Thought Leadership

Turkey is a Big and Growing Market. What's Not to Like?
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( November 2008 )
Written by   Geeta Agashe
Description:  While Turkey's gross domestic product averaged 7.4 percent annual growth over the past five years, vehicle production in 2007 rose 11.3 percent from 2006, and the car population grew by 9 percent. This boost will fuel lubricant demand in the consumer automotive segment and offset any losses due to longer drain intervals for newer cars. Turkey's healthy economy also points to great potential in the commercial automotive and industrial lubes segment.

Home Fragrance Still Hot!
Published in GCI Magazine ( November 2008 )
Written by   Karen Doskow
Description:  Fueled by a strong sales boost in multifunctional room sprays and reed scent diffusers, the U.S. home fragrance market posted a very strong 6.2% sales gain for 2007, with total market retail sales reaching $5 billion. The latest data from Kline & Company's study, Home Fragrances 2007: U.S. Market Analysis and Opportunities, indicates the market will continue on its upward trend during the next five years, with continued innovation and the incorporation of natural/sustainable products playing an important role in the uptick through 2012.

A Bane for Engine Oils, a Boon for Marketers?
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( September 2008 )
Written by   Milind Phadke
Description:  Although there is growing recognition in the lubricants industry that biodiesel can harm engine oils, ultimately it could be a boon for lube suppliers by helping to curtail decreases in demand in markets such as Western Europe. In this article Milind Phadke, Industry Manager in the energy practice at Kline looks at the increasing biodiesel usage and declining demand of the engine oil in Western Europe.

High Fuel Costs Hurt Lube Marketers
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( August 2008 )
Written by   Geeta Agashe
Description:  The rise in crude oil prices coupled with a cut back on oil consumption by consumers is impacting suppliers at all points along the automotive lubricants value chain. Geeta Agashe, vice president in Kline's Energy practice evaluates the situation on today's lube market. "All in all, this threat must be looked at as an opportunity. Not doing so, according to many, may put the very survival of lubricant marketers at a risk!"

How Chemical Companies Can Manage Commoditization and Make It a Competitive Advantage
Published in ICIS Chemical Business, Consultant's Corner ( July 2008 )
Written by   Jonathan Goldhill
Description:  In this ICIS consultant's corner Jonathan Goldhill, a senior vice president with Kline, analyzes the challenges of commoditization in the specialty chemical industry, providing the companies with insights on how to identify this trend and turn it into an opportunity to gain competitive advantage. He notes that commoditization should not be viewed as a change in state from a specialty business to a commodity business, but as a counterforce that resists attempts at differentiation across a specialty/commodity continuum.

Cleaning Products are Getting Greener
Published in ICIS Chemical Business, Consultant's Corner ( June 2008 )
Written by   Bruce Boynick
Description:  Kline senior associate, Bruce Boynick, analyses a new era of sustainability in the consumer and commercial cleaning products industry. In his article, Bruce emphasizes that "Sustainable practices are about the process, not just the product ", as he discusses opportunities for cleaning product suppliers, retailers, distributors and end-users to promote environmental sustainability across the entire value chain.

Rising Crude Drives SLP Price Hikes: Competitive Strategies in an Uncertain Market
Written by   Anna Ibbotson ( June 2008 )
Description:  Kline Chemicals and Materials Manager, Anna Ibbotson discusses the various strategies undertaken by SLP suppliers feeling the squeeze of rising raw material costs. Learn how suppliers are increasing production to meet demand yet also controlling costs to maintain competitive pricing.

Global Trends for Speciality Surfactants for Personal Care Products
Published in Speciality Chemicals Magazine ( June 2008 )
Written by   Gillian Morris
Description:  Gillian Morris, a director with Kline's chemicals industry consulting practice looks at the tangled way in which "green" and "natural" are driving the market in personal care surfactants. There is a trend within both suppliers and personal care products manufacturers to become better stewards of the environment. Nothing is defined yet and the overall trend is still loose, but it seems to be coalescing around growing environmental concerns amongst consumers.
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New Chevron Plant Will Make Waves Worldwide
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( May 2008 )
Written by   Bill Downey & Geeta Agashe
Description:  In this article Geeta Agashe and Bill Downey, vice presidents in Kline's Energy practice evaluate Chevron's anticipated construction of a new API Group II/Group III base stock plant in the US, which promises major implications for every member of the lubricant value chain around the world. Chevron's expansion strategy is clearly driven by its need to increase its internal base stock supply and its shift to a more global positioning.

