Companies 9
Employees of Grangemouth based Rix Petroleum will begin the eight-mile-long climb and descent of Ben Nevis on Saturday 3rd July, raising £2000 for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
The foundation supports people with motor neuron disease (MND) and is named after former Scottish rugby player Doddie Weir, who was himself diagnosed with MND.
Having always wanted to climb the iconic peak, Gail Fawcett, business unit manager at Rix Petroleum, came up with the idea and roped in colleagues Lisa Welsh, Ian Patterson, Ross MacRae, Paul Graham and Connor O’Hagen to join her in the challenge, along with more friends and family members.
Rix Petroleum started supporting the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation earlier this year. The charity’s two main objectives are to raise funds to invest into MND research and support people living with the condition to have as full a life as possible.
Gail said: “Ben Nevis is a true Scottish icon and so is Doddie Weir. They’re both giants in their own right. So, when it came to raising money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, summiting the UK’s highest peak seemed like the only appropriate thing to do. Plus, I’ve always wanted to climb it, so it was too good an opportunity to miss.
“We’ve all started training and with just a couple of weeks to go, the excitement is building. I think we can do it in around eight hours, but other members of the team are thinking a bit quicker, so there could be a bit of competition on the day.”
As he looked forward to his retirement in May this year, Fuel Oil News spoke with Bob Taylor, managing director of World Fuel Services’ UK Land Business, who shared with us his thoughts on the highs, lows and future of the industry.
Telling us more about his history in the fuel sector, Bob says:
“In a nutshell, my entire career has been in fuel. When I left school at 16, I wanted to work in computers. But I got offered a job as a clerk in a fuel company called Fuel Fast and took that instead.
“That first job taught me all sorts. I worked out on the road with drivers and in the office in sales. At the time, you only had winter prices and summer prices, which never moved. Rather than selling, it was a case of finding new customers, sharing some port and signing on the line.
“After my time in sales, I was offered a job as a depot manager. I was only 25 and hugely out of my depth, but I learned so much and ended up taking on an area, and then regional, manager role when I was in my 30s. The first time I ran a business was when I became MD of Total Butler. After this stint, I got asked to come over to World Fuels as the MD for the UK Land Business.
“All I’ve known is the oil industry. Cut my arm off and all you’ll get is oil.”
A balancing act
With a career spanning several decades and experiences gathered from several different companies in the distribution industry, Bob is well-placed to suggest what should be the top priority for any business:
“The products are all the same, the difference is the service. In every business I have worked for, there has always been a balance between delivering a great service and driving a profit. I found that the larger a distributor grows, the more difficult it is to focus on looking after employees and customers. Keeping people in sight should always be the priority.”
Evolving oil
Bob comments on the changes he’s witnessed throughout his 40 years in the industry:
“One of the biggest industry changes I’ve witnessed is health and safety. It has become so much more important, and rightly so. All our colleagues should come to work and know that they won’t come into harm.
“Technology has also evolved oil in a big way. We are now moving towards telemetry in tanks linked to an automated fuel delivery service, for those that want it in the future. These developments are key opportunities, but technology also comes with its challenges. More customers are buying online, so oil has become more of a commodity rather than a service that people feel loyal to.
“Of course, some things don’t change. Customers have always asked ‘how much?’ and ‘when can you deliver?’. And I suspect that they always will.”
When asked about the changes that Bob sees in the not-too-distant future, he says:
“We can only sell what the consumer wants, and sustainable alternatives are becoming increasingly in demand. Companies will need to go down cleaner energy routes, and we have to find a way to offer these services over the next five to ten years. Whether we sell ground source heating, renewable energy or sustainable fuels, we need to adapt.”
On the road to retirement
As Bob considers his plans for retirement, he reminisces over some of the key memories from his time in the industry:
“My career highlights are all down to the people I’ve worked with. I owe a lot of my success to the mentors who guided me. And if I have helped anybody in their career, I feel that I’ve given something back.”
