Industry Overview - The lubricating oil industry in China has a supply chain that includes upstream oil extraction, refining of base oils, and additive supply, with downstream applications in engineering machinery, automotive, shipping, and rail transportation [1] Cost Structure - In the lubricating oil production process, direct materials account for over 80% of total costs, with specific figures showing that direct material costs are approximately 87.6% for Unified Corporation and 80.8% for Longpan Technology [3][3] - Other cost components include transportation costs (2.1% for Unified Corporation and 6.5% for Longpan Technology) and direct labor costs (1.3% for Unified Corporation) [3] Price Transmission Mechanism - The market price of lubricating oil is influenced by supply, manufacturing, and application sectors, with costs from raw materials, labor, and equipment impacting the manufacturing costs, which in turn affect the final pricing based on market demand elasticity [4] Profitability Analysis - The gross margin for automotive lubricating oils is relatively high, ranging from 30% to 45%, while internal combustion engine oils have a gross margin between 25% and 40%, indicating higher profitability in the automotive sector [6] - However, the overall profitability of lubricating oil companies has been declining, with average sales gross margins dropping to around 11% in 2023 and 15.60% in the first three quarters of 2024 [9] - Longpan Technology has experienced a significant decline in gross margin from 35% in 2019 to negative levels in 2023, reflecting a broader trend of decreasing profitability across the industry [9]