Philippine retailer plans continued expansion Sasol

Transcription

an international retail petroleum news digest
Issue No 30 | November / December 2013
ASIA, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA EDITION
www.erpecnews.com
Philippine retailer plans continued expansion
SEAOIL Philippines, Inc. aims to grow
revenues by about a fifth next year through
continued retail network expansion. “Our
target revenue is about 24 billion Philippine
peso(US $ 544,7 million) for 2014. That’s
around 20 percent growth versus this year”,
said Francis Glenn L. Yu, SEAOIL president
and chief executive officer. The main driver
of the expected growth is the company’s
continuous effort to expand its retail network
and the performance of its existing stations.
SEAOIL currently has 340 retail stations,
around 70 percent of which are franchises
while the rest are company-owned. Next year
1.8 billion Philippine peso has been allotted
for 120 new retail stations.
Sasol markets ultra-clean diesel
Sasol has launched the cleanest diesel available in South Africa, with ultra-low sulphur
(ULS) content of 10 parts per million (ppm).
The fuel, named turbodiesel ULS, is being
supplied to franchisees for the same price
as regular diesel. However, Sasol’s Retail
Manager, Mohamed Carrim, said that the
company will not dictate the price consumers
would pay because the retail price of diesel
was not regulated in the country. “It is superior
to 50 ppm so there will be a premium to it.
Retailers can choose to add the premium or
keep the full retail gate price”, he said. Sasol
said the turbodiesel ULS technology reduced
fuel consumption on both old and new generation engines and, with its ability to improve
acceleration and enhanced detergency, offered
better fuel economy for car owners.
Fuel payment services via cell phones
In Malawi Total has partnered with Airtel
to offer customers an opportunity to pay for
fuelling services through their mobile phones,
using the Airtel Money service at any Total
filling station in the country. In June a similar
partnership in Kenya was signed between the
two companies. The three years business
partnership will also allow Malawians to
load money on their phones, withdraw and
also register as Airtel Money customers at
the stations. Airtel plans to work closely with
Total to ensure customers are provided with
cutting edge products and services across all
Total filling stations.
ADNOC in new
acquisition talks
ADNOC Distribution is in talks to take
over 24 fuel service stations in Sharjah,
building on an initial 2012 agreement with
Emirates General Petroleum Corporation
(Emarat) to take over 74 sites in the northern emirates said CEO Abdullah Al Dahiri.
Speaking to local reporters, Al Dahiri said
that negotiations have reached their final
stages and ADNOC could re-commission
the 24 stations in the first quarter of 2014
if the talks lead to an agreement. The 24
stations had been owned by Dubai-based
Enoc before it stopped operating them in
mid-2011. “These negotiations are part of
our agreement with Emarat in May 2012
to take over 74 petrol stations in Sharjah,
Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain
and Fujairah”, he explained.
Puma completes
bitumen takeover
Puma Energy has completed its takeover
of Caltex Australia’s bitumen business.
The acquisition will complement Puma
Energy’s bitumen supply, storage and
distribution capacities. Puma has already
made significant investment in storage and
distribution in Africa, South East Asia and
Latin America. Puma has also purchased
Caltex’s 50 percent share in an Oxidation
plant joint venture partnership with SAMI
Bitumen Technologies.
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CREDITS
State and Essar oil refinery stalemate
Tax payers could be forced to shoulder accu- reports suggest that Essar has demanded
mulated liabilities incurred by grounded Kenya that the government clears all outstanding
Petroleum Refineries Ltd if India’s Essar arrears including unpaid workers’ dues. The
Energy has its way in crucial meetings with India subsidiary is understood to be pushing
the government. The two equal partners in for the demands arguing that it will receive
the Mombasa-based facility are meeting for 173.36 million Shilling ($ 2 million) less
the second time to agree on who between when it finally relinquishes its 50 percent
them will shoulder liabilities when Essar exits shareholding than it paid for. The upgrade
the refinery after a four year management of the 53-year old refinery’s technology and
deal. Among the liabilities is a 21.62 billion capacity refinery was due in 2010. But Essar
Shilling ($ 250 million) loan from Standard said in October this year, that it abandoned
Chartered Bank to transform KPRL from it after receiving advice from its international
a toll to a merchant refinery. Unconfirmed consultant against its commercial viability.
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Retailers seek oil depot re-opening
The Pakistan State Oil Dealers Association retailers greatly. PSO recently announced its
has urged the Ministry of Petroleum and results for the first quarter of the 2013–2014
Natural Resources to reopen the Pakistan financial year, which included turnover of
State Oil oil depot in Naurang. Members 364 billion rupee ($ 3.37 billion), up from
of the association said that the closure of 325 billion rupee during the same period last
Naurang Oil Depot in 2008 created troubles year. The Company’s liquid fuel sales grew by
for dealers as they were forced to transport 4.3 percent. The Company reported highest
diesel and other oil products to other facili- ever quarterly after tax earnings of 7.8 billion
ties of Pakistan State Oil, invoking a high rupee, up from 4.3 billion rupee, representing
carriage cost. Re-opening the facility will aid a growth of 81 percent.
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India refiners recommence Euro payment to Iran
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India is likely to resume paying Iran in Euros of sanctions re-opened the Euro channel to
after a historic accord between the six global pay for Iranian oil while European Union
powers and the Persian Gulf state made it lifted bans on insuring tankers carrying oil
easier to import crude oil from one of its from the Persian Gulf state, officials in the
biggest suppliers. India will however stick to petroleum ministry and oil companies said.
its plans to cut crude oil imports from Iran ‘Our understanding of the agreement is that
by over 15 percent to about 11 million tons the payment channel is now clear. We now
in the year ending 31 March 2014, as eas- have to sit down with the Iranians to discuss
ing of the Western economic sanctions do which bank or country the payments can be
not yet allow increased buying. The easing routed from’, an official said.
Punjab cracking down on rogue retailers
The Punjab State Government has launched check and report about working practices
an operation to clamp down on fuel retailers at the sites, while additional commissioninvolved in overcharging, adulteration and ers and magistrates will visit every station
short measurement. Industry Secretary Irfan and inquire from the customers about the
Ali said that he has issued directives to all price being charged. The Punjab Commisthe commissioners and district coordination sioner’s Office has been assigned to monitor
officers of the province for monitoring local the process and submit daily reports. Legal
fuel service stations. The officials have been action will be taken against station owners
directed to maintain the name and owner’s involved in wrongdoing, with this comnames of the petrol pumps of their respec- municated to the Oil and Gas Regulatory
tive districts. Meanwhile, labour officers will Authority (OGRA).
BP buys Rural Fuel from founding couple
An award-winning business has been purchased by the New Zealand arm of BP. Fuel
distribution business Rural Fuel has sold
out to BP New Zealand who have owned
49 percent of Rural Fuel since 2007, but
will now purchase the balance. BP spokes-
man Jonty Mills said Rural Fuel would not
be rebranded, would keep its main office in
Palmerston North, and retain all 70 staff.
Rural Fuel was in a strong position, and BP
was not looking to make any major immediate
changes, he said.
3
Puma Energy
acquires Redan stake
Puma Energy has announced the acquisition of a stake in Redan Petroleum. The
Head of Media Relations confirmed the
transaction in an emailed statement to local
media. “We can confirm Puma Energy has
bought an equity stake in Redan Petroleum.
The Redan management team will continue
to run the business as usual”, the statement said. “Puma Energy and Redan have
obtained the necessary regulatory approvals.”
Initial reports on the deal speculated that
Puma would pay between $ 20 million and
$ 24 million for a 60 percent shareholding
in the firm. Tafadzwa Chigumbu, previous
owner, confirmed that authorities had approved the transaction and thanked them for
doing so. “We are now focused on growing
Redan and participating in the growth of
our country”, he remarked.
Seaoil introduces
reformulated fuels
Petroleum company Seaoil Philippines
Inc. has reformulated its fuels with additives from STP, giving the fuels better
performance-enhancing and enginecleaning capabilities. Seaoil is the first
petroleum company in Asia to use fuel
additives from STP, one of the world’s
most popular fuel and oil additive brands.
“Our gasoline products Extreme 97, Extreme 95, Extreme U and our Diesel Exceed
are formulated with proprietary frictionbusting formulas that significantly improve
engine performance. These are further
reinforced with STP additives’ superior
capability to remove and control carbon
deposits in different areas of the engine.
These two features combined deliver racersharp engine performance”, said Francis
Glenn Yu, Seaoil President and CEO. The
fuels with enhanced formulations are now
available at all 340 Seaoil stations nationwide at no extra cost to motorists.
Pakistan running out
of CNG this Winter
The severity of this situation has been
highlighted by the decision to shut down
all CNG stations in Punjab and the federal
capital from November to January. The
purpose is to ensure the provision of gas to
domestic users, who have in the past suffered severe difficulties through the Winter
due to the shortage of fuel, forced at times
to cook food on firewood. The number of
vehicles using CNG has increased dramatically, because of the cheaper rates and has
been heavily promoted as an alternative fuel.
4
SK Innovation wants stake in United Petroleum
The refining unit of South Korea’s SK Innovation is bidding for a stake in Australian
petrol and convenience store retailer United
Petroleum, the company said in a statement
to the stock exchange. The privately owned
Australian company, which has a value of about
A $ 1 billion ($ 936 million) including debt, is
said to be exploring a sale or a joint venture.
SK Innovation said its unit SK Energy had
placed a bid for United Petroleum, but gave
no further details. SK’s rival S-Oil has also
submitted a non-binding offer for a stake in
United Petroleum. The main bidding process
was expected to take place in January.
DHL and Engen announce retail partnership
DHL Express and Engen have signed a retail
partnership in a bid to provide customers
with better access to global express services.
A consumer looking to send documents or
parcels overseas can simply walk into an
Engen service station to send their shipment,
ensuring greater convenience and accessibility
to the powerful global network which DHL
offers. This includes all domestic and international shipments to major centres across
over 220 countries worldwide. The project,
which will pilot at four Engen service stations
in the Namibian capital Windhoek, will then
be rolled out in phases.
