The Americas base oils industry is moving strongly into Group III base stock use in 2018 as new vehicle engines will require more light viscosity oils. Based upon this growing need for light viscosity base oils, 2018 will see additional Group III enter the Americas base oil market in both production and commercial presence.

Coolants Plus, the parent of STARFIRE branded products, has announced the purchase of Scot Lubricants, Inc, a blending and packaging facility in eastern Pennsylvania. The new Coolants Plus facility, to be named PennStar, houses 250,000 square feet of production space, 750,000 gallons of tank storage and a state-of-the-art testing lab.

Husqvarna Motorcycles has announced a global partnership with MOTOREX. Starting January, 2018,  Husqvarna Motorcycles will exclusively use MOTOREX oils to first fill all models that roll off their production lines. In addition, for the servicing of all models, Husqvarna Motorcycles will further recommend MOTOREX lubricants and its care and maintenance products.

A new bill in the California state Legislature would prohibit the sale of any internal combustion automobiles after 2040. The bill, known as AB 1745 or the Clean Cars 2040 Act, proposes that all vehicles sold in the state from 2040 must be zero-emission vehicles, meaning plug-in hybrids would also be banned.

The first phase of a 100,000-ton lubricant recycling project began operations at Zhanjiang Hongda Petrochemical Co Ltd on December 28. At an investment of 195 million yuan (US$30 million) is expected to produce high-end lubricants by processing used oil from Zhanjiang and the surrounding areas. It will process 55,000 tons of used oils annually.

• MidContinental Chemical Company Appoints Charlie Schulz as District Sales Manager for Southern Region of United States
• Shell To Retain Ownership Of A/S Dansk Shell
• KCMA Corp Change Its Corporate Name to Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America Effective January 1, 2018  
• Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to Install 3,310 Electric-Vehicle Charging Stations Around Taiwan Over Next Five Years