Castrol Industrial North America Inc. ("Castrol Industrial") announces that Dave Fuerst will assume leadership of its industrial fluids and lubricants business for the Americas region effective immediately.

Fuerst has been a member of the Castrol Industrial leadership team for the past four years in a variety of sales director roles, the most recent being Area Director US East & Canada, since joining Castrol in 1997. Fuerst started his career with Castrol as a Regional Business Manager, and then moved into a Key Account Director role, and Area Director - West, while also supporting organizational development responsibilities.

He brings a wealth of experience from his 10 years at Mobil Chemical, where he held operational and P&L management roles linked to chemical manufacturing, supply chain, customer care, and sales management. Fuerst has a very strong track record of successfully implementing changes and aligning business deliverables with customer expectations all through people leadership and sound strategic thinking.

"Castrol Industrial has some of the most talented and passionate employees that I have worked with and I'm honored to have been given the responsibility to lead this organization as we continue to move forward on our new growth agenda. We have strong relationships with our customers and distributors and by reducing complexity and aligning our capabilities with our customers' needs, we can address the many challenges that we all face in these difficult times."

"I have every confidence in Dave leading this business forward successfully. His business acumen will serve us well, and he will also bring great personal qualities of motivation, calm and determination to energize our teams in the Americas" stated Laurence Mulliez, CEO Industrial Lubricants and Services globally.

Castrol advised its marketers today about a retroactive decrease on posted prices of $0.44 a gallon on conventional lubricants and $0.45 a gallon on synthetics. This decrease applies only to product purchased in bulk, tote, drum, and kegs. A price decrease of $0.44 a gallon will reportedly go into effect on January 5, 2009.

Marketers say it's important to note that Castrol's decrease includes the Nov 3rd adjustment and is not in addition to those rates.

North American Lubricants, Co. ("NAL") has announced a national price decrease for its branded lubricant distributors and national accounts. Although specific details of the decrease were communicated to its customer base, NAL President Shane Terry told JobbersWorld "Our general NAL distributor decrease, depending on the region and product, averaged near 8%. We passed on reductions on a few commercial and industrial products up to 15%."

Due to the softening of raw material costs, NAL announced a price reduction on all orders placed on or after December 3, 2008. NAL says, this needed relief was made possible by the improvement in U.S. base oil production and inventories, which have struggled to return to normal levels after experiencing substantial supply interruptions caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Tight base oil inventory levels and record base oil crack spreads (refiner profit margins) delayed softening of finished lubricant prices as crude oil values steadily declined. As the base oil market's volatility appears to be subsiding, additive, transportation and packaging costs remain at escalated levels.

NAL President Shane Terry stated, "We are very pleased to pass through this needed decrease to our customers throughout the nation. After the unprecedented volatility we have seen in 2008, a little good news goes a long way." Terry continues, "Beyond pricing, we will continue to work hard to deliver new solutions that provide tangible economic benefits. We are working closely with our distributor and fast lube customer base on product and sales training programs, developed to enhance their profitability and capitalize on market opportunities. Our growing, premium product line is designed to maximize the bottom line of any business."

Through their 44 state distribution network, Terry says NAL offers PureGreen lubricants (an earthfriendly product line), Puratech Multi-Vehicle ATF, Puratech Supreme Motor Oil, Puratech Syn-Blend Motor Oil, Puratech Hi-Mile Motor Oil and Puratech PureSYN Motor Oil (now available in quarts) in their profit boosting line-up.

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