Lubricants World articles from August 2000

Lubricants World archives from August 2000

Steel Drum Industry Is Seeking Strength in Numbers.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... We've all heard the term "tough as steel," but that may describe only a portion of the conviction and determination required to survive in the steel drum manufacturing business these days. The steel drum market, much like its customers, has...

76 LUBRICANTS PLANS RESTRUCTURING, LAYOFFS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2000... 76 Lubricants (Costa Mesa, CA) is planning a restructuring that will include layoffs. Tosco's (Stamford, CT) oil and lubricants subsidiary is tightening its belt in hopes of long-term sustainability during a soft market. "This is a volatile...

CHEVRON LAUNCHES INTERNET LUBRICANTS COMPANY.(Silicon Valley Oil Co.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2000... Chevron (San Francisco) has formed an Internet operating company, Silicon Valley Oil Co. (SVOC), an online marketplace that plans to enable sales of fuels and lubricants to commercial and industrial customers over the Internet. "Silicon...

VALVOLINE LICENSES SUPPLY-CHAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.(SCT's Fygir suite of supply-chain products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The Valvoline Division of Ashland (Covington, KY) has licensed the Fygir suite of SCT's (Malvern, PA) iProcess.sct, which includes capability for demand planning, supply-chain optimization, and plant scheduling. The agreement is an...

WD-40 REPORTS GAINS.(WD-40 Co. sales increase)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The WD-40 Co. (San Diego) reports net sales for the third quarter ended May 31, 2000, of $38.3 million, compared with sales of $33.5 million in the same period last year, an increase of 14.4%. Net income for the third quarter was $4.9 million,...

CATALYTICA LAUNCHES NOVOTEC.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Catalytica (Mountain View, CA) has created a new subsidiary, NovoTec, out of its advanced technologies development group. The company says NovoTec was formed to improve chemical and petrochemical manufacturing processes using scalable...

ASPEN BOLSTERS SUPPLY CHAIN WITH PETROLSOFT ACQUISITION.(Aspen Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Aspen Technology (Cambridge, MA), a major supplier of process-control and enterprise optimization software, has acquired privately held Petrolsoft (San Diego), which specializes in supply-chain software for refined-product distribution and...

CIBA, SYMYX FORM PARTNERSHIP.(Ciba Specialty Chemicals; Symyx Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Ciba Specialty Chemicals (Tarrytown, NY) and Symyx Technologies (Santa Clara, CA) have formed a research and licensing agreement to develop more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing processes for lubricant, coating, and polymer additives....

CHEMICAL ASSOCIATION CHANGES NAME.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The Chemical Manufacturers Association (Arlington, VA) has changed its name to the American Chemistry Council (ACC). As its traditional members (commodity producers) consolidate, the trade association has found itself concentrating on issues...

EG&G AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH NOW PERKINELMER AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Aligning with its corporate name change from EG&G Inc. to PerkinElmer Inc. (Wellesley, MA), EG&G Automotive Research has changed its name to PerkinElmer Automotive Research (San Antonio). The corporate name change resulted from divestiture of...

SYNTROLEUM COMPLETES SPO, ENRON HIKES STAKE IN GTL.(Syntoleum gains on stock, Enron invests)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Syntroleum (Tulsa, OK) closed its secondary public offering (SPO) of 5.25 million shares of common stock at $17.50/share. Net proceeds were approximately $86 million. The company intends to use a substantial amount of the net proceeds it...

PROBEX BUYS OIL COLLECTORS, GAINS NEW PATENT APPROVALS.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Probex Corp. (Carrollton, TX) has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent Office for 60 claims of its second patent application, which relates to critical elements of the company's proprietary used-oil recycling and upgrading...

WOOD RIVER SALE DONE.(Tosca acquires Equilon Enterprises refinery)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Tosco (Stamford, CT) has completed its acquisition of the 295,000-bpd Wood River Refinery in Roxana, IL, from Equilon Enterprises (Houston). The sale includes refining and chemical operations owned by Equilon and its affiliates, but excludes...