A decade of decisions
“My retirement date has been set in stone for the last 10 years, but what I decide to do with these years is fairly loose. I’ve recently realised that after 43 years of hard work, I don’t have any hobbies! So, I have been getting into clay pigeon shooting and will definitely keep that up.
“Spending time with family will also take up most of my time, especially with my grandchildren. We’ve really missed them over the last 12 months and are desperate to make up for lost time. And of course, travelling. As soon as we can, we’ll get out to the Maldives and to Venice via the Orient Express – another bucket list item ticked off the list and, at some point, we’ll go to Australia for six weeks.”
Telling us about the most valuable learnings from his career, Bob concluded:
“Two words: honesty and trust. When you run a business, stay honest and you can’t go wrong.”
Essar Oil (UK) Limited (EOUK) is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Bullock as independent non-executive director.
Croftamie based James D Bilsland recently shared images of its brand new tanker, running on HVO.
Jodie Allan, manager, James D Bilsland commented: “We have just purchased a new truck from RTN and have made the decision to run this vehicle on HVO, enabling us to reduce our carbon emissions by up to 90% with this vehicle and start decarbonising the rest of our fleet. We are pleased to be able to offer this fuel to customers looking to decarbonise, as it is a great product that produces positive results without any modification to vehicles.”
The company is currently partaking in the first trials of using HVO renewable fuels as an alternative to home heating oil in Scotland, as part of the future fuels trial.
Jodie continued: “We are so far pleased with how HVO is performing as an alternative to Kerosene in the domestic market within a property that we have converted.”
A specialist Midlands oil and waste recycling firm has been shortlisted for a prestigious industry award.
Slicker Recycling, which specialises in the collection and recycling of waste oils and commercial garage waste from across the UK, has been named as a finalist in this year’s National Awards for Excellence in recycling and waste management.
The Stourport-On-Severn company, which handles over 75 million litres of used lubricating oil every year, is shortlisted in the ‘Circular Economy Success’ category for the successful launch of its £70 million base oil re-refinery in Denmark which it opened in July 2020 in a joint venture with its German partners, Avista AG.
The state-of-the-art facility, which sees used lubricating oils transported from the UK, regenerates over 100,000 tonnes of used engine and machine oil annually – giving a variety of environmental benefits, including reduced CO2 emissions.
Attis Credit Solutions is a new name to the sector but is made up of a team of specialist credit insurance brokers whose experience spans over 70 years. Recently founded by Paul Martin and Steve Hamstead, you can read more about Attis in our July issue of Fuel Oil News.
LCM Environmental, a leading fuel and tank infrastructure servicing company working with commercial and public sector clients of all sizes, has announced the integration of the team from IIS Tech, an environmental compliance and interceptor organisation.
OnlineFuels, the leader in digital transformation solutions for the refined fuels market has been acquired by DTN, a leading data, analytics and technology company. With the addition of the OnlineFuels innovative online trading platform, DTN is now the leading provider of solutions that bring visibility where it hasn’t existed before. In the near future, refined fuels customers will be able to access their operational data in one seamless platform along with the ability to support end-to-end buying and selling transactions.
James Stairmand, founder of OnlineFuels commented: “Proud to announce that after nearly 6 years of founding OnlineFuels, we have been acquired by DTN. A massive team effort to get this over the line. I’m excited for the next chapter and looking forward to joining the DTN team.
“I started the business with a view of one day exiting, so I’m delighted with the outcome. Happy I took the risk and went on my own adventure!”
The industry-leading solution solves a complex issue many commodity traders around the world face –how to complete transactions using real-time data to drive better profitability while also mitigating risk. Many transactions today are logged in separate programs or documents, leading to increased risks of human error. The end-to-end online marketplace –once added to the DTN suite of solutions –will alleviate that risk and allow customers to make confident decisions that impact their bottom line.
“Our customers look to DTN to not only make sense of their data and deliver operational intelligence, but also to do so through innovative solutions that support complex decisions and give their business a competitive advantage,” said Marc Chesover, president of DTN. “Adding the OnlineFuels team and online trading platform to DTN solutions strengthens our ability to serve our customers around the world and solve a long-standing challenge of digitising their buying and selling transactions.”
