JOBBERSWORLD...MARKET INTELLIGENCE FOR INTELLIGENT MARKETERS...          

In case you missed it... there was big news (at least for those on the East Coast) in last week's issue of JobbersWorld. Click here for the details  

Last night, at approximately 6PM PST, Chevron shut down its 240,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Richmond, CA after experiencing a fire at its only crude unit. Whereas the fire is out, there is plenty of speculation about how this incident will impact the price of fuels and base oils over the next few months.

According to documents filed with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, other process units at Chevron's Richmond refinery include a 64,800- barrel-a-day diesel hydrotreater, a 96,000-barrel-a-day jet hydrotreater, a 57,600-barrel-a-day naphtha hydrotreater, a 90,000-barrel-a-day fluid catalytic cracker and a 60,900- barrel-a-day isocracker.

Although Chevron says it was too early to fully assess the impact of the fire, a number of base oil buyers JobbersWorld spoke with today say this incident has them on edge about supply line interruptions and prices. 

John Massel has been named President of Warren Unilube, Inc., a subsidiary of Warren Oil Company, Inc. of North Carolina. Mr. Massel will be responsible for all sales and operations of the West Memphis, Arkansas lubricant, chemical blending and packaging facility.

Mr. Massel comes to Warren Unilube, Inc. with more than 24 years of experience in the lubricants sales, financial management, supply chain and blending and packaging operations, most recently with Pinnacle Oil, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Although born in Canada, Mr. Massel is a very proud naturalized US citizen for more than 50 years. He obtained both his BA and MBA in accounting and finance from Indiana University. He has been active in various associations, but most notably for his work with the Petroleum Packaging Council where he served on the board from 1995-2005 and served as President in 2002.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with such a well-recognized and respected organization as Warren Oil Company, Inc." Mr. Massel states, "Mary and I are excited to begin a new chapter in our lives in the Memphis area and as a part of the Warren Oil Company family".

Mr. Irvin Warren, President and CEO states "We, at Warren Oil Company are extremely fortunate to have Mr. Massel join our management team. He will be an asset to our organization in many different ways."

About Warren Oil Company: Warren oil Company, Inc. holds the distinction of being the largest independent lubricants manufacturer in North America. Consisting of 6 plants located in North Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Arkansas that can blend, package and ship in excess of 100 million gallons of oils and lubricants per year. Warren Oil Company owns more than 30 U.S. Registered Trademarks and the largest number of engine oil certificates issued by the American Petroleum Institute. Currently exporting to 49 countries as well as the entire U.S. Warren Oil Company produces a vast line of products, more than any major oil company.

Universal Lubricants, a manufacturer and distributor of premium lubricants, announced today that Superior Honda of Omaha has reached the two year endorsement milestone supporting ECO ULTRA®. Superior Honda of Omaha, a recipient of the Honda President's Award for eight consecutive years, recommends ECO ULTRA as a preferred product because of its dual focus on sustainability and performance excellence. The dealership has performed more than 2,000 oil changes using ECO ULTRA, the motor oil made from re-refined base oil.

"The reasons to opt for motor oil made from re-refined base oil are compelling," said Tim Twight, Superior Honda of Omaha's Service Manager. "There's the performance aspect: the quality of a motor oil is determined by the sophistication of the re-refining technology along with its additive package. This means products like ECO ULTRA that undergo a four-step re-refining process and use the best additives available offer the same, if not better, engine protection compared to any traditional name brand. What's more, using ECO ULTRA helps conserve significant amounts of energy, both through a manufacturing process that consumes less energy and by preserving supplies of crude oil for other uses. If that's not compelling enough, we tell our customers that bottom-line, we pick ECO ULTRA for our own cars and trucks."