Market & Supply 40
Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers would like to draw the attention of fuel oil distributors to the Debt Pre-Action Protocol which comes into force on 1st October 2017.
This Protocol describes the conduct the court will normally expect from involved parties prior to the start of proceedings and includes a template Information Sheet and Reply Form to be provided to debtors in all cases.
The Protocol’s introduction means that you (or your legal representatives or collection agents) must make changes to the pre-action work conducted against individuals and sole traders prior to legal action.
The Millbook Way site in Preston – ‘It is also fantastic to be working with Gavin and Peter Valentine, two very experienced petrol retailers who are long term fans of Gulf, as they look to expand and grow their Petromex business with us,’ said Ramsay MacDonald
Certas Energy has reached agreement with Preston-based Petromex Forecourt Services that will see 13 million litres of retail volume moving to Gulf from Texaco, starting in the next two months.
Two of the sites, Millbrook Way in Preston and Canal Head in Ulverston have been acquired by Certas Energy with a third, Harwood Bar, also in Preston, secured on a long-term dealer supply agreement. The deal strengthens Gulf’s growing market share in north west England and further reinforces the brand’s credentials as a major force in UK petrol retailing.
“These are high quality forecourts and exciting strategic locations that will enable us to showcase the Gulf brand in the North West,” enthused retail director Ramsay MacDonald.
“We believe that under the Gulf brand we can increase volume by at least another three million litres as well as develop and enhance the shop and valeting businesses on site. The sites will look fantastic in Gulf colours and support our growth plans for the region.”
“We hope that any dealer looking to move from their current supplier to future-proof their business will see this investment as further evidence of our commitment to the sector and provide the confidence for them to trust us with their business. Dealers can be assured that development of our dealer offering and the Gulf brand proposition is ongoing to drive new business to Gulf sites and boost retailer margins. We’re also interested in acquiring further sites across the country and our team are ready to progress any interest from Independents and Groups keen to sell or lease their forecourts.”
Certas Energy currently supplies over 700 locations across the UK, including around 500 Gulf-branded forecourts. This latest acquisition signals a major step change as the existing portfolio of sites run by Certas forecourt staff are all located in Scotland.
“Year on year we have been growing our business across the UK and this presented a perfect opportunity to create three flagship Gulf forecourts in the north of England,” added Ramsay.
“We plan to implement changes in the next few months to enhance all three sites in what will be largest single investment in COCO (company-owned, company-operated sites) to date for Certas Energy and its parent, DCC.”www.certasenergy.co.uk
The GeniePoint Network already stretches the length of the country from Carlisle to Falmouth, with GeniePoints across London, Hampshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, and a growing number in between
ChargePoint Services and Motor Fuel Group (MFG) have signed a partnership deal for the roll-out of forecourt electric vehicle charging (EVC) across their UK network.
The proposed roll-out is the first of its kind in the electric vehicle charging market. With 413 stations MFG is the second largest independent forecourt operator in the UK, the company will host the 50kW plus rapid chargers at their sites nationwide which operate under the BP, Shell, Texaco, JET and Murco fuel brands.
“We’re delighted to be extending our fuel offer to customers,” said Jeremy Clarke, MFG’s chief operating office.
“The growth of the electric and hybrid vehicle market is an important part of the fuel mix going forward. MFG is determined to be at the forefront of this technology, satisfying this growing demand.”
The chargers will become part of ChargePoint Services existing GeniePoint Network, run and managed by its GeniePoint Platform.
“Electric Vehicle Charging is now a critical public service,” said Alex Bamberg, managing director, ChargePoint Services.
“ChargePoint Services’ GeniePoint Network is the most robust, reliable rapid charging network in the UK, its high level of functionality enables continuous monitoring of all the chargers on the network to ensure maximum uptime for drivers.
“We’re on target to provide the most reliable, widespread rapid charging facilities across the UK for drivers of electric vehicles, backed up by our excellent, continuous customer care program.”www.chargepointservices.co.ukwww.motorfuelgroup.com
Oil NRG – now open for business across East Anglia
Independently-owned Oil NRG, which already has a major presence in rural areas from County Durham down to Lincolnshire, has opened a new depot near Thetford.
“The new depot will allow us to extend our independent fuel distribution from north Lincolnshire down through Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and in to Essex.” explained Oil NRG’s sales director, Jeremy Royle.
From its Hartlepool base on Teesside, Oil NRG also runs depots near Newcastle and York servicing customers throughout County Durham, Humberside, Tyneside, Teesside and Yorkshire and into Lincolnshire.
