The French have a saying: “Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose”. This translates to “The more things change, the more they are the same.” This is somewhat true with the lubricants and waxes area of AFPM in 2016. Lubricants and waxes are an important area of the industry. Gears cannot work without lubricants. Petroleum-based waxes are used from everything from food packaging to candles. Many in the industry gather in Houston each November for the annual AFPM International Lubricant & Waxes Conference. In the past year, the Lubricants and Waxes Committee, working with AFPM staff, have implemented several changes. First, as of September 1, the name of the Committee changed to “Base Oils and Waxes Committee”. The new name provides a much better description of the committee’s representatives and scope.. Second, there will be an AFPM International Lubricants and Waxes Conference will occur this November 10-11 at the Hilton Post Oak in Houston. As in the past, there will be waxes and base oils presentations and ample networking opportunities. Information on this conference can be found here. But, the most exciting change will be the co-location of the 2017 AFPM International Base Oils and Waxes Conference with the 2017 AFPM International Petrochemical Conference. This change was brought about by the fact that there are common issues, customers and suppliers in the petrochemical community as well as the base oils and waxes communities. AFPM is excited about these changes. By co-locating the conferences, base oils and waxes can reach a larger audience that has interest in the technical, advocacy, and marketing issues of these components of the refining and petrochemical industries. Perhaps, the title of these blog is somewhat of a misnomer. It should be “Plus ça change, ils seront le mieux.” which translates to “The more things changes, the better they will be”. See you in November and again in March!
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