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FTC Issues Consumer Alert on Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

It’s illegal for a manufacturer to specify a specific brand of oil

It’s illegal for a manufacturer to suggest they will void a warranty due to some standard additive. This has been one of the most common recurring myths about synthetic oil; that it can somehow void your warranty. Harley Davidson did a particularly good job of perpetrating this misinformation. For example, a manufacturer can specify “20w-50” with a specific set of standards but they CANNOT specify a brand name product, or suggest that other brands will void a warranty. This act is the subject of a recent FTC alert. It’s good information

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a consumer alert clarifying that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits automobile manufacturers and dealers from denying warranty coverage based on use of an aftermarket product, unless they can show the product caused the damage or was installed incorrectly.

“The FTC’s statement should help those ILMA members, for example, who have decided not to license General Motors’ dexos™ engine oil,” said ILMA counsel Jeff Leiter. “Some ILMA members have complained to me that the automaker has made confusing statements about its new engine oil and warranty coverage for new vehicles. It makes sense to hand a customer a copy of the FTC consumer alert, showing that the use of equivalent products should not affect warranty coverage.”
The FTC consumer alert can be viewed at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt192.shtm

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Reportlinker Adds Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids

Reportlinker Adds Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids

NEW YORK, March 24 /PRNewswire/ — Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0183449/Synthetic-Lubricants–Functional-Fluids.html

US demand to grow more than 3% yearly through 2013

US demand for synthetic lubricants and functional fluids will rise more than three percent per year to $4.8 billion in 2013, with growth rising at an even faster pace in volume terms to reach 520 million gallons. Engine oils and hydraulic and transmission fluids will experience the fastest gains as synthetics finally begin to penetrate the conservative medium- and heavy-duty truck market, and as greater new vehicle lubricant performance requirements and growing consumer acceptance further expand synthetics’ share of the light vehicle market. While engine oils and hydraulic and transmission fluids will achieve relatively strong growth going forward, other types of synthetic fluids are expected to see a slow decline in demand through 2013, largely as a result of declining average fluid prices.

Medium-, heavy-duty truck market to see fastest gains

The largest market for synthetic lubricants and functional fluids is light vehicles. This reflects not only consumer uptake of engine oils and transmission fluids, but also the universally synthetic nature of antifreeze, brake and deicing (windshield wiper) fluids. Synthetic fluid demand in light vehicles will continue to grow due both to increasing lubricant performance requirements, and growing consumer acceptance of synthetics as a valuable part of their preventative maintenance programs. Despite gains by synthetics in engine oils and transmission fluids, long term industry trends toward extended engine coolant flush intervals, and the use of fill-for-life radiator and coolant systems, will result in a continuing decline in antifreeze volume demand. The fastest growing market for synthetic fluids will be the medium- and heavyduty truck market. Increasingly stringent engine specifications, as well as a move by many engine manufacturers to specify low viscosity engine oils for their 2010 emissions-compliant engines, will finally lead many fleet operators to evaluate and use synthetic engine oils and hydraulic and transmission fluids. Synthetics will benefit from their better performance under load in low viscosity formulations, as well as from the reduced maintenance and downtime costs that result from synthetics’ extended drain intervals. The latter will be increasingly important to fleet operators looking to cut costs as a result of the 2008/2009 recession, and subsequent slow recovery.

Group III oils, polyalphaolefins to be fastest growing types

Reflecting their heavy use in engine oils and hydraulic and transmission fluids, Group III base oils and polyalphaolefins will be the fastest growing synthetic chemicals, with esters also achieving positive value growth through 2013. Declining average prices will hurt value demand for silicones and aromatics going forward, though demand will remain steady on a volume basis. From a product standpoint, the greatest declines will be in heat transfer and metalworking fluids. In addition to declining antifreeze demand in vehicle applications, greater use of fill-for-life coolant systems in industrial equipment — as well as efforts by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to limit the run-off of airplane deicing fluids at airports — will contribute to falling heat transfer fluid demand. Synthetic metalworking fluid demand will suffer from increasing substitution of bio-based fluids for synthetics, particularly in metal removal applications, to address worker safety concerns related to the inhalation of volatilized metalworking fluids.