“With our new added presence in East Anglia, Oil NRG is the only independently-owned fuel distribution business to have a presence in the whole of the east and north of England, from the Thames to the Tweed,” added Jeremy.
Incorporated in 2007, Oil NRG is now run by managing director Roger Peart, ex-owner of third generation F Peart & Co; established in 1930, the company ran for 80 years prior to its sale in 2010.
“We’re delighted that we can continue to provide a higher level of service to our regional customers,” said Roger Peart.
“And the additional volume will mean we’re more than able to match the buying power of our larger national competitors.”
Oil NRG was recently recognised as one of UK’s most inspiring firms in a high-profile list from the London Stock Exchange Group.
“We’re delighted to have been recognised in this year’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain report,” said Jeremy.
“This is a significant achievement with Oil NRG being the only oil distributor to be included. This is testament to the outstanding hard work, experience and professionalism of our whole team which provides great services to our customers. We are now looking forward to the opportunity to deliver the same across East Anglia.”
Having grown ‘significantly and consistently’, the company continues to invest in customer service, communications, vehicles, fleet technology and personnel. www.oilnrg.co.uk
BoilerJuice, which is backed by mid-market private equity firm Livingbridge, has announced the appointment of Lee Cowles as chief executive officer.
Lee, who was previously CEO at Nutmeg, the UK-based online discretionary wealth manager, said:
“It’s incredible to be joining BoilerJuice at a time when they’re on the cusp of unleashing their digital potential. This is a business with a strong track record within the digital space, and I look forward to driving this further.”
Up for an ecommerce award, Fuel Fighter has seen a 69.92% increase in conversion
Work on Fuel Fighter has secured a place on the Ecommerce Awards for Excellence shortlist for ecommerce agency Nublue.
The Lancaster-based ecommerce agency is on the shortlist for Best B2B Ecommerce for its work for heating oil suppliers Allan Stobart Fuels & Lubricants, Chandlers Oil, AID Fuel Oils Group and WCF North West and North East.
The project required an improved online experience for both the company’s users and the business itself. The team at Nublue were tasked with updating the company brand, user experience, ease of use for mobile visitors as well as developing a better, more functional back end experience for those maintaining the website.
The project was completed using CakePHP and resulted in a 69.92% increase in ecommerce conversion for Fuel Fighter.
Nublue is also a finalist in the Best Leisure, Entertainment, Sport, Travel & Holidays Ecommerce category, for their work on a conversion focused website for football suppliers Clubline Football which allows users to visualise the personalisation of products before purchase. The resulting website has seen a 63.58% increase in conversion.
“We’re always delighted to see a completed project working so well for our clients, so to add an industry recognition for that hard work is the icing on the cake,” said , Michael Ashworth, Nublue’s managing director.
The Ecommerce Awards for Excellence winners will be announced at a celebration ceremony on Wednesday 27 September following the first day of eCommerce Expo 2017 in London.www.fuelfighter.co.ukwww.nublue.co.uk
Working in partnership with RoadKing, Certas Energy will shortly open a new 24hr HGV refuelling facility at the New Hollies Truckstop in Cannock.
Due to open by the end of August, the site, located on the A5 just off junction 12 of the M6, will allow up to 4 HGVs to refuel simultaneously. Equipped with high speed pumps combined with advanced data collection, fuel monitoring equipment and filtration systems, the bunker site will add convenience for current Truckstop users as there will be no need for drivers to divert off route to refuel.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Certas Energy and we’re really pleased to be working with RoadKing on this development,” said Andrew Goodwin, national bunker manager at Certas Energy.
“In line with our strategy to develop a national network of refuelling locations, this is another major milestone in reaching our goal. We’re pleased with the partnership that we have built with RoadKing and look forward to this continuing in the future”.
“Over many years drivers have often commented about how convenient a fuel service would be at Cannock, especially since our recent £1.5mil investment in increasing capacity and improving parking area,” added Nicholas Whatmore, director for RoadKing.
“So we’re delighted to be launching a fuel facility in partnership with Certas Energy, In planning for a fuel facility, it was important for us to work with the right partner, ensuring our customers get the best service along with most fuel card options, and we believe this all modern facility will be of great benefit and convenience to our customers, existing and new.”
The Hollies is the oldest truck stop in the UK serving hot food 24 hours a day except for Saturday evenings. Opening at 6am on a Sunday, it serves continually until Saturday evening.
www.certasenergy.co.uk
www.rktruckstops.co.uk
Representatives of the charity attended the celebration at Stanlow, to raise awareness amongst employees and to formally receive the donation
The sixth anniversary of the acquisition of Stanlow Refinery by Essar Oil UK has been recognised with a £7,500 donation from the company to the Ellesmere Port-based charity Cheshire Young Carers.