Lipa na M-Pesa now available at Shell stations
Safaricom and Vivo Energy Kenya have partnered to allow Shell fuel station customers to
pay for fuel using the new cashless payments
platform Lipa na M-Pesa. The Lipa na M-Pesa
option will initially be rolled out in more than
95 Shell service stations with the oil marketer
ensuring all 117 service stations are covered
by end of November 2013. Shell stations in
Kenya are operated by Vivo Energy. Who say
the service will complement its current cash,
Shell card and Visa debit/credit card payment
options. “The service will not only be used
to pay for fuel, but our customers can also
purchase goods at our “Select” convenience
stores, be able to pay for lubricants and other
services provided at our service stations”,
said Polycarp Igathe, Vivo Energy Managing
Director.
Gazprom’s NGV fuel arrives in Asia-Pacific
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom pany PVGAZPROM Natural Gas for Vehicles
Management Committee and Do Khang became a practical step in implementing the
Ninh, Chief Executive Officer of PV Gas agreements previously achieved with the
signed in Hanoi the Agreement on setting up Vietnamese authorities on using natural gas
a natural gas for vehicles joint venture. The as a vehicle fuel. The documents, among
signing ceremony took place in the presence other things, provide for converting public
of Russian President Vladimir Putin and transport of Ho Chi Minh City to NGV fuel.
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang. The The southern part of the Republic of Vietnam
creation of the Russian-Vietnamese joint com- will be a starting point for the project.
Fuel ‘rip-off’ hot spots in Australia
In South Australia the city of Port Lincoln
has been identified in a national study as a
“fuel rip-off hot spot” with prices going up
seven times faster than they come down. A
University of New England study reviewed
fuel pricing data for 111 locations across
the country, identifying 28 hot spots where
motorists were more likely to be ripped off
at the pump. Large numbers of independent
retailers in South Australia could be seen
to respond quickly to fluctuations but Port
Lincoln was the exception.
Too few fuel stops are crisis-ready
Gull, New Zealand’s only family owned fully underserved by the oil industry. In May,
independent fuel retailer, has announced it Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Managehas equipped four of its Auckland service ment Group (ACDEMG) and the Auckland
stations to enable these outlets to operate Engineering Lifelines Group (AELG) updated
by using a generator if the electricity supply the Fuel Contingency Plan for Auckland and
is cut in a Civil Defence emergency. Dave were disappointed with their own preparedBodger, General Manager of Gull, says that ness. Auckland has over 250 service stations
if an emergency strikes and power supplies but only six have generators and would never
are cut, the greater Auckland region is woe- cope in an emergency.
NEWS – EUROPE
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5
Z Energy to sign
contract with refiner
from Korea
New Zealand fuel retailer Z Energy plans
to buy about 600 million litres, or more
than 3.7 million barrels, of petrol and
diesel through a South Korean refiner. The
contract, which is expected to be formally
signed shortly, will come into effect on
January 1st and follows a 19-month relationship with the same refiner through an
intermediary. Z Energy did not indicate
the duration of the term, price details or
name of the seller, but said the contract
was on better commercial terms than current arrangements. Fuel from the contract
will be delivered on roughly a monthly
basis into major import terminals around
New Zealand, according to a statement.
Z Energy produces around 75 percent of
its total fuel requirements through New
Zealand’s sole 135 000 barrels-per-day
refinery at Marsden Point, and imports
the rest as refined fuel.
Iran names oil companies it wants back
Iran has named western oil companies it
wants back in its vast oil and gas fields
once international sanctions are lifted.
The oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, said
contract terms would be offered next
April. The seven companies named are:
Total of France, Royal Dutch Shell,
Italy’s ENI, Norway’s Statoil, Britain’s
BP and US companies Exxon Mobil and
ConocoPhillips. Iran has the world’s
fourth largest proved national reserves of
oil – most of it cheap to produce – and is
also home to the biggest proved reserves
of natural gas, some 18 percent of the
global total. Oil companies were thrown
out in a nationalisation programme following the 1979 revolution resulting in
oil production falling from 55 percent in
the 1970s to below 40 percent by 1997.
Total returned to onshore fields in 1997
and Shell in 1999, both while Zanganeh
was minister and both in defiance of
the US sanctions of the time. The sanctions instituted in 2012 have choked
out foreign investment and sent output
down to 2.65 million barrels a day from
an average of 4.3 million in 2011. Iran
recently reached an interim deal with six
western powers, under which sanctions
on oil investment and trade with Iran may
be lifted next year. Speaking at an Opec
meeting, Zanganeh said he was already
talking with some companies, although
so far not those from the US.
6
Seaoil Philippines to double share of market
market at four percent. Seaoil expects to
end the year with revenues growing by over
20 percent to 20 billion Philippine peso on
the back of increased fuel sales and a wider
retail network. This would put the company
on track to hitting 50 billion Philippine peso
in sales in three years, Yu added. From last
years’ 340 fuelling stations, the company is
looking to end this year with 370 and add
100
yearly to reach 700–800 in 2016. About
Seaoil aims to corner a tenth of the retail mar
ket in three years. “We continue to expand our three-thirds of the company’s fuel stations are
network of stations along with an increase franchises. “We are poised to take advantage
in organic growth, meaning the sales of our of an increase in sales volume because of the
existing stations are now better so we’re seeing investment we made over the last several
the impact of that reflect on our bottom line”, years”, Yu said. The company is spending
Seaoil President Glenn Yu informed. The about 1.2 billion Philippine peso in capital
company estimates its share of the domestic expenditures each year, according to Yu.
81 fuel stations to be closed
In Nigeria a panel of enquiry into matters
relating to the development of fuel retail
outlets in Ondo State has recommended that
81 stations be sealed off, noting that a further
311 others were established illegally. The
panel of inquiry began in April with the
mandate to determine the appropriateness
of the location of fuelling stations, interface
with owners on approval and make recommendations to the government. While the
report identified 68 stations as appropriately
located, it said, “136 are to receive minor
adjustments while 34 others will be converted
for other uses.”
Kuwait eyes multipurpose stations in Vietnam
State-run Kuwait Petroleum International
(KPI) and its Vietnamese and Japanese
partners of a joint refinery and petrochemical project are working on a retail business
plan in Vietnam, which could introduce
multipurpose fuel stations, KPI CEO Bakheet
Al-Rashidi said. “We are currently in the
stage of finalizing a share agreement with our
joint venture partners, mainly PetroVietnam
and Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan Company. At
time being, we have a plan to launch a new
style of retail stations with such facilities as
restaurant and restroom, so that people can
visit retail stations not only for fuelling, but
also for enjoying other facilities. This is a new
development in Vietnam.”
Petronas promotes responsible use of energy
Petronas has created the country’s first energy- some sweets afterwards. But now, there’s
efficient stations called the Petronas Twin more to fuel stations than meets the eye”,
Stations. Both (Petronas Solaris Putra and says Akbar. Seated in the Starbucks outlet
Petronas Solaris Serdang) have been a hit at a station (which has a drive-thru service),
since their inception late last year and look set he explains that it’s not quite apt to call these
to start a trend for future stations. Petronas “green” stations. “Being green means there
Dagangan Bhd head of retail business divi- are specific conditions and criteria that have
sions Akbar Md Thayoob remembers those to be met. This is more about being energyservice stations that comprised only a fuel efficient since we are using energy optimally”,
tank and its dispenser. “My parents would says Akbar, before adding jokingly: “Our logo
fill up the tank and occasionally I would get is green, though!”
Oil companies at crossroads over retail outlets
In India Oil marketing companies (OMCs)
have sought a review of the petroleum and
natural gas ministry’s December 2012 order
that they can’t invest in fuel retail outlets.
Investment can only be made by prospective
dealers. “In all major cities, OMCs are facing
problems, as real estate prices are going up and
land owners do not want to renew their leases.
If this diktat comes in place, it will multiply
our problems”, said a senior official from
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.
To date the order has not been implemented
because of the opposition by OMCs and the
ministry is still deliberating on the issue.
Domestic oil consumption up in Pakistan
The domestic oil and petroleum products consumption in Pakistan clocked in at 1.6 million
tons in October, six percent higher against
October 2012 off-take of 1.5 million tons.
Demand growth was led by 18 percent higher
furnace oil off-take on the back of higher
power generation and five percent higher motor gasoline (Mogas) sales amid higher CNG
station closures due to gas outages. However,
high-speed diesel (HSD) demand declined by
four percent due to Eid holidays in October.
Overall, Pakistan oil and petroleum products
consumption is up by 10 percent to 7.1 million
tons in the first four months of the current fiscal year. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Attock
Petroleum Limited (APL) shared the spoils
in October sales print with volumetric sales
growth clocking in at 11 percent apiece. On a
monthly basis, sales for PSO and APL declined
by one percent and two percent, respectively.
Royal Dutch Shell plc supports rebuilding efforts
in the central Philippines. The donation from
the Shell Group will be used for rebuilding
and rehabilitation efforts in the areas badly
hit by typhoon Haiyan, as a way of providing
long-term assistance for the affected communities. Shell companies in the Philippines
(SciP) Country Chairman Edgar Chua said,
“The extensive loss of lives and damage to
property brought about by Haiyan has again
Royal Dutch Shell plc (the “Shell Group”) mobilised the local and international comhas donated US $ 2.5 million, in response to munity to assist in relief and rehabilitation
the catastrophic typhoon Haiyan that struck efforts providing hope for survivors to rebuild
the Philippines causing massive destruction their lives.
Emarat cuts purchases after selling stations
UAE fuel retailer Emarat plans is to cut its fuel ment in May last year for ADNOC to take over
purchases nearly in half next year following the Emarat pump stations in the poorer emirates of
transfer of some of its stations to Abu Dhabi Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras
National Oil Company (ADNOC). Emarat Al Khaimah. Gulf Arab countries heavily subwill likely cut its fuel requirements from sidize fuels as a social benefit, but this leaves
1.2 million tonnes to about 600 000 next year fuel retailers not linked to large oil producers
which will reduce losses by about 40 percent. like ADNOC taking billion dollar losses sellEmarat and ADNOC signed an initial agreeing fuel at well below their acquisition cost.
