Volume 16 Issue 28

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

The U.S. is still the most active region globally. Europe has been quiet for yet another week, and although Asia has seen slightly more new business quoted, its recovery is questionable. U.S. Gulf There has been a sudden rush for space from the U.S. Gulf to Far East, from prompt loading through to the end of August. Styrene has been the chief commodity again, although there are known to be issues with regards to product availability which might see only a fraction of the enquiries actually come ...

Houghton Acquires Wallover Oil

Industrial lubricant giant Houghton International acquired metalworking fluids manufacturer Wallover Oil for an undisclosed amount, part of an aggressive strategy to double Houghtons size in five years. The acquisition includes four manufacturing facilities and three distribution warehouses from Strongsville, Ohio-headquartered Wallover, an independent lubricants manufacturer that has operated since 1863. Jeewat Bijlani, president of Houghton Americas and global strategic business, said that the...

Russian Auto, Motor Oil Markets Stagnated in 2015

MOSCOW – Russias consumption of engine oils for on-road vehicles stagnated in 2015, but vehicle usage rates are rising as is the proportion of oils that meet recent industry standards, according to Autostat, a Moscow-based analytical agency. The nation consumed 417 million liters of on-road automotive engine oils in 2014, including 290 million liters installed in gasoline powered engines and 127 million liters in diesel engines, Victor Pushkarev, Autostats project manager, told Global Busi...

Trend Toward Aging U.S. Vehicles Slows

While the average age of light vehicles in the United States rose 15 percent from 9.9 years in 2007 to 11.4 years in 2014, that trend is expected to slow going forward, rising only to 11.8 years in 2019, according to data in the latest report jointly published by the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association and Automotive Care Association. While the number of light vehicles 12 years and older are expected to increase 15 percent by 2019, those aged 6 to 11 years old will decline 10 percent, a...

Texas Plant to Recycle Used Motor Oil

TopSail Energy LP plans to construct a processing facility in Baytown, Texas, to recycle used motor oil into marketable feedstocks, fuels and additives. The recently formed midstream energy company said Monday it had completed acquisition of a 44-acre undeveloped industrial site in Baytown. The Baytown plant is targeted to open in the first quarter of 2017, with the ability to process more than 125,000 gallons per day of used motor oil. Vacuum gas oil will be the primary off-take from TopSails B...

Net Income, Sales Up for WD-40

WD-40 posted net income of $12.7 million for the quarter ending May 31, up 16 percent from a year earlier, with net sales up 4 percent at $96.4 million. Earnings totaled 88 cents per diluted share in the third fiscal quarter, up from 75 cents a year earlier. San Diego-based WD-40s fiscal year goes from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. Net sales were up slightly in the Americas at $49.9 million, up 9 percent in Europe, Middle East and Africa to $32.9 million, and up 10 percent in Asia-Pacific to $13.6 million...

Briefly Noted

Lanxess Rhein Chemie Additives business increased its capacity to make sulfur carrying compounds at its chemical manufacturing sites in Mannheim, Germany, and Kallo, Belgium, by approximately 20 percent. Sulfur carriers are used as additives in metalworking fluids and gear oils. Grease manufacturer Tomlin Scientific Inc. named Univar Inc. subsidiary ChemPoint.com Inc. to manage order placement, fulfillment and technical support for its Tomlith line of lithium complex and lithium12-hydroxy greases. Independent lube manufacturer Fuchs Lubricants established a depot in Dereham, East Anglia, United Kingdom, a facility it acquired as part of its purchase of Batoyle Freedom. American Refining Group named Neal Zuzik senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development. Before joining the Bradford, Pennsylvania-based base oil and lubricant producer, Zuzik spent 15 years at Valvoline and Ashland, most recently as the formers vice president of global supply chain.