Once integrated, DTN will be able to seamlessly connect the buyers and sellers of commodities worldwide through a robust online marketplace. In the future, the company plans to leverage the OnlineFuels technology and offer it to additional markets and industries.
“By joining the DTN team, we see a great opportunity to continue investing in our ability to support digital transformation within the refined fuels industry in Europe and, later, North America,” said James Stairmand. “Through the integration, we will match our solution with existing and future DTN platforms to give our customers the tools needed to confidently make decisions, mitigate risks and turn their operations into a competitive advantage.”
The combined offering, once available, will provide a cohesive view of operations and the technology necessary to facilitate end-to-end transactions. This acquisition furthers the DTN mission of empowering customers with intelligent and actionable insights that result in confident decisions and a competitive advantage.
The Leicestershire-based independent and family-owned distributor, now in its 60th year, has recently been approved for two prestigious accreditations following a project that was first implemented in late 2020. With the company being recognised for excellence in administration systems, having been assessed and approved to ISO 9001 standard, as well as being awarded the Fleet Operators Registration Scheme accreditation we spoke with managing director, David Prince.
Diversification is a constant theme of our industry currently as those involved in all aspects of fuel production and distribution find ways to keep pace with the evolving nature of fuel demand. Here we speak with Damian Fusco, owner of Bangor Fuels in Northern Ireland, to learn how the business has grown and diversified since he took the bold step to take it on 20 years ago.
It began with belief
Now a multi-faceted business, Bangor Fuels is where it all started, and where Damian clearly still feels the greatest sense of pride. Damian takes us back:
“Most local people will recall Rayker Fuels, a coal business. Well, I managed them from 1994 and, after a few years there, I saw an opportunity to buy the business.”
It turns out that ‘buying the business’ was a different arrangement to the way it would usually be understood. Damian didn’t have the ready cash to invest in the way he wanted to but he did have sufficient belief in the future of the business to propose a bolder arrangement.
“I offered the owners the opportunity to sell to me and for me to pay them back out of annual profits. Accepted, I took over in 2001, and so it began. I had just backed myself to make a success of it and be able to make a living as well as paying for the business!”
A lot of hard work followed over the next 12 months leading to two major developments. January 2002 saw the purchase of a first oil tanker and then the business moved to Gransha Stores later that same year.
The years that followed were about keeping his head down and building a reputation.
“There is no real secret to those years,” Damian admitted. “It was largely down to hard work, making sure that our service was second to none, and holding a keen price. I didn’t have a grand vision of where the business was going, and none at all of me being where I am now.”
An unspoken testimony to the personal graft that Damian has invested over the years is that his hands are black. They are, in fact, ‘permanently black’ due to the number of times he lay under lorries and vehicles until the early hours of the morning putting in new clutches or doing what was needed to keep the wheels moving.
“If it needed done I just did it myself, whatever it was.” A commitment well understood by other self-made businesses but, as Damian is first to acknowledge, family and friends were also a ‘massive support’.
Constant investment and growth
As the company has grown it has continually looked for ways to improve and diversify through investment. By 2007, a new home was needed, and 5 Balloo Way was purchased, which is where Bangor Fuels remains now.
With the rapid growth experienced under his ownership, we asked Damian to explain the principles the business was so successfully built on and he answers without hesitation:
“Quicker, cheaper and more reliable. That’s what I set out to be and how we’ve succeeded. Furthermore, we are now renowned for our respected ‘one price promise’ – irrespective of distance.”
This approach proved to be a successful growth strategy, very popular with customers and, having started in North Down and Ards, BT1 to BT9 and BT16 were soon incorporated, and in time, greater Belfast and beyond as Damian confirms:
“We now go to Antrim and Larne, as demand has pushed expansion.”