Flying filling stations above Afghanistan
High above Afghanistan, NATO airwaves
shriek, crackle and hum aboard a US Air Force
re-fuelling sortie over Afghanistan’s border
with Pakistan. One after another, fighter jets
connect to the KC-135 Stratotanker to guzzle
5 000 lb (2 300 kg) of fuel before returning to
their patrols below. American officials say the
round-the-clock re-fuelling missions allow the
F16s and A-10 Warthogs to reach any point
in Afghanistan within a few minutes. The
crew calls their tanker a “flying gas station.”
A dozen of these sorties depart daily from the
Manas airbase outside Bishkek, in Kyrgyzstan,
accounting for about 30 percent of the total
re-fuelling missions over Afghanistan. For that,
the American base spends over $ 200 million
on jet fuel a year mostly paid to a subsidiary
of Gazprom.
Esso targets major growth with E20
Esso has set a growth target of 4–5 percent
for next year, powered by the introduction
of E20 fuel to the market. The company
achieved estimated growth of 3 percent for
2013, according to their Retail Sales Manager.
He remarked that the figure was dampened by
a weak domestic economy and the lack of E20
availability at fuel service stations. “Growth in
the energy sector is tied to overall economic
growth. With the domestic economy showing
signs of improvement, Esso expects to grow
along with it. E20 presents the highest growth
area”, he added. Demand for E20, Sutatham
said, has tripled in recent years and is expected
to double again, positioning the Esso brand for
greater success. “Esso has been slow to launch
E20 fuel due to the company’s time-consuming
quality control process. Despite that, we’re
sure it will be as good – if not better – than
that of our competitors”, he remarked.
TOTAL recharges in
South Africa
France’s Total SA has invested further in
South Africa awarding of a $ 200 million
solar power plant project to SunPower, in
which the French oil giant owns a 65 per
cent stake. The deal is expected to close
mid-next year, with California-based photovoltaic manufacturer SunPower eyeing the
start of construction for the South African
plant during the second half of 2014, with
completion slated for mid-2015.
Puma fuels Muan
International
In Botswana, Puma Energy’s aviation
services team has marked another achievement, refuelling the first Boeing 757 to
land at Muan International Airport. “The
main problems faced were not fuelling
but logistical and we were determined to
show all that Maun Airport as a whole
could manage an aircraft of this size”,
said Mer v yn Palmer, Puma Energy’s
Refuelling Agent, adding “This was our
first refueling and it went without a glitch”.
The operation was aided by the commissioning earlier this year of a new storage
and refuelling facility that has enhanced
capacityy. Storage capacity is an impressive
206 and 176 cubic metres for Jet A-1 and
Avgas respectively. Puma Energy operates
in four of Botswana’s airports: Sir Seretse
Khama International Airport in Gaborone,
Maun, Francistown and Kasane. The
company recently refuelled a range of
unscheduled international flights that had
been diverted to the the Sir Seretse Khama
International Airport from OR Tambo due
to bad weather conditions.
Emarat renews terminal contract with ENOC
Emirates General Petroleum Corporation
“Emarat” has renewed the lease contract of
Emoil’s Petroleum Storage FZCO in Jebel
Ali, to Emirates National Petroleum Company Limited “ENOC”, for the year 2014.
Emoil was established as a joint venture
between Emarat, BP Global Investments
Ltd. and Trafigura Beheer BV at a total
investment of US $ 32 million. Emarat owns
the largest share in Emoil and handles its
management and operations. The company’
built on an area of 47 000 square metres in
Jebel Ali Free Zone, the facility includes
nine storage tanks of varying capacities for
blending and storing high quality gasoline
products with a total capacity of 203 000
cubic metres. Emoil is currently developing its facilities.
7
NEWS – EUROPE
NIS wants 25 stations in Bucharest
NIS Petrol Romania, indirectly controlled
by Russian group Gazprom, plans to have
between 20 and 25 fuelling stations in
Bucharest and its surrounding regions
by end-2015. The company also plans
to increase the number of stations in
Romania to 120 by the end of 2015, said
Vadim Smirnov, general manager of NIS
Petrol Romania. NIS Petrol Romania is the
subsidiary of Serbian company NIS, controlled by Gazprom. The company opened
its first station in Romania last year and
currently operates 13 local units. On the
Romanian fuel distribution market, NIS
Petrol competes with companies such as
OMV Petrom, Rompetrol and LUKOIL.
Neste & DB Schenker
agree distribution deal
DB Schenker and Neste Oil have agreed
a domestic and international distribution
contract covering Russia and the Ukraine
as well as the domestic Finnish market.
The deal will see Neste’s lubrication oils,
greases and car care products transported
by Schenker, a global logistics firm, while
around 5 000 pallets of products will be
stored at the company’s warehouse in Nurmijärvi, Finland. Prior to this agreement,
DB Schenker signed a deal with Neste
Oil Russia to store imported products at
a site in Saint Petersburg. “We wanted
a reliable, environmentally-conscious,
safe company to support us in growing
our businesses in selected markets. DB
Schenker is now part of our operations
in our two key markets”, remarked Neste
Oil’s Head of Lubricants and Packed
Products, Tero Järvinen. “We believe
our journey together has only just begun
and that our cooperation will deepen and
expand as time goes on.”
Virsi-A becomes a
local BP partner
Virsi-A, the largest Latvian based fuel
retailer, has become an official partner of
BP, the company has announced. Under the
new cooperation agreement, persons with
BP international cards will be able to pay
for their purchases at Virsi-A fuel service
stations throughout Latvia. BP cards can
be used in 33 European countries over a
network of 18 000 stations. Virsi-A currently operates 44 fuel stations throughout
Latvia. The company reported turnover
of 70.6 million Latvian lats for 2012 and
profit of 775 000 Latvian lats, representing
14 percent growth on 2012.
8
Shell’s technical partnership with Ferrari fuels
Shell recently celebrated the extraordinary
partnership with Ferrari with a high profile
event in Abu Dhabi attended by ADNOC,
Ministry of Energy among others. Shell’s
partnership with Ferrari is one of the most
successful technical partnerships in Formula
One history. Speaking at the event, Andrew
Vaughan, Shell Vice President for Abu Dhabi,
Kuwait and Syria and Country Chairman of
Abu Dhabi, said: “Tonight we are celebrating
one of our most successful partnerships. We
are proud that this partnership and shared
passion for performance has contributed
to shaping the development of fuel and
lubricant technology globally, both on and
off the track. Our partnership with Ferrari
provides Shell with the ultimate test bed
for innovation and Shell scientists ensure
that any technological advantage developed
for Ferrari is passed directly to the motorist on the road. It is through partnerships
such as this one that Shell continues to
demonstrate its commitment to the future
of energy and on-going investments that
advance technology and make it available
to the industries that rely on transportation
to fuel their growth.” Shell’s Formula One
project team continues to grow, with more
than 50 Shell technical staff now contributing to the development programme with
Ferrari. These team members work together
around the world in Shell laboratories and
facilities, at all the racetracks of the Formula
One World Championship as well as at the
Scuderia Ferrari headquarter in Maranello.
Many of the Shell scientists who develop
products for Scuderia Ferrari are also working on their road-going equivalents. The
most obvious example of this is Shell Helix
Ultra engine oils – which owes a large part
of their development to the Formula One
programme. This enables Shell customers
to enjoy a fuel and motor oil developed for
the pinnacle of motorsport.
Alternatives to oil becoming increasingly viable
Oil and gasoline heat our homes and power
our vehicles, with industry giants like ExxonMobil quickly coming to mind. However,
there are alternatives to oil that are increasingly becoming viable options. There’s good
reason to like ExxonMobil beyond the fact
that over 19 000 of its fuel stations dot the
globe. For example, it’s among the largest companies in the world, with an over
$ 380 billion market cap, and it has consistently rewarded investors via stock buybacks
and steadily rising dividends. In the second
quarter alone Ex xonMobil bought back
$ 4 billion worth of shares. Its dividend was
11 percent above year ago levels, too. And
ExxonMobil is much more than just an oil
company. For example, it is also among the
world’s largest chemical companies and, after
the $ 31 billion purchase of XTO Energy at
the turn of the decade, it is a major natural
gas player. XTO was, at that point, the largest independent producer of natural gas
in the United States. So ExxonMobil isn’t
sitting still, making a big shift into a market it expects to expand by 25 percent over
the next three decades or so in the United
States. While a great deal of that demand
is going to come from electricity generation,
that’s not the only thing natural gas is used
for. For example, Clean Energy Fuels is in
the process of building a natural gas fuel
station network. Compared to ExxonMobil,
$ 1 billion market cap Clean Energy is a
pipsqueak. However, this tiny company is
getting out in front of a key industry shift.
It already has a notable business providing
natural gas to local fleet vehicles like buses,
taxis, and garbage trucks. And, although the
switch is only in its infancy, Clean Energy
has built out a network of natural gas stations on the interstate highway system to
serve long-haul trucks. That investment has
kept the red ink flowing, but Clean Energy
Fuels thinks adoption will be quick in this
potentially $ 25 billion market. For example,
about 60 percent of all garbage truck purchases in 2013 are expected to be powered by
natural gas. Although less than 1 percent of
long-haul trucks sold in 2013 are likely to be
powered by natural gas, Clean Energy Fuels
expects that to increase to 35 percent in just
four years. It will be there to provide the fuel.
LUKOIL deploys POS solutions in Europe
NCR Corporation has announced that it is
supplying its latest point of sale (POS) software and hardware to LUKOIL. The solution
will be deployed at more than 170 fuel service
stations in Belgium by the end of the year,
while the company is also updating legacy
POS equipment in 400 sites across the Czech
Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Lux-
embourg. According to NCR, the companies
are aiming to deploy an agile, flexible method
of improving customers’ shopping experiences,
facilitate cross-functional promotions and
reward customers for their loyalty. The NCR
is being provided as a Software as a Service
(SaaS) solution, the companies revealed in
a statement.
