There has not been any great change to the markets in the U.S. and Asia this week, but Europe is considered to be a little slower. U.S. Gulf The route into the Far East remains one of the busiest lanes out of the U.S. Gulf. Styrene has induced much of the demand, with traders quoting quantities of between 5,000 tons and 15,000 tons to Korea and China. Ethylene dichloride has also generated a lot of interest, and more recently methanol has been seen. With space becoming tighter, owners are beginn...

Flint Hills Resources will cease marketing of base stocks produced at its Excel Paralubes joint venture, leaving partner Phillips 66 to market all of the output from the Westlake, Louisiana, plant, Phillips 66 told Lube Report yesterday. The change is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The partners lauded the decision, saying it will give the joint venture greater flexibility to meet customer needs, perhaps through capital investment, but base oil buyers called it unwelcome. From a buyers perspect...

The Sequence IVB may be attracting the lions share of attention, but the ILSAC GF-6 engine oil upgrade also has six other new or replacement engine tests that must be completed before the much-delayed specification can be adopted and brought to market. Fortunately, those tests are near enough to being completed that they appear unlikely to cause delays beyond those being caused by the Sequence IVB test for valvetrain wear. (See GF-6 Timing May Come Down to Key Test in the Oct. 11 issue of Lube R...

Suppliers of metal alloys and metal removal fluids can breathe a sigh of relief – for now. The European Commission took another step toward continuing current exemptions on lead levels in alloys of steel, aluminum and copper used in certain classes of electronic and electric products manufactured in the European Union, as well as imported products. The commissions decision relieves uncertainty for global supply chains, including providers of metalworking and metal removal fluids. But for h...

Condat agreed to acquire glass and metal forging lubes company Renite, the company announced earlier this month. Financial terms were not disclosed. Through this expansion, Chasse-sur-Rhone, France-based Condat hopes To increase Condats market share in the glass and forging market lubrication, to extend [its] application fields in North America and strengthen [its] diversification strategy, said Communication Manager Nathalie Vidal. Vidal noted that Renite customers will have access to a more co...

ExxonMobil broke ground on the expansion of its Clinton, New Jersey research facility, the company announced Friday. The expansion, including a new facility for lubricant research and development, is set to be completed in 2019. Included in the facility will be a new engine testing center, a lubricant research and development blend plant and enhancements to existing facilities, according to the press release. [ad-row-1] This expansion comes as part of the Irving, Texas-based companys plan to con...