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In the pipeline at CLH-PS

Ignacio Casajús takes over as commercial director at CLH-PS with effect from 1st July. Ignacio is currently managing director of TERQUIMSA, a company 50% owned by the CLH Group and Vopak
Ignacio Casajús takes over as commercial director at CLH-PS with effect from 1st July Ignacio is currently managing director of TERQUIMSA, a company 50% owned by the CLH Group and Vopak

This year around £30m is being spent on the Government Pipeline Storage System which was acquired last May by the Spanish CLH Group.

Now known as the CLH Pipeline System (CLH-PS) significant changes have occurred over the last 12 months including the establishment of a major modernisation of assets and implementation of advanced technologies.  Taking place until 2018, this investment in infrastructure will also see a strategy to renew 30% of the network’s pumps; discussed recently by the board, this will be implemented in 2017.

“This level of investment is unusual in the UK industry in such a short space of time,  said Charles Price, CEO at CLH-PS.  “These actions will lead to important improvements in safety and operational efficiency.

To implement its ambitious plans CLH-PS will have the input of the CLH Group, a leader in the downstream refined oil storage and pipeline logistics sector in Spain,  One objective is to align internal and external processes with those of the Group, an initiative which will require close collaboration with teams in the UK and Spain.

CLH-PS has already gained accreditation to ISO9001 Quality Management System.  “The process was an excellent example of a joint effort between departments within CLH-PS,” said Juan Bonilla, CLH-PS chairman.  The accreditation was awarded by AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification.

“We feel particularly proud of this achievement because it shows that after only one year operating as a company we’ve been able to work side by side across the whole of the business and with our colleagues in Spain to achieve a common objective.”

Currently managed by Costain, operation and maintenance services are being insourced, the first phase of which has seen the transfer of the pipeline technician team.  The second and final phase will take place at the end of October 2016 when CLH-PS will takeover the whole of the service and the remaining staff will be transferred under TUPE.

“This is a necessary step in order to align with the operating model in Spain as well as to improve business efficiency and reduce costs,” added Charles Price.

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