Employees also supported the organisation by raising an additional £1,800 through collections, a sum that will be matched by Essar and brings the total contribution to over £11,000.
Cheshire Young Carers provides respite support for some of the 8,000 young carers in Cheshire who have a caring responsibility for a parent or sibling. The core aims of the charity are to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of young carers by offering respite services to support them in their caring role, to support them through education and to support them through periods of crisis.
“The money that Essar has given us will make a huge difference to young carers in Cheshire,” said Martin Howlett, chairman of Cheshire Young Carers.
“To put it into perspective, the donation will directly support 30 young carers for twelve months. This will support a variety of programmes, including residential breaks, and sports and educational activities.”
Alan Jones, Service Manager at Cheshire Young Carers commented: “We aim to bring childhood opportunities to young carers, so that they can have a break from the caring responsibility, putting their stresses to one side while they socialise with others. As well as this, we are always here to talk to if they need some emotional support.”
“Every year, we invite a local charity to be our special guests at Stanlow,” commented Mr. S Thangapandian, CEO Essar Oil UK.
“Cheshire Young Carers are based close to the refinery in Ellesmere Port, and offer an excellent service to young carers across Cheshire. It was our pleasure to welcome them for our Charity Day, and I’m delighted that our donation and the fantastic fundraising efforts of our employees will help support the work they do.”www.essaroil.co.uk
Mabanaft’s 2017 customer survey has just been completed and yet again the company is delighted with the results. They said that survey was well received and feedback has been both very positive and enlightening.
Between early 2019 and the end of 2020, cities across the UK will start levying prohibitively high charges on older HGVs and vans, for air quality reasons. This autumn’s FTA Transport Manager conferences will be briefing on this topic.
The Freight Transport Association aims to have the latest information about what will happen where, which vehicles will be affected, and how best to plan now to ensure the business impact is minimised.
The government has named 32 local authorities across England that have to take further action on air quality, but it is a complicated picture as to which of these will result in a charging zone affecting commercial vehicles. The session will set out FTA’s insight as to where and when charges can be expected. It will also brief on the effects of the London Direct Vision Standard, which could see more than half the +12 tonne HGVs that currently visit London banned completely in 2020.
“Over the next three years a series of blanket restrictions will come into force in UK cities for HGVs and vans,” said FTA’s head of national & regional policy, Christopher Snelling,
“With retrofitting of existing vehicles unlikely to be an option for most operators, transport managers need to be prepared for what is ahead, so the procurement of future fleets can be planned.”
Headline sponsor, Iveco, will give a vehicle manufacturer’s perspective on the subject. Iveco’s alternative fuel director, Martin Flach, will provide an update on alternative fuel vehicles and the demands for Euro VI trucks in order to meet the government’s proposed requirements.
Over 1200 delegates attended last year’s events; this year five new venues have been chosen to enable more delegates to be accommodated.
For a full list of dates and venues or to book a place visit http://www.ftatransportmanager.co.uk or call 03717 11 22 22.
The cost for FTA members is £295 plus VAT for the first delegate and £265 plus VAT for subsequent delegates; for non-FTA members £395 plus VAT for the first delegate and £365 plus VAT for subsequent delegates.
This year’s Road Safety Week has the theme of Speed Down Save Lives. Co-ordinated annually by Brake, the road safety charity, it is the UK’s biggest road safety event.
Named as the winner of the Fleet Safety Trophy in the RoSPA Health & Safety Awards 2017, Phillips 66 was also highly commended in the Oil & Gas Industry Sector award and received the Fleet Safety Gold award.
The Inver Energy acquisition fulfils ‘a long-term ambition of Greenergy to participate in the Irish market’ with the acquisition offering ‘a very exciting opportunity for everyone at Inver’
Having agreed to purchase 100% of the shares of Inver Energy, Greenergy is looking forward to a presence in the growing Irish market for the first time.
Inver’s business activities include import and storage facilities and fuel supply operations in Ireland, as well as an Irish retail dealer network operating under the growing Inver brand. Inver’s existing management team will remain in place and Chris O’Callaghan, Inver’s managing director, will join the board of Greenergy Fuels Holdings.
“It’s been a long-term ambition of Greenergy to participate in the Irish market,” said Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive.
