ICONIC Lubricants was Brazil’s largest lubricants supplier in July for the fifth time in six months amid amid a pick-up in sales of industrial oils and passenger-car engine oils (PCMO).

The joint-venture between Ipiranga and Chevron boosted its share of Brazil’s lube sales to more than 24pc of the total, according to IBP.

The share was up from little more than 22pc the previous month. Its share rose even as its total sales fell by 11pc in July from year-earlier levels.

Brazil’s lube consumption of 91,950mᶟ (81,450t) in July fell by 3pc versus the same period last year amid a dip in demand for industrial oils and heavy-duty engine oils (HDEO).

ICONIC’s share of lube sales got a boost from a recovery in its sales of industrial oils to more than 30pc of Brazil’s total consumption of the lubricants, from close to 27pc the previous month.

Its share of the country’s PCMO sales rose to more than 26pc of the total, up from less than 24pc the previous month.

Moove was Brazil’s second-largest lubricants supplier in July for the first time in almost two years.

The blender and distributor’s lube sales rose by 22pc in July from year-earlier levels.

Its share of more than 21pc of Brazil’s total lube sales in July was up slightly from the previous month and above its share of around 20pc of sales in the first half of the year.

A rise in its share of industrial oils and transformer oil sales countered a drop in its share of engine oil sales.

Vibra Energia, formerly known as BR Distribuidora, was Brazil’s third-largest lubricants supplier in July.

It had been the largest supplier in June and one of the country’s top two suppliers every month since the third quarter of 2020.

Its share of around 21pc of total lube sales in July fell from around 23pc the previous month. Its share of engine oils fell by more than 1.5 percentage points from the previous month, and industrial oils by almost 4 percentage points.