New head of national accounts, Franco Moller
Certas Energy has appointed Franco Moller as its new head of national accounts.
Franco brings a wealth of experience in the transport and logistics industry, having previously worked for rail services provider, DB Schenke.
Based at Certas Energy’s Birchwood office, Franco will spearhead the national accounts plan focusing on securing new contracts, developing the customer base and further establishing the company as a key player in the industry.
Managing director, Paul Vian commented: “Franco’s strong professional background and relevant experience of both the transport and logistics sectors makes him a valuable addition to our team.
“He joins us at the start of an exciting period of business growth, as our National Accounts team and the wider business go from strength to strength. As a senior business manager, Franco will be integral to promoting our company values and safety first culture.”
Franco added: “Customer service excellence is central to Certas Energy’s approach and I look forward to bringing this to life by working closely with the national accounts team to execute the businesses’ growth plans successfully.”www.certasenergy.co.uk
Dunraven’s product development manager, Michael McCaughley celebrates success at OFTEC’s Awards for Excellence
Dunraven Systems OilPal integrated heating oil management system has won the Innovative Product of the Year accolade at OFTEC’s Awards for Excellence.
Speaking after the presentation, Dunraven’s Michael McCaughley said: “We’re delighted to have won this much sought-after award. OilPal is a truly revolutionary product and the world’s first integrated heating oil management system. Not only does OilPal allow customers to monitor the level and volume of heating oil inside their tank, it allows them to check supplier prices and order fuel from any web connected device, including smartphones and tablets.
“As a business-to-consumer (B2C) product, OilPal perfectly complements our existing depot based Apollo RMS remote tank monitoring system. Indeed, for heating oil distributors who want the best of both worlds, we can even now offer an own-brand, white label version. This provides consumers with similar functionality to the proprietary OilPal product, whilst limiting online engagement options to a single distributor and putting that distributor’s brand at the heart of the customer experience.”
Having celebrated 10 years in business in 2013, Dunraven is currently benefiting from buoyant demand for its Apollo brand range of storage tank monitoring and energy management products – especially in international markets, which now represent the majority of the company’s sales. In response, Dunraven has recently completed a significant expansion of the company’s R&D, product assembly and customer support facilities at its Co. Louth headquarters.
Michael says, “Last year, we celebrated ten years of success. However, rather than resting on our laurels, we recognise you don’t stay ahead by standing still – especially with modern monitoring and communications technology developing at an ever faster pace. As we look ahead to Dunraven’s next decade, we will continue to develop our range of market led monitoring technologies.
“The success of our company to date has been built upon a flexible approach to customer requirements, coupled with unrivalled reliability and world class customer service. We are determined these values will remain at the heart of our business.”www.dunravensystems.com
The Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Transport Manager series of conferences has become a must attend event for all transport managers across the country, providing the latest information, guidance and best practice advice on forthcoming legislation and enforcement changes.
At the 2014 series of events, sponsored by Goodyear and Volvo, delegates will hear from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Traffic Commissioner.
The DVSA will be unveiling its systems approach to recognising individual operator culture and its attitude to compliance, outlining enforcement priorities for the coming year, discussing how the Agency is working in partnership with industry and providing an insight into the future enforcement of the seriously non-compliant.
The Highways Agency will be on hand to discuss pressures on the strategic road network and how it deals with challenges such as minimising the impact of road closures.
Other key sessions will include presentations on Trucks of the Future and understanding the new Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness
The Transport Manager series will be on the road throughout the UK from September to December 2014:
Wednesday 10 September – Brands Hatch
Wednesday 17 September – Durham
Wednesday 24 September – Warrington
Wednesday 1 October – Leeds
Wednesday 8 October – Taunton
Wednesday 15 October – Huntingdon
Wednesday 22 October – Chepstow
Wednesday 29 October – Dunblane
Wednesday 5 November – Sheffield
Wednesday 12 November – Southampton
Wednesday 19 November – Slough
Wednesday 3 December – Birmingham
The cost for FTA members is £295 plus VAT for the first delegate and £265 plus VAT for subsequent delegates; for non-members £395 plus VAT for the first delegate and £365 plus VAT for subsequent delegates.
www.fta.co.uk/events/Transport_Manager_Conferences_2014.html
Measurement of the quantity and quality of petroleum and its products is vital for accurate allocation, custody transfer and fiscal purposes, stock control and loss prevention. The Energy Institute (EI)’s Hydrocarbon Management Committee (HMC) has developed new online training and good practice guidance to support greater understanding in this field.
The new resource – Online training for hydrocarbon management – has been designed to improve knowledge of these issues across various parts of the industry.
Given the international focus of hydrocarbon management, there is a clear need to standardise and align processes, to inform industry and to promote consistent and accurate measurement of the quantity and quality of products at various points along the supply chain.
The training is broken down into a series of modules to introduce the key elements of hydrocarbon management to those who are relatively new to the topic or who simply wish to refresh their knowledge. This project has been devised by the EI’s HMC in conjunction with IDESS Interactive Technologies Inc and SGS.
The first two modules in the training resource are now available:
· Petroleum measurement (for marine cargo inspection) covers marine cargo measurements and matches the requirements of the IFIA Inspector Certification Programme. This includes the safety, sampling, testing and calculation procedures associated with hydrocarbon management.
· LNG operations (sea transport) provides a solid background to those involved in handling marine LNG cargoes, covering the product properties and measurements and also vessel operations and load and discharge procedures.
HMC guidance covers all aspects of petroleum measurement from production allocation through to transportation and refining. Other recent EI technical publications cover general terms and conditions for the sale and purchase of crude oil, cleaning of tanks in marine tank vessels carrying petroleum or refined products, and procedures for cargo inspections for crude oil, products and liquefied petroleum gas. www.energyinst.org/hydrocarbon-management
A survey of 750 oil-using homes by Watson Petroleum and OFTEC earlier this year has revealed that oil heating remains a popular choice with few owners thinking of switching.
