The Lubrizol Corporation has enhanced its blending plant operations in Deer Park, Texas, as pending heavy-duty diesel, passenger car and marine diesel specification upgrades drive demand for higher-performing engine oils. The $28 million expansion will improve blending efficiency and increase capacity to ensure supply reliability as the market shifts and grows.

In addition to responding to market specifications, Lubrizol is also committed to improving service to its customers by investing in materials handling operations. An additional $37 million will provide infrastructure improvements to railcar loading and unloading operations and enhance tank truck and isotainer handling.

"The upgrades to our Deer Park facility come from anticipating the needs of our customers to help them meet present and future engine-oil performance requirements," says Dave Fries, corporate manufacturing director, Americas. "It's part of our commitment to putting our customers and their long-term success at the center of everything we do."

The expansion strengthens Deer Park's position as an efficient, high-volume finished product supplier. It includes installation of new component storage tanks, state-of-the-art automated piggable component manifolds, new automated unloading locations and additional capability in the company's automated inline blending technology. The project also reduces manual labor and improves flexibility and customer response time.

"We are in a unique position to be nimble and highly responsive to the needs of our customers," says Fries. The upgrades at Deer Park are a great example of our underlying commitment to investing in our people, processes and products to help our customers succeed around the world."