“As entrepreneur-founded private businesses, Greenergy and Inver are a perfect structural and cultural fit to fulfil this ambition. Both are customer-focused, can-do businesses with an emphasis on safety, operational reliability and low costs.
“By combining Greenergy’s global origination skills with Inver’s share of the recently constructed AFSC terminal in Ireland, its branded retail dealer offer and strong local customer relationships, we aim to accelerate the expansion of Inver’s business in Ireland.”
“The acquisition by Greenergy is a very exciting opportunity for everyone at Inver,” said Chris O’Callaghan.
“While we’re now part of a significantly larger business, we will continue to think and act ‘local’ and will maintain our commitment to our customers and their businesses. I look forward to steering the business through its next stage of development.”
Inver Energy is a leading fuel supplier in Ireland, supplying petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and heating oil to commercial and retail customers. Inver has a 50% shareholding in the AFSC import and storage facilities at Foynes, a strategic location on the west coast, and supplies independently owned forecourts through the Inver brand. It also owns a terminal in Cardiff, a portion of which is leased to Greenergy.
East Cork Oil Company continues as the other 50% partner in the AFSC import terminal in Foynes.www.inverenergy.comwww.greenergy.com
The new agreement with Etihad Airways is the latest development in Essar Oil UK’s strategy of downstream integration, which has also seen a successful entry into the UK fuel retail market with the opening of 33 Essar branded service stations to date
Earlier this month Essar Oil (UK) confirmed a new agreement with Etihad Airways for the direct supply of aviation fuel at Manchester Airport; supply commenced on Saturday 1st July.
This deal strengthens Essar’s aviation proposition in the UK, with the company now having direct jet fuel supply agreements in place with major airlines operating out of Manchester, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford airports.
Essar Stanlow produces 16% of the UK’s road transport fuel demand and manufactures over two billion litres of jet fuel each year, playing a key role in the country’s aviation industry.
“This is another significant step in realising our objective of value chain integration by combining our refinery supply strength with our marketing capabilities in the aviation sector,” said chief executive officer S. Thangapandian.
Essar currently supplies, on a wholesale basis, a significant proportion of Manchester Airport as well as Liverpool John Lennon and other regional airports’ jet fuel demand.
“This deal firmly demonstrates our commitment to achieve further growth in the aviation sector in support of our airline partners,” added S B Prasad, chief commercial officer.
Phillips 66 has invested in DTN TABS® at its core terminal locations. DTN TABS is a live online product allocation system that provides suppliers, like Phillips 66, with real-time credit and product allocation management capabilities.
Customers also have access to their account details in DTN TABS. This shared portal improves communication between the parties and enables more effective and efficient customer transport scheduling.
“A lack of up-to-date information or inflexible systems can potentially lead to customers incurring higher costs associated with extended waiting times at terminals, wasted trips, more administration from frequent phone calls to terminals and confusion around product allocations or available credit,” explained wholesale business manager, Mark Todd.
“To address these issues and give our customers the information needed to put them in control, we introduced the DTN TABS system at our core UK terminals a few years ago.”
DTN TABS uses a handy traffic light system, enabling Phillips 66 customers to clearly see what product is available. The system is updated within minutes once drivers lift product from Phillips 66 terminals so the data held is accurate and this live feed clearly shows what is available at any given time.
The FPS team celebrating their success earlier this month
FPS EXPO took the title of Exhibition of the Year at the Trade Association Forum 2017 Best Practice Awards which took place in London on 12th July.
Now in their fifteenth year, the Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards provide members with the opportunity to showcase their hard work and achievements during the last 12 to 18 months.
Recognised as a key date in the fuel distribution calendar, FPS EXPO, which is now in its 37th year, has taken place at Exhibition Centre Liverpool in the past two years where it will return on 18–19th April 2018.
“This was our first year of entering the awards and it was such a great honour to win,” said Dawn Shakespeare, marketing manager at the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS).
“It’s testament to all the hard work the small team here at the FPS has put in to make FPS EXPO the exhibition it is today.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all FPS members and to all FPS EXPO sponsors and exhibitors, many of whom have been sponsoring and exhibiting with us for more than 10 years.”
“FPS Expo is a fantastic industry exhibition,” added Linda Cavender, chief executive of the Trade Association Forum.
“The exhibition is hugely successful and achieved some amazing results. This is all the more impressive given the very small team responsible, and FPS well deserve their win.”www.fpsshow.co.uk
XPO teams have provided crucial behind-the-scenes support for the ASO organising team of the Tour de France since 1981
XPO Logistics, which occupies the number four slot in the latest Fuel Oil News top 10 fuel logistics companies, recently acted as the official transport partner to the 104th Tour de France.
