Shell Announces Price Increase |
Shell advised its lubricant marketers in the US
of an increase of 8% on its finished
lubricant prices. This
increase is effective June 28, 2010.
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Speaking of Shell |
JobbersWorld continues to field questions
from marketers about Shell's sale of flush
oil (line wash) into the US market. And the
questions are typically the same. The first
being, "How does Shell reconcile its recent
efforts (Motor Oil Matters) to promote
quality lubricants in the market place while
it sells flush oil to others who some believe
resell this Shell product as engine oil
meeting current specs?" The second question
often heard is, "How can a Shell marketer
compete with the low priced flush oil Shell
sells into the market?"
For those that don't know, flush oil is
typically defined as the material in
the pipes when a blender switches a blend
from one type of lubricant to another. As an
example, when a blender switches from making
a 10W-30 to a 5W-30, there is a certain
volume of lubricant in the lines while the
change is made that is a mixture of both the
5W- and 10W-30 grades. While lines are
flushed, the flush oil is neither a 5W-30 nor
a 10W-30. Instead, it's a mixture. But with
some adjustments made by the introduction of
base oils and additives, marketers say the
mixture can be made to look like either a
5W-30 or 10W-30 engine oil that meets current
specifications. Further they say, this
material is sold for far less then on spec
engine oil since it is no more than "flush
oil" used to clear the lines between blends
and would otherwise have little value. And
from what they hear, flush oil is not a drop
in the bucket. Rather, the volume Shell alone
produces and moves to US market is believed
to be in the area of 10 to 12 million gallons
a year.
In an effort to address marketer's questions
concerning this issue, JobbersWorld went
right to the source. On April 6, 2010, we
asked Shell a follow-up question we posed to
them in 2009. That question being: "Is Shell
still selling line wash to other blenders and
to some of its lubricant distributors? Also,
if it is sold, I would assume the line wash
contains the same markers as Shell's genuine
branded product. If that's the case, what do
you think the likelihood is that Shell line
wash could end up sold directly as Shell
branded product or commingled with Shell
product, thereby defeating or diluting the
intent and/or effectiveness of the markers?"
To date, there has been no response from
Shell specifically addressing this issue. So
now, like some of Shell's marketers,
JobbersWorld is now wondering "How does Shell
reconcile its recent efforts (Motor Oil
Matters) to promote quality lubricants in the
market place while it sells flush oil to
others who some believe resell this Shell
product as engine oil meeting current
specs?" And - How can a Shell marketer compete
with the low priced flush oil Shell sells
into the market?"
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Advanced Lubrication Specialties Announces Price Hike |
On May 10, Advanced Lubrication Specialties
announced it will increase its prices for
finished products by $0.40 a gallon. The
increase is effective May 24, 2010.
So now we have price increases announced by:
Warren,
Smittys,
Cam2,
Old World, and one major - Shell
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Warren Oil Company Expands Heavy Duty Line of Products to Include Diesel Exhaust Fluid. |
Warren Oil Company, Inc.
announce the introduction of Lubriguard (TM)
SKYBLUE TM DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) to the
market to meet the need of diesel vehicles to
comply with 2010 EPA standards for diesel
emissions. Other Lubriguard(TM) heavy duty
products include SAE 15W-40 Diesel Engine
Oil, SAE 5W-40 Synthetic Diesel Engine Oil,
Synthetic Gear Oils SAE 75W-90, SAE 80W-140 &
SAE 50, and Lubriguard greases, Premium
Hi-Temp and Premium Hi-Temp with Moly.
According to Warren, Warren Oil Company's
Lubriguard (TM) SKYBLUE
(TM) DEF
will meet all EPA standards and bear the
important American Petroleum Institute's API
symbol.
DEF is stored in a supplementary tank on the
vehicle. The dosage, approximately
two-percent (2%) of fuel consumption, is
calculated precisely by the vehicle's
electronic system and injected into the
exhaust duct. DEF is a 32.5% aqueous urea
solution of the highest purity. Its
consistent quality is guaranteed by
compliance to global quality standards DIN
70070 and ISO 22241.
Warren Oil Company is the largest
independent lubricant blender in the U.S.
with facilities in Benton, AL; Dunn, NC;
Johnstown, PA; Marion, IL; San Antonio, TX;
and West Memphis, AR. In addition to the
manufacturing and marketing of the Heavy Duty
line, Warren Oil Company manufactures a full
line of automotive lubricants and chemicals,
some of which include private brands for a
number of Fortune 500 companies.
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Curt Knapp Now Vice President - Oil Sales for Safety-Kleen |
Curt Knapp is now Vice President of Oil Sales
for Safety-Kleen. In this role, Curt will be
responsible for all sales, marketing,
customer service, technical and supply
functions for Safety-Kleen's oil business.
Curt joined Safety-Kleen in December of 2008.
He developed the EcoPower Eco-friendly Motor
Oil program and a national distributor
network that is now selling EcoPower to
hundreds of fast lubes, car dealers, tire
stores and garages throughout the U.S. and
Canada. The EcoPower network also services
large national fleets, including Ryder Trucking.
Prior to joining Safety-Kleen, Curt was
Senior Vice President for The Marketing Arm,
a leading marketing agency based in Dallas.
Prior to that, he was Vice President
Marketing for Waste Management. Curt has
over 21 years of experience in the lubricants
industry, including several leadership roles.
He served as Vice President Sales and
Marketing for Sunoco Lubricants; Chief
Operating Officer for Warren Distribution and
Director Marketing for Castrol North America
- Automotive.
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Contact Us With Your News |
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