Of those that expressed a preference, most were satisfied with their existing heating system while 73% of those considering replacing their existing boiler will install a new oil condensing boiler. By contrast only 4% were considering switching to an air source heat pump.
“Oil is becoming more affordable and competitive, and the cheapest option going forward for most off-gas homes” says Jeremy Hawksley
New research commissioned by OFTEC and the FPS predicts the price of oil will continue to fall over the next three years, spelling more good news for the industry.
The results forecast that by Q4 2014, the price of kerosene will have reached 55.52ppl in the UK and 75.81 cents per litre in Ireland. From there, prices are forecast to drop to reach 54.00 ppl in the UK and 74.10 cents per litre in Ireland by Q4 2016. The forecasts show that prices will fall further into Q2 2017 to reach 53.43 ppl and 73.39 cents per litre.
The predicted drop in oil prices comes at a time when gas and electricity prices are continuing to rise, evidenced by the latest Sutherland Tables data.
These figures show the average annual cost of heating a three bedroom home by gas and electricity has increased over the last three years by 34% and 27% respectively. This compares to the cost of using an oil condensing boiler which has fallen by 12% over the same period.
The National Audit Office also predicted that consumers face almost two decades of price rises for electricity, gas and water to fund £310 billion worth of new infrastructure.
Commenting on the research, which was carried out by UX Energy Services, OFTEC director general Jeremy Hawksley said: “It is of course impossible to predict how future world events will pan out and exactly how these will affect the price of oil.
“However, the research remains valid and shows that the general trend of falling oil prices is expected to continue. This underlines the fact that oil is becoming more affordable and competitive, and the cheapest option going forward for most off-gas homes.”
As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, JET has announced a three-year sponsorship package that will see the fuel brand appointed as the official fuel partner of the Silverstone Classic.
In the run up to the World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival, which takes place at Silverstone from 25th – 27th July 2014, the company will also be giving away an incredible money can’t buy prize.
The unique prize for two lucky individuals includes a 25 minute GT Legends high speed parade with a professional driver, a ride in the pace car, BMW luxury transfers, a helicopter ride, onsite accommodation, a guided tour of Race Control, VIP concert stage bar passes with a private backstage tour of the concert area, performance driving sessions, tickets to the BRDC Silverstone Classic Dinner and £500 spending money. Entries close on 18th July and full details of how to enter can be found at www.jetlocal.co.uk/moneycantbuyprize
Pete George, managing director, Phillips 66 UK and Ireland Marketing, comments: “2014 marks the diamond anniversary of our fuel brand JET – 60 years since JET opened its first petrol forecourt in Yorkshire. This is a real milestone for us as a company and an achievement that we are very proud of.
“As part of our anniversary celebrations, we are delighted to become Silverstone Classic’s first official fuel partner. To be part of the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival at the iconic Silverstone circuit is a great honour and seems a fitting way to mark 60 years of delivering the highest quality fuel to our network of 300+ independently operated service stations.
“Over the next three years, our sponsorship of this hugely popular event will provide us with a number of opportunities to engage with sports and motoring enthusiasts throughout the UK.”
As part of the agreement, JET will also take on the title sponsorship of the two iconic HSCC Super Touring Car Championship races.
www.jetlocal.co.uk
Caught on camera – Le Craggs team
When Le Grand Depart came to Yorkshire, Craggs Energy was in pole position.
“As a company with its origins firmly in Yorkshire, we were immensely proud that Le Grand Depart came to our county,” said marketing manager, Ben Duckworth.
“The stage two route came right past our head office in Cragg Vale and we felt very privileged to witness this once in a lifetime event. The whole team came out to enjoy race day and we were even lucky enough to get an aerial shot of our wagons on ITV!”
Certas Energy has announced a new facility supplying marine gas oil MGO <0.1% sulphur DMA grade at Port of Tyne in North Shields.
The facility, which comprises of a new pipeline as well as fuel storage facilities, opened on 10th June 2014. It also offers an ex-pipe facility, a convenient service for large ships, as well as providing MGO across the North East region by truck.
Gary Byers, head of marine, said: “Our decision to expand our services with this new facility demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering a cost effective service for our customers. We are continually developing our portfolio and this is the latest expansion in the North East.
“We have forged strong relationships with UK refineries to meet the pricing and quality demands of the shipping industry and our growing depot network will ensure customers can access our products across the UK.”
Port of Tyne is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio, which is expanding across the UK. The network features depots in many major UK ports, including the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Orkney, Southampton and Shetland Islands. It also has an ex-pipe facility at Aberdeen, barging on the Thames, the recent IFO facility in Dundee, a pipe fed marine bunker facility in Oban as well as an excellent nationwide delivery infrastructure.
The new pipeline will offer local and international customers MGO <0.1% sulphur DMA grade, which has the cold filter plugging point (CFPP) guaranteed.
Designed to offer complete flexibility for customers, there is no minimum or maximum fuel quantity and orders can be made in cubes or metric tonnes and paid for in US dollars, Pound Sterling and Euros. www.certasenergy.co.uk
The 2014 OFTEC Awards for Excellence winners
The best talent in the oil heating industry was showcased at OFTEC’s 2014 Awards for Excellence event last month. Attended by more than 170 industry guests, this year’s Awards saw David Ewins from Cornwall-based Davanna Heating beat off stiff competition to pick up the title of Boiler Installer of the Year, with Stephen Owen of SC Owen in Reading receiving the award for Servicing and Commissioning Technician of the Year.