Study coverage

Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids, a new industry study, presents historical demand data (1998, 2003 and 2008) plus forecasts for 2013 and 2018 by material, product and market. The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 25 US industry competitors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ix

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

II. MARKET ENVIRONMENT 4

General 4

Macroeconomic Outlook 5

Demographic Trends 9

Consumer Spending Trends 12

Manufacturing Trends 14

Competitive Products 17

Environmental & Regulatory Issues 19

Recycling & Re-Refining 21

Engine Oil Specifications 22

Pricing Trends 24

Foreign Trade & International Activity 27

III. PRODUCTS 30

General 30

Engine Oils 32

Gasoline Engine Oils 36

Diesel Engine Oils 40

Oils for Other Engines 44

Heat Transfer Fluids 47

Low Temperature 50

High Temperature 54

Hydraulic & Transmission Fluids 58

Transmission Fluids 60

Product Characteristics 60

Demand 62

Hydraulic Fluids 62

Metalworking Fluids 64

Product Characteristics 65

Demand 66

Metal Removal Fluids 69

Metal Forming Fluids 71

Other Metalworking Fluids 73

Dielectric Fluids 75

Other 78

Compressor Lubricants 80

Turbine Lubricants 81

Gear Lubricants 82

All Other 84

IV. MATERIALS 87

General 87

Glycols 89

Polyalphaolefins 92

Group III Base Oils 95

Esters 98

Silicone Fluids 101

Aromatics 104

Other 107

V. MARKETS 112

General 112

Vehicles & Equipment 114

Motor Vehicle & Industrial Equipment Outlook 115

Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 118

Light Vehicles 120

Aircraft/Aerospace 122

Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicles & Buses 124

Industrial Machinery 127

Off-Highway Vehicles 130

Construction Equipment 132

Mining Equipment 133

Agricultural Equipment 133

Other 134

Metal Fabrication 137

Metal Fabrication Industry Outlook 137

Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 138

Energy/Power Generation 140

Energy/Power Generation Industry Outlook 141

Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 144

Process Industries 146

Process Manufacturing Industry Outlook 147

Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 149

HVAC/Refrigeration Systems 153

HVAC/Refrigeration Industry Outlook 153

Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 154

Other 156

VI. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE 159

General 159

Market Share 163

Competitive Strategies 167

Research & Development 167

Chemical Management Services 169

Merger & Acquisition Activity 170

Manufacturing 172

Marketing 174

Synthetic Engine Oil 174

Brand Name Recognition 176

Sports Sponsorship 177

Antifreeze 178

Other Synthetic Fluids Marketing Strategies 179

Distribution 180

Company Profiles 183

AMSOIL Incorporated 184

Anderol Incorporated, see Chemtura

Ashland Incorporated 187

BASF SE 190

BP plc 192

Castrol Limited, see BP

Chemtura Corporation 196

Chevron Corporation 199

Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC 202

CIMCOOL Industrial Fluids, see Milacron

CITGO Petroleum Corporation, see Petroleos de

Venezuela SA

CLC Lubricants Company 203

Coastal Unilube Incorporated, see Warren Oil

Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Company KG 205

ConocoPhillips 207

CPI Engineering Services Incorporated, see Lubrizol

Dow Chemical Company 211

Dow Corning Corporation 214

DuPont (EI) de Nemours 215

Dylon Industries Incorporated, see FUCHS Petrolub

Exxon Mobil Corporation 217

FUCHS Petrolub AG 221

Hatco Corporation, see Chemtura

Hercules Incorporated, see Ashland

Honeywell International Incorporated 224

Houghton International Incorporated 225

Lubrizol Corporation 226

Milacron LLC 229

Motiva Enterprises LLC, see Royal Dutch Shell

MS Fluid Technologies Incorporated, see FUCHS

Petrolub

Petroleos de Venezuela SA 231

Quaker Chemical Corporation 234

Royal Dutch Shell plc 236

Royal Purple Incorporated 240

Shell Chemicals LP, see Royal Dutch Shell

Total SA 243

Valvoline Company, see Ashland

Warren Oil Company Incorporated 247

Additional Companies Mentioned in the Study 249

LIST OF TABLES

