Saudi Aramco announced Thursday the launch of a base oil marketing business, marking its shift to an active supplier rather than a somewhat passive base oil investor.

Shell announced last week that its joint venture Pearl gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar is operating at a reduced rate of production due to unforeseen maintenance required on some or all of the plant’s 18 gasifier units. 

Nowadays most industries have processes that require machines to operate at high temperatures. These applications demand special lubricants that can handle extreme operating temperatures by maintaining their lubrication properties, keeping the system clean and providing a reasonable service life.

Licensing began last week for the latest engine oil specifications from Europe’s auto industry – a long-awaited update that significantly raises lubricant performance in several areas.

SINGAPORE—Afton Chemical opened a lubricant additives factory in Singapore last week, joining the ongoing march of lubricant and additive suppliers to Asia and to this island nation in particular.

Zinc has been a key additive constituent in hydraulic oils, as well as the majority of oil types, for decades. It primarily is used as an anti-wear agent or as an antioxidant.