It's something of a political View this month with challenges for the lubricants and automotive industries.
What first appeared as a simple 'blip' in Brent crude prices at the end of June and turned out to be a sudden and massive global oil price rise caused by one 'rogue' speculator in the futures market. It would appear that government on both sides of the Atlantic are alive to the problem, let's hope sensible, well constructed regulation is the result. You can read more about it in this month's Oil Mix.
This month's Mixed Reports offers highlights of ACEA's first Quarter automotive report, with a forecast that if things remain the same, European car production could drop by 25% and commercials by 50% by the end of the year. However, following our White Paper last month, the complete ACEA Report makes for fascinating reading by linking the impact of European GDP directly to the automotive sector.
Linking lubricants and automotive is the CARS 21 challenge. This vital European initiative and its potential for change seems to have slipped under the radar. Could the call for "an integrated approach involving vehicle manufacturers, oil/fuel suppliers, repairers, customers/drivers and public authorities", and the recommendation that "specific attention should be given to the potential of 2nd generation biofuels" be mere rhetoric in light of the current collapse in demand and its long-term impact on the automotive and lubricants sectors? Talking (FIA) about talking (CLEPA) is easy, but will it all just end up as hot air in a fight for survival?
And finally, for 25 years OATS has helped the world's leading lubricants companies to streamline their customer and technical support. Now, with our new TEMDOX solution, we can also help streamline the creation and management of technical and marketing documentation. Our new website, which was launched last week, better communicates how we can help lubricants companies to streamline their business. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
Sebastian Crawshaw, CEO OATS