9
NEWS – EUROPE
Rompetrol allows payments for motoways
Rompetrol Downstream has announced
that customers are now able to pay fees
for use of Romania’s road and motorway
network in its stations. 130 fuel service stations nationwide can accept the
payment, including four outlets on the
Bucharest – Constanta highway. The company has developed a tool on its website,
www.rompetrol.ro to allow customers
to identify the nearest station offering
the service, and the best walking routes.
Rompetrol has also developed an application, compatible with both Android and
IOS, that allows for easy navigation of the
company’s network and which highlights
recent improvements and changes to the
design of its stations.
Couche-Tard’s new
fuel brand boost sales
A new fuel brand and a sharing of best
practices between its European and North
American assets added up to net earnings
growing 26.8 percent for Alimentation
Couche-Tard, President Alain Bouchard
has reported. Saying also “results for the
second quarter were very strong confirming
the trend from the 1st quarter, especially in
Europe where our fuel brand “miles” and
fresh-food initiatives continue to deliver.”
Winter diesel additive for Rompetrol
OMV Petrom promises investments of over 1 billion
In Romania OMV Petrom intends to invest
over 1 billion lei in Dambovita County from
2013 to 2016, the company’s Exploration and
Production Manager Gabriel Selischi has
said. “The Dambovita County is the cradle
of oil and natural gas production in Romania,
together with Prahova County. We have here
an important infrastructure, with 1 300 der-
ricks and 13 stations that sell the products.
We also have a significant investment programme. Compared to the years 2008–2013,
when we invested some 900 million lei, from
now on we want to increase this programme,
and, over the next three years, from 2013 to
2016, we want to invest more than 1 billion
lei in the county”, said Selischi.
Jet marks anniversary with free fuel draw
In the UK Jet has announced a new draw
offering motorists the change to win £ 5 000
worth of fuel as part of celebrations to mark
the brand’s 60th anniversary in 2014. The
1954 Free Prize Draw will run in hundreds
of Jet stations until December 20, allowing
customers who buy £ 30 of fuel or more to
enter the prize draw. In total, Jet will give
away 14 JetCards pre-loaded with £ 5 000
of fuel. “2014 marks our diamond anniversary – 60 years since Jet opened its first fuel
forecourt in the UK. This is a real milestone
for us as a company and an achievement
that we are very proud of”, said Pete George,
Managing Director of Phillips 66 UK &
Ireland Marketing. “We wanted to mark six
decades of Jet forecourts fuelling local communities throughout the UK and thank our
customers for their continued support. But
it’s also a way of thanking our dealers and
demonstrates Jet’s commitment to driving up
forecourt footfall for our network.”
Hellenic sales up on improved tourism
An increase in tourism has been credited with
improved fuel sales for Hellenic Petroleum,
which reported positive third quarter results.
The company, which posted third quarter
net income of 70 million Euros (up from
2 million in the same period last year), also
said that optimisation of the Elefsina refinery and improved operational performance
across the company’s businesses helped it
overcome a challenging international refining environment. Earnings before interest,
tax, depreciation and amortisation rose to
123 million from 75 million. The performance
of Hellenic refineries is constantly improving,
with the yield of high value products ranking among the top in the European refining
sector, highlighting the competitiveness of
their asset base, following the significant
investments of the 2007–2012 period. Sales
to international markets are consistently
increasing, enhancing export orientation and
the marketing division has made significant
contributions to profitability. Hellenic focus
on improving its competitiveness continues
to produce significant tangible benefits,
with increased contribution versus previous
quarters and a positive effect on performance
across their activities.
Asda plans stand-alone fuel retail drive
Rompetrol has announced that its fuel
retail network is now selling diesel with a
special additive for greater Winter performance, Efix and EfixS Winter Diesel. The
enhanced Diesel is available in Romania,
Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia. The
additives are designed to ensure proper
functioning of engine performance under
conditions of low temperatures up to minus
26 degrees Celsius, by lowering viscosity
and thus reducing deposits in filters. In
a statement, the company highlighted
that consumers could easily identif y
fuel service stations offering the fuel on
www.rompetrol.ro. Rompetrol operates a
network of over 1 100 fuel service stations
in Romania, France, Spain, Georgia, Bulgaria, Moldova, and the Ukraine.
10
Asda has revealed plans to establish 100 stand- three stations will enable it to break into parts of
alone fuel service stations throughout the UK as the UK where its market share is low. Through
part of a strategy to extend its reach to custom- the construction of sites, and the extension of
ers. Announcing its third quarter results, the its Click & Collect to over 1 000 locations by
company revealed that growing the stand-alone 2018, the retailer aims to boost its reach from
fuel retail business from its current footprint of 53 percent of the UK population to 70 percent.
MOL prepares to sell stake in INA
The board of Hungary’s MOL has authorised preparations for the sale of its stake in
Croatian fuel firm INA. In a statement to
the Budapest Stock Exchange, the company
said that the management has been “asked
to conclude such an agreement with the
Croatian government that can lead to value
creation through the execution of INA’s
growth strategy. The board is also authorised to start the preparations for the sale
of MOL’s stake in INA in order to be able
to maximize the value of its investment”,
added MOL. Recent talks concerning the
management of INA, in which Croatia’s
Government also holds a significant stake,
have not been fruitful. Croatia’s Government
has been seeking to reorganise the management of the company. However recent
meetings have shown significant differences
between the parties MOL owns 49.1 percent
of INA’s shares, while the Croatian state
holds 44.84 percent.
11
NEWS – EUROPE
Open day for
UNITI expo exhibitors
Cepsa to buy Coastal Energy
UNITI expo organisers have now officially announced the date for their exhibitor
pre event briefing as being January 28th
2014. Nick Needs, Managing Director of
McLean Communications, responsible
for the international visitor marketing of
UNITI expo, said “This important day
is designed to give exhibitors a better
appreciation of the venue, local services
and the Stuttgart exhibition complex,
prior to them participating in the event
next June. Many companies taking part
have never exhibited in Stuttgart before,
or even visited the city, so information
is at a premium for exhibitors wishing to
maximise the potential of this extremely
important trade fair. UNITI expo takes
place in Stuttgart, Germany, from 3–5
June 2014. It is a three day international
exhibition for manufacturers, distributors, installers, retailers, PMCs and
commercial operators of petroleum
equipment, petrol forecourt services &
retail technology. The fair will expand
over three exhibition halls to featuring
exhibits on; Forecourt Equipment &
Services, Retail Technology, Shop &
Convenience Retailing, Car wash &
Car care, Payment & Automation, Fuel
Logistics, Lubricants, Fuels and Additives. UNITI expo will also host the 2014
‘Future of Forecourts’ Forum, an established international mainline conference,
attracting senior executives from major
petrol retailers, oil companies, government agencies and major associations
from all over Europe.
Dieselor Ltd celebrates 10 years anniversary
Rosneft, ENI agree
oil supply deal
Rosneft and ENI will sign an agreement
on mutual supplies of oil to their European
refineries, Rosneft Chief Executive Igor
Sechin has said. “We will sign a document
on mutual oil supplies, we will supply to
refineries with ENI’s ownership and they
will supply our refineries”, Sechin said.
Sechin said under the terms of the deal,
Rosneft would supply 1 million tonnes of
oil to ENI’s refineries, while Eni would
supply 400 000 tonnes.
12
Coastal Energy Co said it has agreed to be
acquired by Spanish oil firm Cepsa for about
$ 2.3 billion including debt, in a deal that
would increase Cepsa’s exploration and production capabilities in Southeast Asia. Cepsa
will create a new entity for the purchase in
which investment firm Strategic Resources
Global Ltd (SRG) is an investor. Under the
deal, Cepsa will pay $ 19 per Coastal Energy
Dieselor Ltd celebrates 10 years anniversary
Bulgarian company Dieselor has been in operation for 10 years in retail fuels and wholesale
deliveries. On the occasion of the 10th birthday the company opened two new fuel stations
at key locations in Bulgaria which display a
completely new look. The company are committed to offering high-quality products and
services and use the the guiding principle
‘Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.’ Recent
features include the addition of shops, with a
wide range of goods and a café and soon car
share in cash, a premium of 28 percent to the
closing price of the stock on Monday on the
Toronto Stock Exchange. The deal, which is
expected to close in the first quarter of 2014,
will be funded by Cepsa’s and SRG’s available financial resources. Coastal Energy is
an international exploration and production
company with principal assets in Thailand
and Malaysia.
wash facilities. Moreover motorists are able
to familiarize themselves with TopDiesel high
quality diesel, created for the specific needs
of diesel vehicles.
Independent garages allowed to defer tax payments
In the UK ministers are being urged to allow
thousands of independent fuel station owners
to change the way they pay millions of pounds
of fuel duty in a bid to protect Britain’s smaller
forecourts. Currently, smaller forecourts have
to pay the full amount when a tanker delivers its load. However, the Petrol R
etailers’
Association (PRA) claims oil companies and
supermarkets can defer duty payments for
up to 28 days. Some 1 000 forecourts have
closed over the past five years, with just
9 000 left in the UK, compared with 37 500
in 1970. Almost all new sites given planning
permission in the UK are supermarket fuelling stations. Government sources fear that
unless the independent sector is given more
financial freedom, Britain’s road fuel security
could be threatened.
ENI demands $ 10 billion from Statoil in arbitration
Italian energy firm ENI is demanding 60 bil- Russia’s Gazprom and Algeria’s Sonatrach,
lion Norwegian crowns ($10.1 billion) from its key suppliers, and Statoil was the most
Statoil claiming it overcharged for natural difficult party. The dispute stems from a
gas over several years. ENI announced 1997 supply agreement that ties natural gas
in August that it had started arbitration prices to oil. Gas prices have fallen sharply
proceedings against Statoil to secure a sig- across Europe in recent years due to a slum
nificant price cut. ENI said in August that in demand, forcing many firms to idle gas
it had already concluded negotiations with fired power stations.
