The Bulletin Magazine - September 2020 by apeauk

The Bulletin

MAGAZINE - September 2020

APEA (The Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration)

Welcome

Business Manager

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15 19 20 23 26 28 28

Editorial

New Members

Membership News

Publications Information Articles

Interview with Andy Kennedy, Business Development Director - Global-MSI & Petrol Sign Petrol Sign Rescue Site Opening during Covid-19 APEA Online Training

The Hidden Cost Building up on your Forecourt

Smartflex Specialist AdBlue Pipe and Compact Double Wall Fittings by Nupi were Ideal Solution for the Spanish Truck Stop with Tight Space for the Installation APEA/IET Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment - Filling Station Supplement Public Petitions on Fireworks

News

Training

Inside

Press Releases

APEA Live 2020 Conference, Exhibition and Awards Dinner

Front cover: Petrolina petrol Station Kato Pygros Cyprus Published by the APEA (The Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration) A company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No. 2261660.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the Association. The technical content is not an official endorsement by or on behalf of the APEA and are entirely the views of the authors.

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Welcome

We can be found on Linkedin at : https://www.linkedin.com/ company/apea-org and on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/apea_org In regard to other areas of the APEA, our training courses which are provided by the APEA expert trainers are commencing again, however with limited places for the moment and we are expecting to get back up to normal as soon as government guidelines allow.

Tom Daly APEA Chairman

Welcome to the September issue of The Bulletin. This month’s Bulletin is full of great, interesting articles that are relevant to our industry. Please also take the time to read through our advertisements as without them, our publication would not be of such a good quality. As I write this article, we are coming out of lockdown and restrictions are beginning to be lifted. The APEA is slowly getting back to a level of normal activities and I expect that with a new momentum we will continue to go from strength to strength. Like many of you, we have been trying to get a balance of working from home while, at the same time, maintaining face to face contact, by exploring new ways of having online meetings and forums. We have worked to create appropriate social media platforms so that the APEA can use the most up to date methods to communicate the broad scope of work it undertakes to a wider audience and to encourage greater interaction between members and the Association. As a result, we would encourage you to join us on our APEA twitter account with an updated bio and profile images. We have also created an APEA Linkedin company page and invited everyone in the relevant private groupings to follow the APEA through this medium.

APEA Business Manager (contact for all APEA Business and Bulletin advertising, design and typesetting) Jane Mardell APEA, PO Box 106 Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3XT Tel: +44 (0) 345 603 5507 Mobile: +44 (0) 7815 055514 email: admin@apea.org.uk

The APEA is pleased to announce our first online training course and there is an article included on this venture within The Bulletin. Details and dates of our various training courses can be found on our website. As a member, you should be aware that there is a great resource available on the APEA website in our technical advice section, along with past articles on various topics of technical interest. In addition, our technical committee continue to provide advice and technical assistance and answer many and varying queries in relation to all aspects of the service station. The preparations for the annual APEA Live event to be held this year in Milton Keynes on the 19th November are progressing well. We expect to have an attractive line up of topics and speakers for the conference. The APEA Live Event has been a great success over the last number of years and attracts many stakeholders from the industry. It is definitely the place to be for business opportunities, information and networking, along with a good night out at the Awards dinner. I look forward to seeing you all at the event again this year. I would like to thank all the APEA branch members for the work, time and effort put in by them, in organising their local meetings and technical talks for their members. APEA branches meet throughout the year and provide an excellent networking and social opportunity for those working in the industry. In many cases it is a good opportunity to meet up with regulators, manufacturers, suppliers, equipment installers and consultants. I would again encourage you to participate with your local APEA branch if not already involved. Details of the contacts for each branch can be found on our website.

Publications Chairman Andy Kennedy Tel: 01302 346717 Mobile: 07469 212063 email: andykennedy@apea.org.uk Editor Brian Humm Mobile: +44 (0) 7507 478533 email: b.humm@outlook.com

Find us on Linkedin and Twitter 4

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Editorial

Editorial Brian Humm Editor

Welcome to this new edition of the APEA Bulletin magazine. As usual I hope you find the content interesting and enlightening, and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to ensure that we could achieve this publication; remember I need this amount and sort of copy every quarter so why not try and make it a habit!

The unusual situation of Covid19 is still among us. As I write this introduction the lockdown is to be lifted very soon; restrictions on pubs, restaurants, cafes etc are to be lifted, as is air travel and hotels. Combine this with the good weather that we are currently experiencing and it could be disastrous (in my opinion). There are obviously still restrictions on who you can meet and how many etc. The re-introduction of football is extremely odd. The absence of crowds is really weird and somewhat distracting; I cannot listen to the fake crowd either. They must have a production assistant pressing a button if there is a near miss etc. very annoying, anyway I digress. The allowance of hotels to open, for instance, can allow our industry to function better. A lot of our members spend a lot of time in hotels through work, I am one of them, so this will boost our industry even more and hopefully aid recovery to any of our members that are struggling at the moment.