Diversification came naturally
Another driving force is the desire to add value to the local area and employ people who are willing and keen to work. Constantly regarding challenges as opportunities has led to natural diversification and the business became businesses, with Damian now proud owner of not only Bangor Fuels, but also Fusco Vehicle Sales, Maypole Garden Services, Maypole Construction Design & Build, Maypole Lawnmowers and, most recently, Wolseys Bar & Restaurant. All are now prosperous, well-known local brands important to the local area with Bangor Fuels employing 35 people and 85 employed in total across the companies.
When asked how these other businesses came about Damian explains:
“What do you do with drivers in the summer when orders are down? How do you keep seasonal factors at bay and keep paying people? Well, we put an ad in the Spectator and opened a gardening company!”
And this ability to create an opportunity from a challenge wasn’t a one-off.
“What happens when you build a fleet of vehicles that need replaced, and need repaired, and lawnmowers that need updated and fixed. Well, you get the drift.”
At each challenge the business has evolved and grown, and we wonder what other developments may be coming.
“The challenges of the future are not just operational, such as the fact that it is now much harder to get qualified tanker drivers, but also how far to expand and develop the business.” Damian replies thoughtfully.
“I’m not necessarily going to grow province-wide, but the business is expanding organically as new customers continue to come to us. And I’m still very passionate about Bangor. All my businesses are in Bangor and I try to support the local community where possible. It would have been easier and less rick to tick along as Bangor Fuels, but I’m keen to invest locally, which is why I’ve expanded into other local areas”.
It seems that Damian is not a man to rest on his laurels and our suspicions are confirmed when we ask about his out of work passions. Damian thinks for a while then admits: “When I’m not working, I’m in work”.
Given this passion for the business and the area we have no doubt there will be more developments to hear from Bangor Fuels soon and we will look forward to sharing them.
The hands may be black, but the future certainly doesn’t appear to be so.
As grass roots organisations and local charities struggle for funding during the pandemic, Oomph, Gulf Retails award-winning forecourt loyalty platform and the collective efforts of staff and customers at participating Gulf forecourts are providing a welcome boost to many across the UK.
Ford Fuels has invested in TouchStar’s mobile computing technologies in order to boost customer service and optimise deliveries.
The South West based fuel and lubricants distributor began its relationship with TouchStar after the company’s software provider, Fuelsoft, recommended the installation of TouchStar’s ‘Hawk’ units, which were then installed in six Ford Fuels vehicles.
As with any business operation, time is a critical resource. For Ford Fuels, the basing of several vehicles at terminals became problematic as employees needed to manually run paperwork between sites every day, including between two remote sites that were one-and-a-half hours away in opposite directions and this slow submission of paperwork throughout the operation soon became a key business challenge.
“Rather than being a mere inconvenience, it ended up being a real business problem. We felt that the TouchStar solution could make things slicker,” explained John Ford, director at Ford Fuels.
The TouchStar handheld solution negated the need to use valuable time and resource to travel to sites, offering a far superior streamlined solution which allows fleet drivers to print delivery notes on the spot. A customer’s signature is captured on screen for proof of delivery purposes, and a proof of delivery document is printed instantly.
Following the first roll out, the benefits and capabilities of the TouchStar system were evident. This led to Ford Fuels expanding handhelds into their fleet of vehicles based at terminals, which subsequently led to a further roll out of the technology in 45 – 50 vehicles based at their own offices.
The TouchStar technology has enabled Ford Fuels to be able to focus on customer service and continue to provide the seamless delivery of fuel within this service-based industry. Given this significant benefit, Ford Fuels is aiming to have TouchStar technology within its entire fuel fleet, comprising of 65 oil tankers by the end of 2021.
John Ford remarks: “We differentiate ourselves by moving vehicles to places where other people can’t. If someone needs fuel, they need fuel, and we’ll move heaven and earth to get it, and this just makes that process more efficient.
“I don’t get involved with TouchStar day-to-day, which shows that it works. It streamlines the office operation with the drivers and delivers them up-to-date information.”
