Dow Chemical announced last Tuesday it has signed a definitive agreement under which ANGUS Chemical Company will be sold to Golden Gate Capital for $1.215 billion. This includes the business headquarters and R&D facility in Buffalo Grove, IL; manufacturing facilities located in Sterlington, LA, and Ibbenbueren, Germany; and a packaging facility in Niagara Falls, NY.

ExxonMobil it has started production at its new synthetics base stocks plant in Baytown, Texas and is now shipping high viscosity SpectraSyn Elite mPAO. In addition, the company’s expansion project at its chemical plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana will increase ExxonMobil’s worldwide capacity of synthetic esters and alkylated naphthalene by more than 25 percent.

Sinopec Lubricant Co. and Italy's PAKELO announced officially on November 1 that they became cooperative partners to co-develop racing lubes for the Chinese and international market. Sinopec will become the general agent of PAKELO in mainland China, being responsible for its product sales, channel development and brand promotion in the Chinese market.

Singapore-based Petroleum Specialties Pte. Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of India-based Apar Industries Ltd., announced it plans to set up a transformer oil manufacturing facility at Hamriyah Free Zone Authority, Sharjah, UAE. The actual capacity has not yet been announced but Apar has been awarded 30,000 square meters of land in HFZA to develop the facility.

Reuters is reporting that, according to union sources, Total plans to shut a Group I lube base oil unit at its Gonfreville refinery in northern France to focus on higher-quality Group III base oils. Total's base oil production will fall to 800 tonnes per day from 1,500 tonnes per day, union officials said. Total currently produces about 100 tonnes per day of Group III base oil at Gonfreville.

• Calumet Reduces Prices of All Its Naphthenic Base Oils 100 and Lighter by 25 CPG, and Grades Heavier Than 100 by 20 CPG, Effective November 20
• Cross Oil Reduces Prices of Its Lighter Grades by 25 CPG, and Grades Heavier Than 100 by 20 CPG, Effective November 21
• Ergon Announces Formation of Ergon Mexico
• Ashland Inc. Board of Directors Elects William A. Wulfsohn as Chairman and CEO, Succeeding Retiring James J. O'Brien
• Stephen Pryor to Retire as President of ExxonMobil Chemical; Expected Appointment of Neil Chapman as President of ExxonMobil Chemical