Evonik Industries last Thursday inaugurated its significantly expanded Jurong Island oil additives plant in Singapore after two years of engineering, planning and construction. Plans to expand the Jurong Island plant were first announced in August 2013 The capacity of the plant has nearly doubled, making it Evonik's largest oil additives production site.

Calumet reported net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 of $23.8 million, compared to a net loss of $49.8 million for the same quarter in 2014. Mannheim, Germany-based FUCHS PETROLUB reported sales revenues were up 7.8% to EUR 492.6 million (1% after currency adjustment) in the first quarter of 2014, while earnings (EBIT) rose by 8.1% to EUR 81.7 million.

Hydrodec confirmed it has made its first commercial oil sale from its Australian plant now re-located to Southern Oil’s Bomen facility in Wagga Wagga. The plant is fully commissioned and the tolling arrangement with Southern Oil has commenced. Hydrodec also confirmed that commissioning of the rebuilt and expanded plant in Canton, Ohio remains on schedule for first oil in May.

NORA recently issued comments on California A.B. 628, an Assembly Bill encouraging the procurement of “biosynthetic” lubricants, submitted in California earlier this year. NORA states the primary problem presented by A.B. 628 is the oil recycling industry’s inability to collect, process and recycle used lubricants consisting of a combination of petroleum and biodegradable lubricants.

Last week, Daimler Trucks North America unveiled the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, licensed to drive by itself, to several hundred international news media, trucking industry analysts and officials. The Freightliner Inspiration Truck is the first licensed autonomous commercial truck to operate on an open public highway in the United States.

• HollyFrontier Increases Price of Its (Group I) SN500/SN600 by 20 CPG, Effective Today, May 11
• ExxonMobil Increases Its CORE 600 (Group I) Price by 20 CPG, Effective May 8
• Paulsboro Refining to Increase Its Group I SN500 and SN700 Prices by 20 CPG Effective, May 13
• HollyFrontier Corporation Reported First Quarter Net Income of $226.9 Million Compared to $152.1 Million for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2014
• Chemtura’s Petroleum Additives Reported $159 Million Net Sales for 1Q 2015, Down 5.8 Percent from $171 Million in 1Q 2014 (see page 6)
• Quaker Chemical Reports Reduced 1Q 2015 Net Income
• Distinguished Chevron Fellow Jim McGeehan Retires
• SHS Subsidiary, TAT Petroleum, Appointed Authorized Distributor Of ExxonMobil's Lubricants In Vietnam
• Champion Oil Announces Lugran Ind COM IMP EXP De Products LTDA EPP (Lugran) as New Master Warehouse Distributor in Brazil
• Houghton International Resurrects Its Popular Industry Periodical for Sesquicentennial Anniversary Issue