FACILITIES 2012

Ultrachem’s Solar Project Completed

October 23, 2012 – “We are pleased to announce the completion of this major renewable energy project”, said Bob Whiting, President of Ultrachem. “Not only will the system improve the environment by reducing our reliance on traditional fossil fuels, it also relieves our energy burden from the electric grid during peak hours which benefits the community. All of the people at EnterSolar were fantastic to work with and completed the entire project on schedule.” The system was installed on the roof of Ultrachem’s Corporate Headquarters located in New Castle, Delaware and will generate enough energy to serve the entire annual electricity needs of the Ultrachem facility. Click for more

Smitty’s Starts Work on $10 Million Warehouse Expansion

October 23, 2012 – Smitty’s Supply has started work on a $10 million warehouse and office expansion. The additions should add 50 jobs to the 400 people already employed by the company in northern Tangipahoa Parish about 15 miles south of the Mississippi state line. Owner Ed Smith, at a groundbreaking in Roseland, said that the work would also employ 100 construction workers to build the 165,000 square-foot expansion. The project will double the company’s warehouse capacity. Click for more

ExxonMobil to Expand High-Performance Synthetic Lubricants Capacity in Louisiana

September 27, 2012 – ExxonMobil is investing more than $200 million to expand its Baton Rouge chemical and lubricants plants to increase capacity for synthetic lubricant base stocks manufacturing and lubricants blending, packaging and storage. The expansion will increase ExxonMobil’s worldwide capacity of synthetic esters and alkylated naphthalene by more than 25 percent to meet the demand for high-performance lubricants made with these advanced products. The project will include construction of a state-of-the-art blending center for synthetic aviation oil at ExxonMobil’s lubricant blending plant in Port Allen, La. Click for more

Fire at Chevron Richmond Refinery

August 7, 2012 – 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. Click for more

GROWMARK Lubricants in Council Bluffs ISO 9001:2008 Certified

June 4, 2012 – The GROWMARK Lubricants manufacturing facility in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification, signifying quality control of all business processes. “The certification process looks at our entire business, from the moment an order is placed, through manufacturing, shipping, and final delivery,” said Makayla Umphreys, inventory and production manager. “We now have a plan in place to make sure we meet customer expectations every step of the way.” The certification comes on the heels of a major renovation at the facility, which increased storage space and updated the laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment. An open house will be held later this summer. Click for more

Shell to Close Lubricant Blend Plant in Wood River

Feb 29, 2012 – Shell Oil Co. plans to close its lubricant blending and packaging plant in Roxana/Wood River, IL where Shell began operations in 1918. The closing of the Wood River plant will also result of closing of a distribution plant in O’Fallon. According to Shell, the Wood River Blending Plant is closing because it needs major upgrades and because it is on property Shell doesn’t own. Click for more