Volume 17 Issue 46
SSY Base Oil Shipping Report
November 15, 2017Adrian Brown is away this week and next week. His column will reappear in the Nov. 29 issue.
Bapco to Market Under New Neste Pact
November 15, 2017Neste and Bapco have entered a new commercial agreement enabling the Bahraini refiner to begin marketing base oils while securing Neste a sizeable share of API Group III base oils from their joint venture plant. The new marketing arrangement will run until the end of next year, though Neste says any renewal in 2019 and beyond is subject to further negotiations with Bapco. The six-year-old joint venture, in which Neste holds a 45 percent share, with Bapco and Bahrains OGHC (Overseas Oil & Gas...
API SN Plus Advances
November 15, 2017The American Petroleum Institutes Lubricants Group met in Detroit last week to discuss the new supplemental API SN PLUS engine oil category and when it will be implemented. API is proposing May 1, 2018, as a viable date to begin licensing products that meet the new designation, which will increase protection for small displacement, direct injected and turbocharged engines. This summer the auto industrys International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee had requested a launch date f...
Engine Oil Demand Seen Rising in Africa
November 15, 2017As large as it is, Africa has long been overlooked by lubricant suppliers looking for fertile markets. But analysts and industry insiders contend that a variety of factors suggest that engine oil demand in many parts of the continent will grow for the foreseeable future. A recent study by Hexa Research forecasts that engine oil demand in Africa will reach around 871 million liters by 2024, fueled by rising automobile sales, greater consumer spending and increased expenditures on transportation a...
Q3 Earnings Wrap-up
November 15, 2017Valvoline reported increased operating income, Nynas posted an increase in sales and Cosans lubricant business segment reported higher net revenue, all for the quarter ending Sept. 30. Valvoline Valvoline reported an operating income of $99 million combined for its three operating segments – North America, quick lubes and international — for its fourth fiscal quarter ending Sept. 30, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier. The Lexington, Kentucky-headquartered companys three operating se...
More U.S. Finished Lube Price Increases
November 15, 2017Valvoline, Petro-Canada, Total and Fuchs notified U.S. customers about upcoming increases in finished lubricant prices, most citing the escalating costs of materials such as base oil. Valvoline will increase prices on branded lubricant products by up to 5 percent effective Dec. 1. Petro-Canada America Lubricants Inc. will impose hikes of 28 cents per gallon or 4 cents per pound on list prices for distributors and 32 cents per gallon for certain large customers effective Dec. 1. Total Specialities USA will raise prices up to 6 percent on most branded lubricant products effective Dec. 11. Fuchs Lubricants Co. plans to raise prices by 4 to 9 percent effective Dec. 15.