News 47
Last Thursday CNG Fuels announced that it had commenced the construction of two new public access renewable biomethane compressed natural gas (Bio-CNG) refuelling stations ‘to cater for soaring demand from HGV operators switching from diesel’.
Award success for OnlineFuels – for more details of recent developments to the OnlineFuels platform, see the June 2019 issue of Fuel Oil News
Having been nominated for Tech Company of the Year and Reseller of the Year, OnlineFuels recently attended the National Technology Awards in London. The company, which faced stiff competition from big names such as Xero and DataRails, was delighted to take home the trophy for Tech Company of the Year.
“We are all still in shock at our first award especially being up there with other winners including Sky, BY, and V by Vodafone,” ‘said James Stairmand, founder and CEO of OnlineFuels.
“We’re still a relatively small team so to achieve an award such as this is an unbeatable feeling. It’s been a stressful few months as we prepared for everything which seemed to have the same deadline – this award is not only testament to the team’s efforts but also to our clients who have supported us.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks to everyone who has used the OnlineFuels platform. Your feedback as to how the platform looks and works, and of course where it didn’t work, has enabled us to create a product that has been acknowledged for its uniqueness and problem-solving capabilities.
“The vision has always been to build a product that encaptures the time-consuming tasks of buying and selling refined fuels, and to create a digital solution that dramatically streamlines the experience.”
OFTEC has launched a competition to help share the importance of energy efficiency with school children across Northern Ireland, with school pupils in Primary 5 being invited to join OFTEC Energy Enterprise. (Closing date 14th June).
After 30 years in business, UK RTI is proud to still offer the first-class service for which it is well-recognised. Still family-run the business, which started life as Williams Tankers, was founded in 1989 by Bruce Williams.
The industry’s key trade associations – the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) and OFTEC – were quick to respond to the Net Zero report published by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).
SulNOx, the hydrocarbon fuel emulsification specialist, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Technology Licence Agreement with Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Speciality Chemicals).
“We are delighted to have joined forces with Nouryon and look forward to working together to provide more environmentally conscious solutions to the market,” commented Gary Bostock, CEO and co-founder of SulNOx
The agreement concerns technology developed by SulNOx that will be added to Nouryon’s portfolio as Berol® 6446 and Berol® 6430, which have been developed by SulNOx and are designed to emulsify hydrocarbon fuels to ensure more efficient combustion resulting in reduced harmful gases, particulate matter and other air pollutants. These unique chemical formulations have been tested and are shown to reduce maintenance costs on engines, extend the life of engine oil and lower the viscosity of heavy fuel oil (HFO).
Nouryon is a global specialty chemicals leader that provides essential chemistry to industries worldwide, including power generation and transportation. The Berol product range is well established with a pedigree stretching back many years. SulNOx technology will be added to this trusted range and will benefit from Nouryon’s huge worldwide manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
“Our main focus in the market is helping customers formulate fuels and lubricants that meet next-generation legislation and OEM requirements,” added AB Ghosh, managing director surface chemistry at Nouryon.
“By forming strategic partnerships and working collaboratively we’re able to deliver on this even faster.”
Central to the agreement is that SulNOx has been appointed as the exclusive agent to promote and solicit orders for the licensed products, Berol® 6446 and Berol® 6430 on behalf of Nouryon worldwide. This will be driven by an in-house team of experienced sales and marketing specialists who already report substantial interest in the power generation, shipping, transport and fuel delivery sectors.
Gleaner, which recently changed its name from Gleaner Oils, to represent the company’s ongoing development and diversification, supplies fuels to some of the most scenic locations in the UK – pictured here at Loch Tuath
Founded by Robin Young on 24th April 1954, Gleaner recently celebrated its 65th anniversary.
Robin’s granddaughter Jane Scott and her husband Stephen now own this family business which has seen considerable expansion over the years.
Now the owner of 13 service stations and 11 depots, the company also supplies many filling stations under contract.
Headquarter in Elgin, Gleaner’s supply offering includes lubricants, bulk fuel products for agriculture, domestic, industrial and marine oil, petrol, diesel and LPG, AdBlue and boiler maintenance services.
Fuel Oil News sends congratulations to the company and its 200 employees.
Research from diesel fuel supplier, Speedy Fuels, shows that following 10 weeks of week-on-week price rises, taking the countries which track prices, the UK is the ninth most expensive country when it comes to buying diesel.
As part of a wider corporate rebranding and repositioning strategy, Oil Tank Supplies Ltd announced its name change to OTS Group Ltd in late April.
Following the acquisition of Tour Racing Ltd from Sky and 21st Century Fox, INEOS has committed to honouring all existing commitments to riders, staff and partners.
In a move to support continued growth in the south west of England, NWF Fuels has acquired Redruth-based Consols Oils, a 25 million litre fuel Cornish business.
Transport and business sectors are the UK’s largest/third largest contributors of greenhouse gases according to the most recent data in the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s 2017 UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions report writes Crown Oil’s Pana Markides.
In that year, which saw 460.2 million tonnes of CO2 emitted, business and transport were among the slowest sectors to reduce their carbon footprint. Transport showed no reduction in greenhouse gasses whilst the business sector registered a 2% CO2 decrease.
“We live in a world where we need to balance the industrial possibilities that hydrocarbon fuels offer, whilst also recognising that we only have this one planet to live on,” remarked Matt Greensmith, managing director of Crown Oil, a company which has ‘a dedicated research & development team working hard to come up with more efficient fuels for its customers’.
“The benefit of this is two-fold: more efficient fuels are cost-effective and deliver better value for money, but the main benefit is lower CO2 emissions.
“Most businesses use red diesel or kerosene for heating and power generation requirements, while road transport relies on regular diesel to fuel its fleets. However, many operators are unaware that more efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives to diesel and kerosene are available, with these alternatives often being fully interchangeable.