I sincerely wish all of you a prosperous future and would say that an article in this publication is a great way of promoting your business; a description and photos of a recent project, a milestone reached, a new employee, a retirement, anything that you would like to share with us, feel free, there is no charge.

Talking of retirement, the enforcing world of the London Fire Brigade will never be the same again. I, ladies and gentlemen, am sad to announce the retirement (again) of Mr Jack Brinkhurst from his position as a petroleum inspector. Those of you that know Jack will miss the experience of listening intently, at a close distance, when he explains things or gives his opinion. He will be sorely missed as will his vast knowledge and possibly his collection of all old London Fire Brigade technical sheets and guidance notes! There is a precis of his career in this issue on page 10. If you are lucky I will also tell you the story of when he tried to kill me when driving to the APEA conference, exhibition and dinner when it was held at Telford a few years ago, listening 6

to The Killers if I remember rightly! A true inspector and a good friend who I have known for 38 years. Happy retirement Jack, we will have a pint one day soon!

Following the news of the relaxation of the lockdown, APEA Live 2020 is slowly creeping up on us. Not long now until the greatest show for the UK downstream industry is to happen at the MK Stadium, Milton Keynes. November 19th to be precise; save the date and why not book a table or a dinner place. Once again Alex Boudry and his committee have feverishly been sourcing amazing speakers for the conference. If last year’s lineup was anything to go by then this year’s will be amazing. Also don’t forget the APEA awards, these are now so simple to enter, all it takes is to go to www.apealive.co.uk and follow the link to the awards page. There are several steps which, to be honest, even I could manage and the ability to upload either photographs or testimonials etc. supporting your application, it really couldn’t be simpler. Go on, you know you want to, imagine being called up to the stage in front of 600+ of your peers! No pressure! If you would like any more information or assistance you could always contact me, and I can point you in the right direction.

Training, understandably, has been cancelled for the Association for a while now. We can start again soon, and we have already ﬁlled a 3 day course to be held in September at Stansted Airport. Because of the need to social distance we have had to reduce the numbers; any member that missed this course could look at the APEA website to see when we are holding further courses. Another is now in October at Stansted Airport; any queries then please contact Tom Daly, APEA Training Chairman, whose details appear elsewhere in this publication.

You will see, from an article within this Bulletin, that the APEA is embarking on online training. Early days yet but I, for one, am excited at this prospect. We will keep members posted. Finally, as usual I would like to extend some more thanks, ﬁrstly to Jamie Thompson for all his assistance in producing a lot of copy for The Bulletin and obviously another of his holiday pictures for the front cover and lastly Jane, for working through the immense pain barrier at the moment and hopefully all will be better soon. Until next time...

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Business Manager

Jane Mardell Business Manager

I hope you have all been enjoying your summer, be it in lockdown or not. I have been working normally from home but as I write this report at the beginning of July, mine has been strange in that I have been housebound since 18th February with sciatica as well. So working from my bed and relying on weekly supermarket deliveries and friends, family and neighbours. I am waiting for an operation which I hope will be soon to resolve the issue on my spine. It makes you realise how lucky you are when you suddenly ﬁnd yourself in a situation where you cannot walk for longer than a couple of minutes or sit on a chair normally because of excruciating pain. It also makes you realise how it must be to be disabled for life and the frustrations experienced day to day. Fingers crossed by the time you receive this issue I may have had the op! APEA Live 2019, 19th November 2020 When you receive this issue there will only be a few months until APEA Live 2020 at Milton Keynes and the APEA Events committee and F2F Events are working hard to get everything in place. There is a lot of work that goes into organising APEA Live behind the scenes to provide a professional and valuable event.

Anyone wishing to book a place at the Conference, Exhibition or Awards Dinner should go to the ‘APEA Live’ tab on the home page of the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk or you can click here to go directly to the booking website www.apealive.co.uk/. Please note there are discounts for ‘early bird’ booking.

For more information go to page 76 of this issue of the Bulletin. Please also ensure you book your accommodation early as this gets booked well in advance.

APEA AGM 19th November, 12.10pm With this issue of The Bulletin you have received an AGM invitation letter and a nomination form. Instructions on how to nominate to council are detailed on the nomination form. This can also be completed electronically and emailed to the Honorary Secretary as well as sending by post. You can also download the form and the APEA 2019 reduced accounts from this link https://apea.org.uk/pages/inside-apea/abbreviated-accounts. You will need your website log on details to view the ﬁles.

AGM Nominations to council All members should submit their nominations by 8th October to the Honorary Secretary. If there is more than one person nominated for a post instructions will be emailed to members on how to vote for their preferred choice. This process has to be completed two weeks before the AGM on 19th November. If you would like to attend the AGM please email me at admin@apea.org.uk to pre-register your attendance.