SECTION I — EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Summary Table 3

SECTION II — MARKET ENVIRONMENT

1 Macroeconomic Indicators 9

2 Population & Households 12

3 Personal Consumption Expenditures 14

4 Manufacturers’ Shipments 17

5 Synthetic Functional Fluid Pricing Trends 26

6 Synthetic Functional Fluid Foreign Trade 29

SECTION III — PRODUCTS

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand by Product 31

2 Synthetic Engine Oil Demand by Engine Type 36

3 Synthetic Gasoline Engine Oil Demand by Chemical & Market 40

4 Synthetic Diesel Engine Oil Demand by Chemical & Market 44

5 Other Synthetic Engine Oil Demand by Chemical & Market 47

6 Synthetic Heat Transfer Fluid Demand 50

7 Synthetic Low Temperature Heat Transfer Fluid Demand by Chemical & Market 54

8 Synthetic High Temperature Heat Transfer Fluid Demand 57

9 Synthetic Hydraulic & Transmission Fluid Demand by Product, Chemical & Market 59

10 Synthetic Metalworking Fluid Demand 69

11 Synthetic Metal Removal Fluid Demand 71

12 Synthetic Metal Forming Fluid Demand 73

13 Other Synthetic Metalworking Fluids Demand 75

14 Synthetic Dielectric Fluid Demand 78

15 Other Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids Demand 79

SECTION IV — MATERIALS

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand by Material 88

2 Glycol-Based Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 92

3 Polyalphaolefin-Based Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 95

4 Group III Base Oil-Based Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 98

5 Ester-Based Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 101

6 Silicone-Based Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 104

7 Aromatics-Based Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand 107

8 Other Synthetic Lubricants, Fluids, Additives & Blending Components Demand 111

SECTION V – MARKETS

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand by Market 113

2 Vehicle & Equipment Indicators 118

3 Vehicle & Equipment Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 119

4 Light Vehicle Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 122

5 Aircraft/Aerospace Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 124

6 Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicle Market for

Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 127

7 Industrial Machinery Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 130

8 Off-Highway Vehicle Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 132

9 Other Vehicle & Equipment Markets for

Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 136

10 Metal Fabrication Industry Shipments 138

11 Metal Fabrication Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 140

12 Energy/Power Generation Indicators 144

13 Energy/Power Generation Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 146

14 Process Manufacturers’ Shipments 149

15 Process Industries Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 152

16 HVAC/Refrigeration Industry Outlook 154

17 HVAC/Refrigeration Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids 156

18 Synthetic Functional Fluids Demand in Other Markets 158

SECTION VI — INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Sales by Company, 2008 161

2 Research & Development Spending Patterns: Selected Synthetic Fluids Companies 169

3 Selected Acquisitions & Divestitures 171

LIST OF CHARTS

SECTION II — MARKET ENVIRONMENT

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Pricing Volatility by Product 27

SECTION III – PRODUCTS

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand by Product, 2008 32

SECTION IV — MATERIALS

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand by Material, 2008 89

SECTION V — MARKETS

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Demand by Market, 2008 114

2 Vehicle & Equipment Market for Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids, 2008 120

SECTION VI — INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

1 Synthetic Lubricant & Functional Fluid Market Share, 2008 163

To order this report:

Household Products Industry: Synthetic Lubricants & Functional Fluids

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