MFG signs supply agreement in the UK with Jet
Jet. Jim Mulheran, MFG’s Fuels Director said:
“There were already two stations operating
under the Jet brand when we acquired the
MFG business in December 2011. This new
agreement covers nine of our stations with
total annual fuel sales approaching 25 million
litres. We have moved to Jet on these stations
because it enables us to better meet the market
needs and customer profile in these locations.
Jet
gives us a brand and market positioning
Top 50 Indies forecourt operator, Motor Fuel
Group (MFG) has announced the signing of alternative that is very useful when operating
a new multi-site fuel supply agreement with a growing network of nationwide stations.”
NEWS – EUROPE
Something for Independent operators to cheer!
Big global oil companies own less than a third ers poised to capitalise”, said Simon Galway,
of Europe’s fuelling stations as they shift CBRE Executive Director for global corporate
focus from retail operations to more profit- services. The retreat, which mirrors a sell-off
able exploration and production, according by oil majors in European refining operations,
to global real estate adviser CBRE. Shell, has been most pronounced in developing
BP, Total, Chevron and ExxonMobil together countries such as the Czech Republic and
owned 32 percent of fuelling stations in Bulgaria. Independent retailers’ market share,
Europe in 2012, compared with 43 percent meanwhile, has risen to 20 percent from 16
in 2007. CBRE expects the trend to continue. percent as they have bought stations from the
“We envisage that major oil companies will majors. The total number of fuelling stations
continue to optimise downstream real estate in Europe declined from 137 099 in 2007 to
portfolios as they separate retail and produc- 132 526 in 2012, a fall of 3.3 percent, accordtion activities, with independent fuel retailing to data from Datamonitor.
Petroman helps Hammond retain petrol
So pleased was major independent garage
operator George Hammond PLC with the
Petroman Vapour Management Control
(VMC) system’s ability to save it money that
it has decided to install the equipment in all
its new developments. The company estimates
its stock losses due to vapour loss have reduced
by 0.15 percent since installing the Petroman
VMC system, saving the company thousands
of pounds a year. The three elements of the
Petroman VMC system combine to retain as
much petrol vapour as possible on the forecourt
and turn it back into saleable product, instead
of returning it via the vapour recovery hose
to the delivery tanker. The George Hammond
group’s retail arm incorporates seven forecourts
under the BP brand with combined annual fuel
sales of 48 million litres per annum.
UK fuel price comparison signs given go-ahead
The government will begin trialling motorway
signs that show the cost of fuel at stations along
a driver’s route. Motorists will be able to see fuel
prices of upcoming service stops in the direction
of travel, allowing them to bypass particularly
expensive stations for cheaper alternatives. The
move comes in the wake of an Office of Fair
Trading investigation in 2012 that found motor-
way service stations were on average 7.5 pence
more expensive than off-motorway forecourts.
That may not sound like much, but filling up
a 60-litre tank would cost you an additional
£ 4.50 every time. The report did admit the
cost of running a motorway service station was
higher, but it argued it was unfair that drivers
have to drive all the way in to check fuel prices.
Tokheim at Le Mans 24 hours
Since 1955, Tokheim has supplied fuel dispens- ance race means that a pit-stop requires more
ing and storage solutions to the world renowned focus on wear and tear as well as fuel. The
Bugatti Circuit. Some of the biggest names average time it takes to complete one is around
in the auto-industry – including Audi, BMW, 35 seconds, adding 10 seconds or so when there
Mercedes, Peugeot and Ferrari – have stormed is a driver change. Fuel is dispensed at speed
to victory utilising Tokheim’s refuelling solutions. using 50 litre “air tanks” which are rested by a
The preparation of Tokheim’s equipment begins gravitational fuelling method. There are a total
after winter, well in advance of the new season. of 80 “air tanks” across the pit-lanes. Flexible
8 huge tanks, consisting of 56 compartments couplings are connected to the distribution
supply 225 000 litres of fuel during the race. At system and ensure a faster and safer fuelling
Le Mans the unique conditions of an endur- experience for the pit-stop crews.
EBRD sells remaining stake in Romania’s Petrom
The European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development has sold its remaining 1.6 percent
stake in Romanian oil and gas group Petrom,
which is majority owned by Austria’s OMV.
“The sale represented the remainder of the
Bank’s holding, with the EBRD having exited
partially from its holding in November 2012”,
EBRD said. Raiffeisen Capital & Investment
S.A. and Wood & Company acted as joint book
runners on the placement. The EBRD became
a shareholder of Petrom in 2004 to support
the company’s privatisation, with a holding of
about 2 percent. “Our exit is proof of Romania’s
attractiveness to institutional investors. This
exit forms part of the EBRD’s on-going portfolio
management, the bank remains fully committed
to Romania”,Eric Rasmussen, EBRD Director
for natural resources said.
13
PRODUCT NEWS
All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to editor@erpecnews.com
Christ modernizes
car wash technology
Christ have introduced a new car washing
system that uses the sun’s power to heat the
wash water using solar panels, effectively
harnessing free energy. If the solar energy
is not sufficient, a new generation, oil-fired
condensing boiler, comes into operation.
This new system reduces the consumption
of electricity, water, detergent and salt and
provides a particularly shiny result.
Tokheim installs LPG
dispenser with media
Tokheim and Flogas have partnered to
install the UK’s first ever LPG dispenser
with an integrated media display in model.
Mark Clark, regional sales manager for
FlogasBritain, says, “The commercial case
for Autogas LPG is growing ever more
compelling, thanks to evidence highlighting that vehicles running on Autogas LPG
boast lower carbon than petrol cars. Flogas
supports this pioneering project, reinforcing our established reputation as an energy
partner not just an LPG provider, showcasing just what an adaptable, future-friendly
fuel LPG is.”
Scheidt & Bachmann
congratulate LCC
Following the successful introduction of
Scheidt & Bachmann Clou dispensers with
integrated Bank Note Acceptor (BNA) earlier this year to the Lissan Coal Company
(LCC) network of sites in Northern Ireland,
Scheidt & Bachmann congratulate LCC for
winning the prestigious, ‘Station of the Year’
award, for their site in Belfast, Northern
Ireland, during the recent APEA Awards
ceremony held in the UK. For Scheidt &
Bachmann it is an honour to have equipped
the ‘Fuel Station Of The Year’ with outdoor
payment solutions.
Cree offers greater
energy savings
Cree, Inc. has announced further performance upgrades to the LEDway®
Road Series LED Street Light. These
energy-efficient luminaires, available in
several versions and tailored to specific
applications, make ideal replacements for
outdated high pressure sodium and metal
halide fixtures. Offering up to 20 percent
additional energy savings and increased
lumen output compared to the previous
LEDway Series, they reduce operating
costs while providing the same illumination performance.
14
Amscreen launches digital menu board solution
Amscreen Digital Solutions are deploying a
network of digital menu boards within 250
Shell fuel stations across the UK. Amscreen
are using their 40" digital screens to bring a
new dimension to deli menus and product
promotions. The full HD LCD digital menu
boards from Amscreen are being connected
in a horizontal format to create large, engaging displays with the aim of increasing sales
and customer engagement. The content is
automatically synchronised to span the width
of the whole digital menu board and acts as
a completely unified, dynamic display. The
digital menu boards simply require a single
plug socket per screen and operate over mobile
phone networks, therefore no IT infrastructure
or Internet is required at all. Content can be
sent to screens instantly via the cloud and
allows companies to immediately respond to
price changes or competitor activity.
Ingenico strengthens its fuel offering
Ingenico, has announced it has achieved
ATEX certification for its range of wireless
payment terminal to bring easy and safe payment mobility in flammable gas environments
such as fuelling stations. With the ATEX
certification, Ingenico now brings the benefits
of mobility to the petrol players thanks to its
pocket size design and multi communication
capabilities that will improve security and
customer experience at the station, especially
in emerging markets such as Africa, Middle
East, Latin America or Asia. “This ATEX
certification is a significant step forward in
our petrol market strategy. This demonstrates
our capacity to deploy mobile solutions in new
areas such as the petrol and gas environment.
Our petrol market customers and partners can
now benefit seamlessly from our ultra-mobile,
safe, secure and innovative wireless solutions”
declared Guillaume Pascal, VP of Global Solutions Product Management and Marketing at
Ingenico. Ingenico is a leading provider of payment solutions, with over 20 million terminals
deployed in more than 125 countries.
Fibrelite specified by NIS Gazprom Neft
Fibrelite’s vacuum testable fibreglass sumps
and 25 ton rated composite covers have been
specified by NIS Gazprom Neft in Romania
to be used across their Romanian network.
Fibrelite’s high quality one-piece moulded
tank sumps have a smooth finish for easy
handling during installation. Designed and
manufactured to withstand high groundwater
pressure after installation for the lifetime of
the site, Fibrelite’s range of fully conductive
chambers and covers provided the perfect
solution for NIS Gazprom Neft. The large
chamber of Fibrelite sumps provides a clear
and easy working space when installing
pipework and ancillary equipment. This
large operating space is also useful for when
maintenance has to be carried out within
the chamber.
Maxol introduces new look motor oil
In Ireland, Maxol Lubricants, part of The
Maxol Group, unveiled a new motor oil range
for the retail market. The range reflects the
new look of the Maxol brand and introduces
new labels and symbols that make choosing
the correct motor oil easier. Symbols on each
product clearly indicate whether the motor
oil is for petrol or diesel engines, or both and
that it meets ACEA (European Automobile
Manufacturers’ Association) standards.
The label also displays a list of vehicles
for which use of the oil is recommended.
Quite simply, if your vehicle manufacturer
is on the label then this is the motor oil for
you. This is the most significant addition
to the design as it helps motorists avoid the
guesswork completely. At the beginning
of the year Maxol unveiled a new brand
and forecourt brand identity and the new
look motor oil range marks the company’s
continued rejuvenation of the brand across
the Group as a whole.