“Businesses which rely on fuel should consider alternatives to heating oils, such as carbon offset red diesel; biofuel; clean-burning kerosene; industrial heating oil (IHO) – when 20% of our customers made the switch to IHO in 2018, they haven’t looked back, showing there are benefits to be reaped. And, for trucks that have been retrofitted, biodiesel is a renewable alternative to regular diesel
“There’s no room for complacency – any avenue for creating a cleaner planet must be explored. At Crown Oil we want to be at the forefront of creating our greener planet,” added Matt.
Earlier this month Crewe-based Radius Payment Solutions – the group behind the telematics and fuel card brands Kinesis and UK Fuels – acquired Plant-i, the Welsh-based provider of tracking and telemetry solutions to the plant and construction sectors.
Last week Certas Energy opened a new bunker refuelling site at the ‘fechan Truckstop (Eardley International) in Scotland. Earlier this month the company held a ground-breaking ceremony for another new HGV bunker site in the heart of the Golden Triangle of logistics in Northamptonshire.
Suttons Tankers has agreed a deal to acquire DHL Supply Chain’s domestic bulk commodity chemical business. The acquisition predominantly covers chemical transportation from sites in Billingham, County Durham and Runcorn, Merseyside.
OFTEC is encouraging households in Ireland to spring into action this National Home Improvement Month. With 4 in 10 Irish households using oil as their main heating source, homeowners are being urged to ‘spring clean’ their heating system to avoid missing out on potential savings to their fuel bills.
National Home Improvement Month calls for homeowners to love the home they live in. Recognising that the internal workings of your house help to make it a home, OFTEC has produced a ‘spring cleaning’ guide which outlines the key home heating improvements to make:
Wincanton has renewed its contract to provide fuel distribution for Valero Energy. The new deal will run for five years, which will take the working relationship between the companies to beyond 25 years.
Speaking about its submission to the Republic of Ireland’s National Energy and Climate Change Plan (NECP) 2021-2030, FPS Irish representative Nick Hayes said:
“Whilst the government’s plan is ultimately good news for everyone committed to cutting carbon in Ireland, our members currently deliver heating oil to 686,000 households, mainly in rural and off-grid locations where a great deal of consideration must be given to the impact that current proposed measures will have on those areas.
Earlier this month the UK’s logistics industry reminded politicians that a No Deal Brexit would break the prime minister’s promise – made in January 2017 – to keep trade as frictionless as possible.
“For the past two years, the logistics industry has been warning of the potential disruption and damage of a No Deal Brexit,” said James Hookham, FTA’s deputy chief executive.
“This could include short-term gridlock at ferry ports if customs’ processes and checks are not implemented smoothly, shortages of perishable foods and medicines, restrictions in the labour market caused by a shortage of workers as they return to the EU, and severe delays for imports and exports which would hinder the UK’s manufacturing and retail sectors.”
In the letter to the prime minister here, the signatories concluded by saying:
“Please be under no illusion that a rushed No Deal will halt Britain’s supply chains, and that will have an immediate and lasting impact on the UK economy.”
Craggs Environmental has purchased the Warrington-based fuel systems division of Clovemead. The acquisition, which sees the transfer of key personal and equipment, further enhances the ability of Craggs Environmental to provide UK-wide fuel & tank services to businesses, residences and public sector organisations storing red/white diesel, kerosene and other fuels.
Next month Gulf Retail will be rolling-out out Oomph across its UK network. This brand-new forecourt loyalty platform utilises the latest technology to drive new revenues to its dealers and enable them to strengthen customer retention.
Working in partnership with Azpiral, the market leader in customer engagement solutions for the forecourt and convenience sector, this major new initiative allows Gulf dealers to talk to their customers and tailor offers to specific groups via SMS, email and a dedicated phone app to boost in-store profits and strengthen community ties.
A first for the forecourt sector, Oomph will roll-out in April to dealers across the country and will be deployed across the Gempay network. The Oomph loyalty platform is easy to use and can also be integrated with an existing EPOS, providing dealers with the tools to delve deep into the shopping basket of a customer and respond accordingly with dedicated offers and calls to action. Its versatility extends to the point of purchase where customers are rewarded with points utilising the app and smart card with accumulated points redeemable to support local charities and enter a ‘big ticket’ monthly draw. In addition, dealers can reward their customers with member-only offers such as in store-discounts, free coffees and car washes.
“Oomph is being launched in response to requests from Gulf dealers and many of the larger dealer groups who see great merit in providing their customers with a nationwide loyalty platform with local marketing capabilities,” explained Gerry Welsh, retail marketing manager, Certas Energy.
“Our immediate goal is to come to market with a fresh and exciting loyalty scheme that is embraced by our dealers and their customers. We are in discussions with several global brands to further develop the ‘Monthly Prize Haul’ and shall use our COCO estate as a test bed for new ideas. We plan to make Oomph the most engaging loyalty platform in the industry for consumers and the most cost effective for dealers and can see no bounds to its future potential.”
Charged out to dealers at an affordable price with nationwide appeal, Oomph will be available to all UK Gulf forecourts and is compatible on both Apple and Android devices.
If you’re planning to visit FPS EXPO 2019 in May, why not download the new FPS EXPO app to ensure you are well-prepared in advance. Plus – find out about the broadening of this year’s event in the April issue of Fuel Oil News
To ensure its British assets stay world class for a generation, INEOS is to invest £1 billion in multiple UK projects. The biggest investment being announced is in the Forties Pipeline System (FPS).
Demonstrating its long-term commitment to the UK fuel retail market, JET has unveiled a new image prototype at JET Abbeyside in Selby, North Yorkshire, one of the fuel brand’s new company-owned sites.