanding our coverage of the industry and at the same time providing a geographic focus which we believe readers will appreciate, Publisher Howard Briskin said.