Nautical control s ystems sign Asian distributor
Nautical Control Solutions LP (NCS) has
signed marine fuel management systems
consultant, Mustang Technologies, to sell
and support its FuelTrax system in Southeast
Asia. Mustang Technologies CEO Charles
Kathrein said that, despite low rates and
high fuel costs in the shipping industry, the
Southeast Asian offshore support vessel (OSV)
sector is growing rapidly. “Oil majors who
charter OSV’s are increasingly requesting
greater transparency. FuelTrax collects the
required bunkering and fuel consumption
data without human intervention and the
FuelNet reporting tool provides web access
to bunkering and fuel consumption activities
for all stakeholders.”
PRODUCT NEWS
Great success for Nupigeco &
Nupi Americas
Berrys MIDAS wins awards for
‘Innovation and Quality’
At the recent PEI Show in Atlanta Nupi Americas & Nupigeco efficiently demonstrated their complete SMARTFLEX pipe and fitting
system and successfully launched their new light welding unit and
transition fittings. Also on display was their huge range of containment
sumps which are available bare or pre-assembled and piped ready for
placement and connection upon arrival on site.
In its first year of release the MIDAS from Berrys has scooped two
top awards at the British Petroleum Equipment Industry’s APEA
awards. MIDAS wins the APEA Innovation award and the APEA
Quality award. MIDAS units can be fitted to above or below ground
filling points on each bulk fuel storage tank at fuelling stations. The
MIDAS unit identifies the fuel being delivered and if correct opens
the valve to allow the filling operation to continue; if incorrect the
valve remains closed and an audible and visual alarm alerts the
driver to the mistake, before a potentially expensive mis-fuel event
can occur.
Fuelmatics and Husky develop fuel
pumping robot
At last month’s 2013 PEI Convention at the NACS Show in Atlanta,
the Husky Corporation’s booth played host to a robotic fuel attendant called the Fuelmatics Automatic Refueling System (ARS) that
the company is developing in collaboration with Stockholm-based
Fuelmatics Systems AB. The Fuelmatics ARS isn’t much to look at.
At first glance, it seems to be a fuel pump on a track that somebody
forgot to install hoses on. That’s because it’s designed so the customer
doesn’t have to do anything. The robotic ARS handles all of the fuelling operation and the customer doesn’t even have to open the window.
Unfortunately, the ARS still does not clean windscreens, check the
oil, or tell you the best way to get back to the main road.
New fuel service from Audi connect
Audi is helping its customers save money when refuelling. For all A3
variants and most other models, Audi connect now features an online
service dubbed Fuel prices, which provides information on up-to-date
prices at fuelling stations. With the aid of an online database the
service lists the cheapest fuelling stations at the current location,
the destination or at any other location. For the first time real-time
information from the German government’s Market Transparency Unit
is also integrated. The driver can sort the list by price or distance and
also have the information read aloud using the text-to-speech function. A few clicks are all it takes to set the selected filling station as
a navigation destination.
RE-Tech UK launches EyeCap
Technology company RE-Tech UK, has launched a unique and
advanced electronic fuel cap device ‘EyeCap’ which is being rolled
out nationally to counteract the ever expanding war on fuel theft.
If the EyeCap is tampered with or removed from the tank, or even
when it senses a puncture in the tank, a real time signal is sent
monitoring the date, time, duration and location. These details
can be filtered through any tracking system with the functionality
to report such events, which can, in turn, trigger an alarm, CCTV,
in-cab buzzers and/or even issue text/email alerts to a mobile phone
or inbox. The tracking and CCTV aspect of the EyeCap is also
vital for stamping out fuel theft by employees, as it could tell you
whether the theft occurred whilst the driver should have been in
the vehicle, or whether it would have been unmanned at that point.
EyeCap can be specifically designed with a certain fleet in mind so
that the cap is a perfect fit for vehicles, and the effects are tailored
to customer needs.
x
KSS Fuels changes name to
Kalibrate Technologies
KSS Fuels has changed its name to Kalibrate Technologies to better reflect the broadened scope of the intelligence solutions it offers
clients in the petroleum retail and convenience store industry. “The
key to petroleum retail success lies in understanding your market and
customers and calibrating your business to full-fill their needs and
demands”, said Bob Stein, President and Chief Executive Officer. “As
our new name suggests, this is what we do. We provide petroleum
retailers with intelligence tools, software and services to analyse their
operating data as the basis for defining and managing strategies to
deliver on performance goals.”
Zeppini Ecoflex have successful PEI
Zeppini Ecoflex report good business following their sixth appearance
at the recent PEI Show in Atlanta, Georgia. Major releases of the
year featured their Oil and Water Separator, Super Flow, received a
great reception in the national market, as did their ZPL-400 LED
Lighting. Zeppini Ecoflex also claim to be ahead of the market when
it comes to biofuels showing solutions that aroused a great deal of
interest particularly from International visitors.
15
ITALY – SPECIAL FEATURE
“Ro me may not have been built in a day” but
Graham Hunt, Senior Organiser of the
Italian trade fair, Oil&nonoil
The famous quote, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’,
comes from a 16th century French proverb
and relates to the many achievements of
the Roman Empire, transpiring over a great
number of years. It is about time being an
important factor in any work we do, citing that
man has to toil continuously for long periods
to accomplish any great task. In life, if we
try to finish any job too quickly, the proverb
suggests, that we will almost certainly fail!
For petrol station operators in Rome and indeed the rest of Italy, it seems ironic that four
centuries on, their countrymen, or in modern
day terms, their customers, can only share
with each other a vision of how things might
be in the future, whilst they wait for change
to happen. With too many petrol stations in
16
the market, a high percentage of which need
modernising, Italy is falling behind the rest of
Europe, when it comes to bringing its petrol
stations into the twenty first century. Harsh
words maybe, but all the same, it is the truth.
It was to an Englishman strangely enough,
that I turned to, in search of more information
about the Italian market and some answers as
to why Italy seems to have been left behind in
putting the vital development programmes in
place, needed to upgrade many of its service
stations. Graham Hunt, senior organiser of
the Italian trade fair, Oil&nonoil first came to
Rome over twenty years ago. In1992 he worked
on Italy’s first petroleum retailing exhibition,
Non solo Carburante, which translated into
English means, ‘Not only fuel’. With so few
Italian petrol retailers still not even having
a shop of any description, I asked Graham
what is happening, or should I say what is not
happening in Italy that makes it so different?
He said “When I first came to Italy, it was a
very exciting time to be involved in petrol retailing. Everything was about the future, and
the exhibition I had the privilege to work on
reflected all the changes which were about to
take place. Car washes, shops, new technology.
It was all there for the taking at that time and
the support we had from the retailers was
exceptional. However looking back twenty
years to what we thought would happen in
the future, I must say that expectations
have completely changed. Retail petroleum
operators in Italy now face a completely new
set of challenges, especially considering the
fact that we are now dealing with decreasing
markets for traditional fuels, just like anywhere
else in Europe. The focus of attention must
now be moved towards new alternatives like
biofuels, LPG and natural gas”. I mentioned
to Graham that the use of LPG and more
recently CNG is very popular in Italy right
now. He continued, “Gas has always been
an important fuel here, with 30 percent of all
new car registrations being represented by gas
powered modes. But whilst LPG continues to
perform well, natural gas (CNG), a relative
newcomer to the market, faces severe logistical
issues. The challenge here is trying to create
a comprehensive network of fuel stations up
and down the country, allowing drivers to be
ITALY – SPECIAL FEATURE
fuel retailing in Ita ly needs to cha nge fast!
by Nick Needs
able to fill up their fuel tanks wherever they
happen to be. It’s the chicken and egg thing.
Retailers do not want to invest in a natural
gas station until there are enough cars on
the road needing this particular fuel and the
car manufacturers don’t want to sell natural
gas powered cars until there are enough fuel
stations to support them.”
Whilst doing a bit of my own research, I
discovered that the Italian government has
done much to encourage new car buyers to
go for gas. It is offering up to 3 500 Euros to
people choosing an LPG or CNG vehicle, with
an additional bonus of 1 500 Euros offered to
those agreeing to scrap a car older than ten
years to buy a less polluting model. A point
worth mentioning is that the LPG incentives
helped the Italian authorities to reduce CO2
emissions to about 138 g / km last March,
representing a 7 g / km improvement on the
same month the year before and putting Italy
squarely on the right path for reaching its CO2
emission targets set by the EU.
Despite the different theories on what is right
for the Italian retail petroleum market at the
moment, most people agree on one thing:
There a far too many petrol stations in Italy
and thousands will have to be closed. Graham
told to me that in European circles, Italy is
considered an anomaly and added “Today
there are 23 000 petrol stations in Italy, down
from 30 000 twenty years ago, but the market
leaders are still saying there must be a huge
shake up. With over twice the number of petrol
stations in place, compared to countries sharing a similar population, like the UK, service
stations are coming under intense pressure to
make a decent profit, especially considering
the recent increases in the price of fuel and the
decrease in fuel consumption. Whilst there
is a great deal of investment being made by
the major oil companies to create state of the
art petrol stations in Italy, the sector wants at
least 5 000 sites gone, if possible, by tomorrow".
When we look around the world at the more
traditional ways for improving the profitability
of a petrol station, like a shop selling non fuel
products, for example, we come up against
another problem in Italy. This starts with the
fact that in the Italian language there is no
direct translation for the term ‘Convenience
Store’. The concept doesn’t even exist and
so it is a little difficult to get things going on
the shop front without even having a concept
that people understand. Graham comments,
"Italians have a way of buying things which is
different to other countries and is the main
reason why the shop as such has been so long
in growing into the alternative profit centre
that it is elsewhere in the world. Whether
things will change or not, who knows, but what
I can say is that something needs to happen
very quickly, because of the uphill struggle
the sector is already facing in trying to make
petrol stations in Italy profitable enterprises
once again”.