The technical awareness and competency of staff, together with the quality and performance of the system is highly rated by Ford Fuels.
“TouchStar have always been a pleasure to deal with – the system works, the technology is what we need, and it has been tried and tested. We look forward to rolling out the technology to the rest of our fleet.”
One of the leading fuel distribution companies in Ireland, and parent company of Certas Energy, DCC, has agreed to buy Jones Oil for an undisclosed sum.
Trading in Ireland under the Emo brand, DCC’s Energy division notified the transaction to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) on Friday 30th April. Currently in the preliminary investigation phase, third party submissions can be made until May 18.
Jones Oil, founded in 1984 as Jones Distribution, is an entirely Irish-owned company, headquartered in Dublin. It supplies homeheating oil and commercial fuels to the agricultural, commercial, industrial and marine sectors from 15 depots in the East, Midlands and North-West of the country.
Pat Nevin, who has held the position of CEO of Jones Oil for over 20 years, was instrumental in restructuring the business as an oil distributorship. For years the company was one of the largest Esso distributors in Ireland and covered the Midlands and North of the Republic with Suttons (covering the South/South West) and Three Rivers (covering the South East). In 2007, Pat Nevin oversaw the acquisition of Three Rivers.
With a fleet of 45 tankers and 150 staff members, Jones Oil had Euro 138 million in turnover in 2019 – an increase of 13.5pc compared to 2018.
DCC, a diversified holdings company specialising in distribution and marketing, is one of the biggest Irish companies by value (£6.25bn) and is a member of the FTSE 100 index of large companies.
The company has spent £3.3bn on 280 bolt-on acquisitions in the last 26 years since the company floated on the stock market and two-thirds of its profit growth comes from its mergers and acquisitions activity. Fuel distribution accounts for three quarters of DCC’s profits, with the remainder coming from healthcare and technology divisions.
Ben is excited to announce that Ben Ball is back this year and will be held at the iconic venue, the Roundhouse in Camden, London, on 8th December.
Watson Fuels has recently announced that customers can now purchase Carbon Offset Fuel from the company. A proportion of the price paid for fuel will go towards projects that compensate for the carbon impact of the fuel being used.
The company has stated that it only purchases carbon offsets from projects that have been independently verified against international standards, providing a robust methodology and registry process that ensures emission reductions are real, additional, permanent and unique.
The offsets are currently being procured from a range of solar and wind projects across India through Watson Fuels’ sister company World Kinect Energy Services, with all projects meeting the Gold Standard or Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). The offsets represent reduction happening in the last five years and support UN Sustainable Development goals 7 and 13.
As part of the combustion process, all liquid fuels release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. CO2E (CO2 equivalent) is a metric used to convert the net impact of these gases into an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential. All liquid fuels have a CO2E conversion factor. Buying fuel from Watson Fuels means that a proportion of the price paid for fuel goes towards projects that compensate for the carbon impact of the fuel used.
“We were pleased to launch our Carbon Offset Fuel offering to customers this April,” comments Ian Probert, marketing director. “We’ve been fortunate to be able to leverage the expertise, scale and buying power of our colleagues at World Kinect Energy Services, who have decades of experience in both the carbon markets and the sustainability space.”
Any distributors looking to purchase carbon offsets through World Fuel Services, are invited to call the wholesale fuel desk on 0207 808 5137.
In our April ‘branding and marketing’ print issue, we considered how companies in the sector have adapted and evolved their communication styles and branding in response to market developments, the energy transition and, more recently, Covid-19. Here, Mark Todd, wholesale business manager for Phillips 66 Limited, speaks in depth with content editor Stephanie Samuel about the brand position and values of Phillips 66 and JET and explains how, for them, with clear communication being more important than ever, consistency is key.
The supplier of choice
Phillips 66 continues to reinforce its retail position in the UK with its new JET branding being rolled out across its 300+ sites nationwide and the hugely popular ‘Keep On Moving’ TV campaign due to be back on our screens at the end of May.