GRAHAM PACKAGING FILES FOR IPO.(initial public offering)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
August 1, 2000... Graham Packaging's (York, PA) wholly owned subsidiary, GPC Capital Corp. II, has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering of $220 million in common stock. Graham Packaging...

INDUSTRY BRIEFS.(NS Power Holdings Inc. has a new name Emera)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... NS Power Holdings (Halifax, NS) has changed its name to Emera, is now listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and has expanded its energy product line to include heavy and light fuel oil diesel and industrial lubricants... Great Lakes Chemical...

Estimated Paraffinic Base Oil Prices.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Estimated Paraffinic Base Oil Prices (cents/gallon) JULY 2000 Viscosity Average Low-High Light (90-150) 134 123-147 Medium (195-350) 136 125-147 Heavy (500-600) 144 ...

Producer Price Index.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Producer Price Index 2000 2000 Product (Index Date) Apr May Finished Lubricants (1982) 143.1 145.2 Lubricating and...

Paraffinic Base Oil Prices.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Paraffinic Base Oil Prices Viscosity July June May Grade 2000 2000 2000 Conoco Gulf Coast cents/gallon 70 136 130 130 110 ...

BP Amoco Completes Burmah Castrol Acquisition.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... BP Amoco (London) says its recommended cash offer for Burmah Castrol (Swindon, U.K.) has been declared unconditional, and therefore binding, in all respects following receipt of valid acceptances in respect of a total of 119,861,435 Burmah...

Investments Prevail over Protest at World Petroleum Congress.(Cuba and Saudi Arabia plan foreign investments in oil sector)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2000... Despite the upstream focus of the 16th World Petroleum Congress in Calgary last month, several notable downstream developments took place, including a renewed call by Saudi Arabia for international investment in its refining and petrochemical...

Husky Has a Renaissance.(Husky Oil Co. acquires Renaissance Energy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Husky Oil (Calgary) plans to buy upstream player Renaissance Energy for $500 million (Canadian) ($325 million [U.S.]). The cross-town combination will retain Husky's small processing and large retail operations. The new company is to be called...

Mexican Election Brings Calls for Opening Lubes.(presidential elections)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... After the stunning victory of pro-business challenger Vincente Fox for the presidency of Mexico, calls are already coming for the some domestic petroleum-products markets to be opened to competition. Fox's intentions toward state oil monopoly...

Pakistan to Distribute Enoc Lubricants.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Pakistan has become the fifth international market to join the global distributor network being established by the Emirates National Oil Co. (Enoc) International Sales Ltd. to market the group's range of high-quality lubricants. The chief...

Emirates to Study Base Oil Production.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc) has undertaken a feasibility study to assess whether setting up a lubricants base oil refinery is viable says Adnoc's 5-year achievement report. "Despite being well established in the fuel refining...

Optimism for Growth: The Fountain of Rejuvenation.(good forecasts, steel drum (containers) industry)
August 1, 2000... Diversification Drives Recovery in the Steel Drum Industry The steel drum market has had a tough past, with little or no growth. Much like the product, the market trends and players have remained almost unchanged for the past several...

Berenfield Containers Strives for Factory of the Future.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Company Profile)
August 1, 2000... Company blends continuous improvement with dedication. When Len Berenfield, president of Berenfield Containers (Mason, OH), talks about the history of his company, he recalls fond memories of his grandfather and wooden barrels stacked with...

Redesign of Sequence IIIF Moves SL/GF-3, but Down a Strangely Winding Road.
August 1, 2000... It will be welcome news to those in the automotive community that progress is finally apparently being made on two tests critical for the next category of passenger car engine oils, outlined in the International Lubricant Standardization and...

EPA Dioxin Request Conjures Toxic History of Transformer Oils.(Polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins)
August 1, 2000... Polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins (PCDDs) were once the unwanted compounds generated by incomplete combustion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and trichlorobenzene. For three decades, they were used as transformer oils. Since 1977, they have...