On looking at the numbers a little closer, it
must be said that a turnaround in the near
future looks unlikely. Less than a third of
service stations in Italy feature a shop. The
low proportion, say the authorities, is a result
of retail regulations promoting the opening of
small to medium-sized stores in town centres.
This they say is limiting the growth of large
format stores, leading to an increase of small
unsophisticated shops. In this scenario, the
petrol forecourt holds less potential for opening
up a convenience type store on site. However,
the large retailers are now looking to overcome
regulatory hurdles and are considering service
stations as a potential growth channel. For
example Carrefour has teamed up with Agip
for the opening of Carrefour Express stores
across Agip’s fuel retail network and retailer’s
consortium, Retitalia has recently acquired
66 sites from Esso. Also, with new legislation, passed in parliament last year, aimed at
improving competition, certain trading laws
have been relaxed to help petrol forecourt
operators develop their businesses. Dealers
can now buy up to 50 percent of their oil
demand on the open market and are no longer
tied to exclusive agreements. They can also
sell food, drinks, newspapers and cigarettes,
which presumably they could not do before.
So it’s not all bad news for the former Roman Empire, but in terms of making a quick
comeback on the forecourt, Italy may have a
little longer to wait!
17
NEWS FROM RUSSIA & CIS
SOCAR claims 40 per- LUKOIL quarterly profit beats estimates
LUKOIL has said profit fell 11.5 percent in 3.5 percent to $ 36.7 billion. LUKOIL’s $ 2.05
cent of CNG market
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has said next year they are going to give
preference to stations offering compressed
natural gas (CNG). They plan to open about
3 to 4 traditional fuel stations, while the number of CNG stations will be about 15. Currently the Company has 10 CNG stations
in Georgia and another 10 such stations are
going to open by the end of 2013. As a result,
the CNG station net will reach 35 stations
before the end of 2014. In total the fuel station
network in Georgia will exceed 130 stations
consisting mostly of combined fuel sales of
petrol, diesel and CNG.
Cabinet breaks agreement with LUKOIL
the third quarter as gains on lower tax the
previous year weren’t repeated. Net income
declined to $ 3.11 billion from $ 3.51 billion
a year earlier, the Moscow-based company
said in a statement on its website. That beat
the $ 3.03 billion average estimate of eight
analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sales gained
billion purchase of regional producer Samara
Nafta from Hess Corp. in April helped the
company reverse output declines in Russia
dating to 2009. Production is set to extend
gains as LUKOIL starts commercial output
in Iraq by the end of this year or start of
next year.
WOG outlines development plans
The WOG fuel station network CEO Sergey
Koretsky has outlined development plans for
the company, including an increase in its retail
market share. Speaking at the Conference on
Petroleum Ukraine 2013, Koretsky revealed
that the company turnover will reach $3bn for
2013 on sales of 2 million tonnes of petroleum
products. The total number of fuel service
stations, he added, will be 500 at year end.
“Our plans are very ambitious. In three or four
years, we intend to increase their share of retail
sales of petroleum products by 30 percent. To
do this we need to do a great job of filling our
network, but we are ready for it”, said Koretsky.
In 2014, the company plans to open 100 stations and develop related services, including
a network of restaurants. WOG also intends
to launch an updated and improved brand
loyalty programme, while also switching to
LED lighting in its fuel service stations.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine have
broken an agreement between the state
enterprise “Chernomorneftegaz” and the
Russian oil and gas company “LUKOIL” on
joint exploration and production of oil and Veteran emerging markets investor Mark the state-controlled Russian oil major. The
natural gas in the Black Sea. At the moment, Mobius has sold his fund’s stake in Russia’s Franklin Templeton emerging markets group
“Chernomorneftegaz” is independently en- TNK-BP Holding, walking away from his has more than $1 billion invested in Rusgaged in the exploration and production of attempt to get a better buyout deal from sian equities. Rosneft bought TNK-BP for
hydrocarbons in Odesa and Bezimenne fields. the firm’s new owner, Rosneft. Yet Mobius, $55 billion in March, but did not offer equal
manager of Templeton’s Emerging Markets terms to minority investors who own about
Fund, is not pulling out of Russia entirely 5 percent of TNK-BP’s listed unit, now called
after a bruising exchange between minority RN Holding, raising concerns over Russia’s
shareholders and Igor Sechin, the boss of corporate governance standards.
The Azerbaijan Tariff Council have made an
historic decision raising the retail price of petrol
for the first time above the dollar mark, reaching
$ 1.02 per litre, approving a request from the The Rosneft board has approved deals to sell as much as $ 1.77 billion from the Black Sea
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) to oil product cargoes to BP worth more than port of Tuapse. It will sell up to 2 million
do so. The increase in prices was preceded by $ 6 billion, on top of a previous deal to sell oil metric tons of fuel oil to BP worth as much
an active propaganda campaign. SOCAR stated worth $ 5.3 billion. The state-owned company as $ 1.62 billion from the Baltic port of Ustthat it cannot cover the domestic demand for said in a filing that it would sell up to 3.2 mil- Luga and up to 60 000 metric tons of naphtha
fuel, which is growing 10–15 percent a year. lion metric tons of fuel oil to BP Singapore worth $ 65 million from Tuapse. BP raised its
As the company does not have enough local worth as much as $ 2.6 billion from the Far stake in Rosneft to nearly 20 percent as part of
crude it must refine petrol partly from imports East ports of Nakhodka or Vanino between the Russian oil major’s $ 55 billion takeover of
from Kazakhstan. The rise in fuel prices by November 2013 and December 2014 with a TNK-BP that was completed in March. Last
17–23 percent is going to lead to further in- possibility to lift it in 2015. Rosneft has not month, BP signed deals to buy $ 5.3 billion of
creases in consumer goods. The road transport disclosed the timeframe for other deals, but oil from Rosneft. Trade sources have also said
will inevitably have to increase tariffs for urban a source familiar with the agreements, said that BP was working on becoming the first oil
passenger transport. Some experts, including the deliveries should be fulfilled over the next major with a long-term deal to buy seaborne
members of parliament, predict that this decision 12 or 13 months. Rosneft will also sell up to crude from Rosneft, after some trading houses
will lead to higher food prices by 70–80 percent. 1.44 million metric tons of diesel to BP worth this year secured large volumes.
Templeton’s Mobius sells TNK-BP holding stake
Azerbaijan fuel price
rise – historic decision
Rosneft in $ 6 billion deal to supply BP
18
LATEST RUSSIA NEWS – WWW.PETROLPLAZA.COM
PRODUCT NEWS
3– 5 June 2014
xxx
Stuttgart, Germany
xxx
The European event nobody wants to miss!
UNITI expo is the ﬁrst event in Europe, targeting all aspects of the retail petroleum and fuel handling business.
More focused, more comprehensive and bigger than any other show in the European market, UNITI expo has
been created with the full support of the industry’s major suppliers.
Exhibitors and visitors to UNITI expo will beneﬁt from
35,000 square meters of exhibition and conference space

The world’s leading suppliers on show

International seminars

Simple in and out access to the exhibition

An international airport on site

Sponsored lunches and free directory

Complimentary admission

For more information visit
www.uniti-expo.com
For International exhibition
space enquiries contact
uniti-expo@com-a-tec.de or
call +49 7721 98 30 0
Visitor pre-registration
available from January 2014
at www.uniti-expo.com
Organised by UNITI-Kraftstoff GmbH
in association with com-a-tec GmbH,
McLean Communications Ltd, stolte
consult and WDM Werte Dialog
Management
Supported by
Cooperation partners
19
NEWS
ALTERNATIVEFUEL NEWS
xxx
20
xxx
LATEST ALTERNATIVE FUEL NEWS – WWW.PETROLPLAZA.COM
ALTERNATIVEFUEL NEWS
NEWS
Toyota ‘shows off’ hydrogen fuel cell car
Toyota is promising a mass-produced fuel cell
car by 2015 in the latest ambitious push to
go green by an industry long skeptical about
the super-clean technology that runs on
hydrogen. Satoshi Ogiso, the Toyota Motor
Corp. executive in charge of fuel cells, said
the vehicle is not just for leasing to officials
and celebrities but will be an everyday car for
ordinary consumers, widely available at dealers. A Toyota FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) concept
car was recently displayed at the Tokyo Motor
Show 2013 as a “concept” model called FCV.
Government backs new biofuel chemistry project
France’s Government has thrown its support
behind Deinove, a technological company
which designs, develops and markets industrial processes based on Deinococci bacteria,
selecting the company’s plant chemistry development programme for use by the Energy
Management Agency (ADEME) and the
General Investment Commission. Under a
new programme, Deinochem, the company
aim to produce a new generation of chemical compounds which can be substituted for
those which are traditionally petro-sourced.
These new compounds will be made from
non-food biomass such as wheat straw, corn
stover and cobs, energy crops and industrial
and urban waste to make second-generation
biofuel. The Government is supporting the
project with 6 million Euros in funding. “This
is one of the highest levels of financial backing ever granted in plant chemistry from the
government. Our country has clearly placed
biotechnologies at the heart of its industrial
innovation programme”, said Deinove CEO
Emmanuel Petiot.
EU Imposes Biodiesel Duties on Argentina, Indonesia
The European Commission has announced
that it will impose punitive duties on imports
of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia
for the next five years after concluding
that producers there were selling into the
bloc at unfairly low prices. The duties will
be set at an average of 24.6 percent for
biodiesel from Argentina and 18.9 percent
from Indonesia. EU member states voted to
support the Commission view, which found
that Argentine and Indonesian producers
dumped their products to the detriment of
European manufacturers. According to the
Commission, Argentine and Indonesian
companies benefited from artificially low
raw material prices because of high export
taxes imposed on soya beans and soybean oil
by Argentina and on palm oil by Indonesia.
Argentina and Indonesia together represent
90 percent of EU biodiesel imports. Their
share of the EU market rose to 22 percent
in 2011 from 9 percent in 2009.