Alberta, Canada could be the next petrochemical hub thanks to its oil sands
Published in ICIS Chemical Business ( May 2008 )
Written by   Fred du Plessis
Description:  Fred du Plessis, Kline senior vice president provides the insights on Canada's province potential to become a major petrochemical supplier in the coming years. Alberta's key government groups have focused on developing a value added downstream industry based on the oil sands to produce petroleum products and petrochemicals, rather than simply selling the processed oil. Kline has developed a 25 year plan for implementing an integrated network of petrochemical clusters, and has determined the most economically feasible and ecologically sensitive downstream products to manufacture at these sites.
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Historical Data Proves Lauder's Lipstick Theory More than Just Lip Service
Published in CosmeticBusiness ( April 2008 )
Written by   Carrie Mellage
Description:  Ever since Leonard Lauder first put forth his famed Lipstick Theory, economists and industry analysts have debated its validity. Could lipstick sales really point to the overall state of the economy?
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Nutricosmetics - Decoding the Convergence of Beauty and Healthcare
Presented at IN-COSMETICS 2008
Presented by   Carrie Mellage ( April 16, 2008 )

The "Greening" of Personal Care - Separating Perception from Reality
Presented at IN-COSMETICS 2008
Presented by   Gillian Morris ( April 15, 2008 )

South Africa: Continent's Key Market
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( March 2008 )
Written by   Geeta Agashe
Description:  In this article Geeta Agashe, Kline's Vice President of the Energy Practice, discusses changes in South African lubricant market. She discusses the change over to higher performance lubricants driven by couple of factors, such as environmental regulations or increased import of higher performance base oil. She also stresses out the importance for marketers not to see South Africa as one big market but a group of provinces with different demographics.
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Crystallography: The Long-Term Price of Oil
Published in Journal of Petroleum Technology ( March 2008 )
Written by   Ian Moncrieff
Description:  In the absence of huge technology investments to bring solids and gases firmly into the domain of liquid fuels, with continuing growth in world demand, and with declining surplus oil reserves in the Middle East, there are no obvious outcomes under which future oil price increases can be contained, writes Ian Moncrieff, Vice President Oil and Gas of Kline & Company. The bottom line is that $100/bbl oil is here to stay.
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Petronas Buys a Place in Europe
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( January 2008 )
Written by   Geeta Agashe
Description:  By combining two complementary companies, each with strong positions in their respective geographic regions, Petronas made itself a global competitor with vertical strength.
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Looking Back on 2007
Published in Compoundings ( December 2007 )
Written by   Bill Downey
Description:  By comparison with 2005 and 2006, 2007 has been less turbulent for the lubricants industry, but still rich with lessons. William R. Downey, a Vice President, Petroleum and Energy at Kline, describes past years trends and retrospective on lubricant business development driven by environmental opportunities, becoming more global with bigger competitors!
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Market Survey: Learn Terrain When Entering New Country
Published in Lubes-n-Greases ( December 2007 )
Written by   Richard Lucas
Description:  If you are a marketing manager of automotive lubricants, you are aware that developing markets turn into some of the best opportunities for rapid growth. In these markets distribution channels are obviously vital, and you need a thorough understanding of how they operate in each region. Richard Lucas, managing director of PMR, an affiliate of Kline & Company, discusses successful distribution channels in this article.
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A Message on REACH and Metalworking Fluids: Keep the Lines - Communication and Supply
Published in Lubes' n' Greases Europe - Middle East - Africa ( October 2007 )
Written by   Frans van Antwerpen

GTL: A Question of When
Published in Lubes' n' Greases Europe - Middle East - Africa ( August 2007 )
Written by   Geeta Agashe

Taking the Pulse of Poland's Lubes Market
Published in Published in Lubes' n' Greases Europe - Middle East - Africa ( June 2007 )
Written by   Ian Butcher

Mergers & Acquisitions Among the Personal Care Value Chain
Presented by   Gillian Morris ( April 19, 2007 )

Professional Personal Care: Hair Care and Skin Care
Presented by   Carrie Mellage ( April 17, 2007 )

Navigating Nanotechnology
Published in Kline & Company ( February 2007 )
Written by   Gillian Morris