Preparation for the world-famous bicycle race, which departed from Dusseldorf on 1st July, finishing on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on 23rd July, took five months to complete, involving a team of experts dedicated to ensuring that all 21 stages of the race ran smoothly.
XPO was responsible for transporting materials required for all stages of the race, including barriers, podiums and gates, as well as furniture for the villages, sound and video equipment, and merchandise for sponsors.
Forty-six trucks and 55 drivers were assigned to travel with the event. They covered over 270,000 kilometers and carried 360 tonnes of equipment, including the paint to mark the course and finish line.“The Tour de France is always an exciting challenge for us,” said Troy Cooper, XPO Logistics chief executive officer in Europe.
“We’re proud to serve in this key role as transport and logistics provider. We have nearly four decades of experience helping the organisers stage this great event and supporting the athletes in giving their best.”www.xpologistics.com
Systal Technology Systems is now helping to streamline the delivery of billions of litres of fuel at Certas Energy
Systal Technology Solutions has been selected to provide a network monitoring service to ensure Certas Energy’s 1000 strong tanker fleet can service the growing demand for 24/7 service.
Systal is responsible for monitoring Certas Energy’s on truck computer infrastructure. Multiple checks are undertaken by Systal to manage service status and to ensure that any failures are managed through to resolution.
Certas Energy required a partner with the capability to deliver the network monitoring service out of hours. Systal’s UK-based network operations centre operates 24×365 and is run by 2nd and 3rd line engineers managed by a network operational manager and an ITIL service director. Like all Systal’s customers, Certas Energy has a dedicated account manager.
“From kick-off to go-live we were delighted with the service we received from Systal,” said Paul Leonard, head of IT operations.
“Now the service is live, our team can focus on adding value rather than monitoring services.”www.certasenergy.co.uk
Starting in August the new roadside checks, which aim to improve air quality in towns and cities, will target those who try to cheat the law.
In this major government crackdown, truck drivers and operators who try to cheat vehicle emissions could be taken off Britain’s roads.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking tough action after the government consulted on a draft plan to improve air quality across the UK.
Councils are responsible for improving their area’s air quality – but under the government’s plan they will be expected to develop new solutions to reduce emissions quickly, while avoiding undue impact on the motorist.
The crackdown follows emerging evidence, including from DVSA enforcement staff, that unscrupulous drivers and operators are using cheat devices to cut the cost of operating.
‘XPO will help to ensure our customers receive the vital safety equipment they need to run their operations,’ said Neil Griffiths, divisional director, logistics
XPO Logistics has been awarded a national distribution contract by Arco, supplier of safety equipment, workwear, gloves and maintenance supplies to several industries including oil and gas.
Arco has been growing rapidly and recently invested £4 million in its 27,000 square metre national distribution centre in Hull, where the company is based. XPO will manage the movement of up to 60,000 pallets a year for Arco from Hull to 11 strategically placed regional hubs and onwards to customers through its own distribution network.
“The scale of XPO enables us to be flexible across the UK, while their technological know-how provides invaluable on-site scanning, consignment management and tracking, direct order entry and resource optimisation tools,” said Arco’s Neil Griffiths, divisional director, logistics.
“As we continue to grow, we know that XPO will be there with us, helping to ensure our customers receive the vital safety equipment they need to run their operations.”
“Our distribution solutions for Arco will help them shape their growth ambitions and deliver superior customer service,” added Arron Kendall, commercial director, XPO Logistics.
“We are proud to support them in achieving both objectives. Our fully integrated shared user network and extensive experience add significant value in the form of enhanced productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness.”www.xpo.comwww.arco.co.uk
Award success for Essar Stanlow – ‘demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record,’ says Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events
The commitment to occupational health and safety at Essar Oil UK’s Stanlow manufacturing complex has been recognised in the 2017 awards given by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in its centenary year.
With 21 consecutive golds the refinery has achieved the Order of Distinction award in the prestigious annual scheme run by the national charity.
“Health and safety is a key priority for everyone at Stanlow,” said chief executive officer Mr S Thangapandian.
“We’re delighted to have received this prestigious award, demonstrating external recognition of our outstanding performance.”
Essar will be presented with the award during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel next month. The award was achieved during a special year for family-safety charity RoSPA, as it celebrates its centenary
“This is a special year in the history of RoSPA, and we congratulate all of our winners in this, our centenary year,” said Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events.
“The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world. Winning an award demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.”www.rospa.comwww.essaroil.co.uk