Japanese hydrogen JV for Air Liquide
French industrial gases company Air Liquide years. Fuel cells generate electricity from the
is teaming up with a Toyota subsidiary to build conversion of hydrogen into water, thus proa network of fuelling stations for fuel-cell ducing no pollution, but a network of service
electric vehicles in Japan. Plan calls for 100 stations offering hydrogen must be created.
stations between four major Japanese cities Air Liquide will handle production, storage
within two years. With fuel-cell vehicles and distribution of hydrogen, and said it has
expected to reach the consumer market in already built more than 60 hydrogen fuelling
2015, Air Liquide said it and Toyota Tsusho stations for fuel cell vehicles throughout the
will create a new company to build 100 fuel- world. Toyota Tsusho handles the energyling stations in and along major highways related business of the Toyota Group, which
between four major Japanese cities within two includes the carmaker.
Les Mousquetaires announces new biodiesel plant
Les Mousquetaires, a French retail firm, has fat, which will come from both its own brand
opened what it says is France’s first plant pro- and other independent slaughterhouses, in the
ducing biodiesel from non-edible waste. The production of the fuel. Mousquetaires Direccompany has opened the facility in partnership tor Christophe Bonno said that the process
with German biomass processors Saria Group. will produce 96 tonnes of biodiesel from 100
The 40 million project is located in an industrial tonnes of feedstock and our goal is to produce
area of Le Harve port. Estener will use animal 75 000 tonnes of biodiesel a year.
ChargePoint invests for
massive EV adoption
In the US ChargePoint has teamed up with
Key Equipment Finance, one of the nation’s largest bank-held equipment finance
companies and an affiliate of KeyCorp, to
spur mass electric vehicle (EV) adoption
throughout the country. The two companies
have launched a $100 million lease-to-own
program for EV charging stations that will
give small and medium sized companies and
municipalities the opportunity to install
EV chargers at no upfront cost. According
to ChargePoint, this is the first comprehensive, turn-key program that allows for
pay-as-you-go financing of charging stations,
installation costs, operational services and
warranty.
Agencies join UK
Hydrogen fuel project
In the UK the Greater London Authority,
Welsh Government, and Transport Scotland
have all joined the UK H2Mobility project.
This project aims to promote the use of
hydrogen fuel cells in the transportation
sector and has been responsible for the
building of new hydrogen fuel stations in
the United Kingdom. The UK has a keen
interest in clean transportation because it
can help the country reach its emissions
reduction goals. The three new partners
of H2Mobility will aid in the project’s
various endeavours. Each new member will
play a role in the planning, development,
and research of hydrogen fuel and how it
can be used in transportation. One of the
primary goals of the project is to develop a
comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure
throughout the United Kingdom.
Dor Alon buy gas to
make fuel
Israel’s Dor Alon Gas Technologies Ltd. Has
said that it has signed an agreement to buy
natural gas. Dor Alon Gas Technologies Ltd.,
a unit of Dor Alon Energy in Israel, said it
would buy $ 85 million in natural gas over
the next seven years from Israel’s offshore
Tamar natural gas field. Converting natural
gas into fuel will cost consumers less than
petrol. The natural-gas based fuel, which
has been approved by the transportation
ministry, is also less harmful to the environment, according to the company, but
requires drivers to spend about $ 2 000 to
convert their vehicle to this new fuel.
LATEST ALTERNATIVE FUEL NEWS – WWW.PETROLPLAZA.COM
21
USA NEWS
QuikTrip promising
“big changes”
Kroger announces investment in Dallas
Kroger Co. will invest $ 150 million in north
Texas to fuel a store-building spree including five new Marketplace stores and three
other store expansions. Kroger also said it
would expand fuel facilities and renovate
existing stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth
market. The growth initiative will create
more than 1 700 full- and part-time career
QuikTrip has promised “big changes” as
the company nears its 700th outlet. The
fuel and convenience retailer is expanding
its headquarters to better serve its growing
store base. QuikTrip has broken ground on
an 80 000 square-foot expansion to its Tulsa
headquarters, with ambitions including the
opening of a 700th store sometime in 2014
and a more aggressive move into food and
beverages, according to company spokesman Mike Thornbrugh. “The competition A new app developed by Department of Energy
now is not between convenience stores. It’s (DoE) makes finding fuelling stops easy and
big-box, it’s fast-feeders, it’s coffee”, Thorn- journeys easier to plan. Just knowing the app
brugh said and in the next six months and exists could encourage hesitant drivers to
few years you will see some big changes at consider an alt fuel car, which in turn could
QuikTrip. “Hopefully you come to QuikTrip, fuel demand for more stations. The National
you need gas, you’re thirsty or you’re hungry”, Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently
Thornbrugh said, explaining the company’s unveiled the iPhone app where users can
strategy. “The stomach portion is where
we’re looking to expand.” QuikTrip now has
a footprint in 11 markets across nine states
and 674 stores in all.
One of the top fuel-card companies in the
U.S. for commercial vehicle fleets, FleetCor Technologies (FLT), has been buying
up local fuel-card networks outside the
country to fuel its own growth. Most of the
TC CEO T homas M. O’Br ien said he company’s revenue comes from its payment
expects they will open new LNG service network and card processing services for
stations during the first half of 2014 with commercial and government fleets, tied to
one in Pennsylvania, one or two in Texas
and two or three in California. Both Travel
Centers and Shell expect to ultimately have
a nationwide network of 200 LNG filling Perhaps there is no clearer sign that Manhatstations. In July 2012 both announced their tan space has reached a high premium rates
intent to work together and later hammered than the continuing disappearance of gasoline
out a final agreement.
stations at main intersections. Spurred by the
recession and now the recovery’s development
clamour, service stations popular among New
York cabbies and motorists are literally losing
their ground to apartments, stores and offices.
Rezoning
of these sites for residential use has
7-Eleven’s experiment with compressed
natural gas has been such a success that also spurred development. Their diminishing
the company plans to offer the fuel at other
locations. “I can’t identify the locations, but
we’re sufficiently encouraged to do more of
it”, said Jim Brown, CEO of 7-Eleven Stores, CITGO Petroleum Corp. is giving its retailers
which owns the 7-Eleven locations in the and marketers the opportunity to purchase
Oklahoma City area. “At the time we did it, Bennett Pacific Series dispensers, fully
we weren’t excited about what we were see- imaged with CITGO’s Centennial Image
ing as far as consumer demand”, he said. “I graphics, at an exclusive negotiated price on
wouldn’t have anticipated that it would have all orders placed before 31st December 2014.
been so well received here. But now that it has, Special pricing is also available for Big Fueler
we see an opportunity there, especially given Ultra High Flow Diesel dispensers and Big
the way the product is priced in the market.” Fueler dispensers with diesel exhaust fluid.
opportunities. New Marketplace stores and
fuel centres are scheduled to be built in the
Texas towns of Forney (opening in 2014) as
well as Bartonville, North Richmond Hills,
Lewisville and Granbury (all expected to
open in 2015). Kroger Signature stores in
Flower Mound, Irving and Rockwell are all
to be expanded.
iPhone app for alternative fuel
choose the alternative fuel they need, whether
electricity, natural gas, biodiesel, E85, propane
or hydrogen, the app will display the 20 closest
stations within a 30-mile radius. Users can
also view the stations on a map or as a list.
They can click on any of the stations to receive
additional information including directions,
contact information and hours of operation.
FleetCor fuels its own growth
Travel Centers announce LNG locations
drivers’ fuel purchases. After an acquisition,
FleetCor turns up the throttle by transferring the new accounts to its platform and
in doing so it can introduce new services
and sometimes raise pricing. Six to 12
months down the road, the acquisitions
typically drive per-share earnings higher
than analysts’ expectations.
Manhattan’s disappearing fuel stations
7-Eleven planning
more CNG stations
numbers have rankled city motorists and taxi
drivers whose memories of long lines at gas
stations after Hurricane Sandy remain fresh
a year later. Others worry that high rises are
relentlessly displacing essential fixtures of the
city’s streetscape, like hospitals, churches and
schools. But these sites, whose oddball shapes
and suburban style always made an unusual fit
in New York’s grid, offer developers can’t-miss
opportunities in a land-starved city.
CITGO offers special pricing on upgrades
22
LATEST USA NEWS – WWW.PETROLPLAZA.COM
The Bennett Pump Co.’s Bennett Pacific
Series is an attractive dispenser because it
is payment card industry-approved; compatible with CITGO-approved point-of-sale
systems; energy efficient, providing savings
in electricity costs; and features a 5.7-inch
display with LED backlighting for optimal
visibility in all lighting conditions, according
to CITGO.
LEADING INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS – SUPPORTING ERPECNEWS
www.alucobond.com
www.pwm.com
Inventory Control Management
Dispensing Systems
www.tecalemit.de
www.scheidt-bachmann.com
www.bennettpump.com
International Forecourt Control Specialists
LED Under Canopy Illumination and Displays
www.integration.co.nz
www.beverinnovations.com
Leak Prevention
www.sgb.de
www.brugg.de
The Kärcher car wash system
www.kaercher.com
www.sloanled.com
www.christ-ag.com
www.kpsystem.com
www.tanknology.com
www.cree.com
www.kssfuels.com
In Innovation, In Reliable Services
www.tatsuno.co.jp/english/
www.plxpipe.com
www.tokheim.com
Superior environmental compliance solutions
www.elaflex.de
www.leightonobrien.com
www.turpak.com.tr
www.gilbarco.com/eu
www.mepsan.com.tr
www.fafnir.com
www.micros-retail.co.uk
www.franklinfueling.com
First choice for successful car wash business
www.washtec.de
www.wayne.com
www.mueller-offenburg.de
*'
Integrated Coating & Monitoring Systems
www.hectronic.com
www.ono-oil.com
www.wincor-nixdorf.com
If you have not yet sent us your logo and website address, please do so for the next issue by mailing editor@erpecnews.com
23

Philippine retailer plans continued expansion Sasol

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