Marketers Take Advantage of `Synthetic' Ruling.
August 1, 2000... Last year, Castrol (Swindon, U.K.) and Mobil (Fairfax, VA) brought the debate over what is "synthetic" into view, as Mobil challenged Castrol's replacement of polyalphaolefins (PAOs) with hydroisomerized waxes in their synthetic formulations....

Wide Range of Metalworking Fluid Industry Issues Discussed at Gorham Conference.(Gorham Advanced Materials')
August 1, 2000... In May, Gorham Advanced Materials' (Gorham, ME) first metalworking fluids conference, "Coolants/Lubricants for Metal Cutting & Grinding," brought together representatives from many different companies, all involved in one way or another with...

E-enabled Supply-Chain Management Transforms Promise into Reality.
August 1, 2000... Ever since the "Y2K" dragon was slain on L Jan. 1, 2000, nothing in technology has garnered more excitement in industry than "XML" and the Internet-enabling promise that it will deliver speed, accuracy, and efficiencies into supply-chain...

Emissions Regulations: Pushing Engine and Engine Oil Design.(American Petroleum Institute)
August 1, 2000... In the U.S. and many markets abroad, stricter emissions standards and customer requirements continue to drive progress in diesel engine lubrication. The American Petroleum Institute's (API) oil service classification system, as well as oil...

How Echo Bay Minerals-McCoy/Cove Mine Reduced Waste Oil.
August 1, 2000... The Echo Bay Minerals-McCoy/Cove Mine, located 30 miles south of Battle Mountain, NV, is a medium-scale, open-pit mining operation with crushing, milling, and heap leach processes. In 1999, it produced 124,536 ounces of gold and 8,430,072...

PEOPLE.(appointments, officials to companies)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. (Houston) announced H. John Greeniaus has been elected to the automotive consumer product company's board of directors. Greeniaus was formerly chairman and chief executive officer of Nabisco Inc. The company also...

PRODUCTS.(new products, machinery, instruments, water treatment etc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Rotary-Driven Hydraulic Pump and Reel on the Market Lincoln Industrial (St. Louis) has developed the FlowMaster Pump and Reel, a rotary-activated hydraulic pump, with a heavy-duty 35- or 50-foot hose reel, control valve, and swivel. The...

PPC CELEBRATES 50 YEARS.(Petroleum Packaging Council)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Dear Readers: The Petroleum Packaging Council (PPC) and the packaging industry it represents have enjoyed a long and colorful history. From surviving shortages of raw materials brought on by wars to seeking cost-efficiencies and expanding...

THE 1950s: THE FORMATIVE YEARS.(petroleum packaging industry)
August 1, 2000... The world was recovering from two world wars while the U.S. was in the midst of another conflict in Korea. The U.S. economy flourished through exports of supplies to war-stricken Asia and Europe and the military. Rock-and-roll and surfing music...

THE 1960s: PREPARING FOR CHANGE.
August 1, 2000... The 1960s, with its image of social upheaval, was generally peaceful as far as the packaging community was concerned. Some technological innovations made it into the marketplace (for instance, the foil-fiber can and early plastic cans), but one...

THE 1970s: PLASTICS & CONTRACT PACKAGING TAKE OFF.
August 1, 2000... Following on the heels of the relatively quiet 1960s, the 1970s can largely be summed up in two phrases: "plastic bottles" and "contract packaging." The two phenomena were interrelated and explosive, changing the structure of the Petroleum...

THE 1980s: FROM COMMITTEE TO COUNCIL.(Petroleum Packaging Committee)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The 1980s saw the focus of the Petroleum Packaging Committee change from package standardization to package innovation. Centralized purchasing decisions requiring interchangeability of parts, flattening demand for motor oils and industrial...

THE 1990S: CHANGES BRING OPPORTUNITIES.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Merger, acquisition, and consolidation were the buzzwords of the 1990s. The packaging industry looked toward partnerships and ventures with competitors and other suppliers as the solution to a competitive and low-margin market. Smaller regional...