As the industry continues to diversify many retail sites are following suit and reinventing themselves beyond the traditional fuels offering. The recent reopening of JET’s New North Road station in Ilford is a prime example of a forecourt and retail transformation.
Owned and managed by Janu Patel for the past 20 years, the ambitious makeover has been driven by Kayur, Janu’s son – who has joined his father in running the business.
The new-look forecourt demands attention with JETs iconic colour palette of yellow, blue and grey. The canopy, complete with a silver-grey fascia, includes distinctive yellow LED lighting that as well as improving visibility also facilitates greater levels of safety. Every element of the new branding has been designed to be welcoming and friendly – to deliver a first-rate forecourt experience.
“This transformation is extremely impressive,” says Chris Murphy, retail account manager, Phillips 66 Limited “and it’s testament to Janu and Kayur’s belief in the business and their ambitions for its future. At JET we have enjoyed a 20-year partnership with New North Road that continues to go from strength to strength and we couldn’t be happier that the new-look forecourt has been received so positively.”
Commenting on the makeover Kayur Patel says: “My father has been serving the community for the past 20 years – and this investment in the business is a big commitment for us as a family. I was recently asked for any significant stand-out moments in the last 20 years and this is it, 2021 is the standout year. We have a great relationship with JET and the new branding is fresh and modern – and really stands out. We look forward to 20 more years”.
A significant safety milestone at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex has seen a £3,000 donation made to Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) charity, Families United (Warrington).
This spring sees OTS Group Ltd celebrating its 50th anniversary and, from humble beginnings in 1971 in a farm cowshed to becoming a leader in the fuel industry, the company has never lost sight of its values.
Essar Oil UK is pleased to announce the further strengthening of its executive leadership team with the appointment of Mark Pennifold as chief people officer.
Greenergy has completed the acquisition of Amber Petroleum (‘Amber’), an independent fuel retailer and distributor based in the Republic of Ireland. The completion of this transaction gives Greenergy a growing presence in Ireland where it currently markets through Inver Energy.
Christian Flach, Greenergy CEO said:
“This transaction is a key part of our growth strategy in our key markets and it will allow us to continue to expand our integrated platform in Ireland, building on our existing infrastructure, supply and retail operations. I look forward to welcoming the Amber team to Greenergy.”
Amber’s existing management team and staff will remain in place.
A significant safety milestone reached at Essar Stanlow has seen a £3,000 donation made to The Alzheimer’s Society. The award recognises the recent achievement of reaching one million hours without a recordable injury at the Ellesmere Port site. The funds were raised through Essar’s ‘Let’s Give’ scheme, which links the company’s commitment to safety directly with charitable giving. Essar employees and business partners nominate a chosen charity as safety milestones are met.
Ulceby Truckstop in Immingham is the latest addition to Mabanaft’s growing portfolio of UK truckstops. Another top-tier site, Ulceby, was selected for its strategic location just outside Immingham docks.
Europump Maintenance Ltd has extended its partnership with global fuel and lubricant dispensing solutions company Hytek by becoming an approved verifier for its fuelling equipment.
The inclusion of the Hytek products in the Section 11A certificate issued by The Office for Product Safety and Standards means that Europump Maintenance Ltd has authority to carry out initial verification and in -service verification on the Pumptronics Alpha and C Series range of fuel dispensers.
“This is a great move for all parties concerned as it means our engineers can commission and verify the dispensers during the same visit, undertake any in service reverification following repairs, providing a cost effective solution to the customer ” explained Martyn Gent, Business Development Manager at Europump Maintenance Ltd.
Europump Maintenance Ltd has also welcomed the news that Hytek has purchased OLE Gauges.
OLE provides a wide range of high accuracy tank gauge equipment for the aviation, commercial fuel, petro-chemical, and road transport sectors.
“This is good news for us as it gives us easier access to the products,” Martyn Gent commented. “OLE gauges are renowned for their quality and accuracy – two things that are vital in our industry. Their accuracy is second to none and they come with ATEX approval.”