2021 Yearbook The 2021 Yearbooks will be distributed on 1st October. If you have not received your copy by the end of October please let me know and I will chase up your delivery. We only have a limited amount of spare copies so you need to contact me by the end of October if you have not received your copy. All Yearbooks sent to Corporate members will be sent by courier. APEA Awards The APEA Awards entry system has been launched and you will view information at www.apealive.co.uk

Members email addresses APEA communication to members is carried out by email. Please ensure you keep your email address and contact details up to date on your membership record by logging onto your account at www.apea.org.uk. This will ensure you do not miss out on information about APEA activity. New Members There have been 18 new members joining during April, May and June and details can be found on page 9. General Assistance If you need any assistance with general or technical matters, please do not hesitate to contact me at admin@apea.org.uk or on 0345 603 5507. Regards Jane

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

New Members

New Members (April, May, June)

Corporate Membership Carl Dane IC ELectrical Solutions

Andy Greaves Allianz Engineering Construction and Power

Ricky Devine GEO-DEV Ltd

Michael Dixon Pro Circuit Electrical

Matthew Crammond Aqumen Freight Management Ltd Carl Dane IC ELectrical Solutions Dominic Betteridge Pipeﬂex Systems Ltd

Individual Membership M R Weston

William Bowes A1 Engineering Iom Limited Mark Orr Mark J Orr

Angela Destang Industrial Switchgear Services Ltd

Michael Legge Legges Electrical

Frank Pedersen Nordic Fuel Systems As

William Bowes A1 Engineering Iom Limited Maja Stirrat MCN Trading Solutions Ltd Gary Smith Mr G Smith

Ashley Lamont Whittaker and Watt Architects Foo Kiah-lien Retired

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Membership News

Jack Brinkhurst

By Clare Scawthorn, Petroleum & Alternative Fuels Group Manager, London Fire Brigade Jack Brinkhurst started working for the Greater London Council on the 3rd October 1966 in a clerical role and worked his way up to the role of Senior Petroleum Inspector (Technical) which he was appointed to on 28th June 1999 before he retired from service on 1st January 2004. During this time Jack also undertook the Institute of Fire Engineers qualifications and became a member in 1980. After a brief temping spell with the Brigade between November 2004 and February 2005, where he was employed to slim down the filing of the petroleum department, he also enjoyed a spell as a white van man, delivering auto parts throughout Sussex, then a brief spell as a petroleum inspector with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, following a poaching mission by the head and deputy of the LFB petroleum group. Jack then officially rejoined the Petroleum Group on 8th December 2006, reprising his role as a Petroleum Inspector which he has held to this day.

Jack has seen the industry evolve over these years and has been instrumental in ensuring that standards were raised, and new technology and developments were fit for purpose. Whilst in post as the Senior Petroleum Inspector (Technical) Jack had the difficult task of managing the change from the 100% prescriptive Licensing regime to the partially risk assessed regime under DSEAR, whereby forecourt operators had the duty to ensure that

the equipment they used was fit for purpose rather than depending upon the Licensing Authority to approve it for Jack (right) enjoying another of his use. His legacy of hobbies with Jamie Thompson ensuring that petrol filling stations were built correctly with appropriate engineered control measures will live on until the last car is filled with petrol. Whilst many in the industry will have found Jack’s attention to detail ‘challenging’ over the years, he has and will continue to be well respected by all.

In total Jack has cumulatively served London Fire Brigade for over 50 years, proving himself time and time again to be a valued member of the team, always on hand to provide sound counsel, unwavering support and expertise to the team and wider enforcement network in this ﬁeld. There hasn’t been, and won’t be, anyone that has served as a ‘Petroleum Enforcer’ for anywhere near as long as Jack has, certainly in the UK and probably anywhere in the world and the Petroleum & Alternative Fuels Group are immensely proud to have had him serve alongside them.

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Publications Information

4th Edition of the Guidance for Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations - “Blue Book” (Revised 2018) ISBN 978 0 85293 888 1

Price for hard copy APEA Member rate - £75 Non APEA Member rate - £150

Price for pdf version (please note the pdf version is licensed to the purchaser only and cannot be shared or printed) APEA Member rate - £75 Non APEA Member rate - pdf £150

If you wish to purchase the guide please go to the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk and click on the “Publications” page. You can select to pay by credit/debit card.

The APEA also publishes the Code of Practice for Ground floor, multi storey and underground car parks. This can be downloaded directly from the APEA website and is available to members at £11.00 and £21.00 to non APEA members.

Bulletin Magazine

• The Bulletin is published four times a year with a print run of 2200. • Free issue to APEA members (approx 1200 members worldwide) • Has international distribution and readership • Respected source of industry specific news and information • Contains relevant news items and reports from overseas • Individual, Fellow and Retired members receive one copy each and Corporate members receive 5 copies each per quarter. The editor of The Bulletin, Brian Humm, is always on the look out for new material, so if you have something you want to be included, please email it to the APEA office at admin@apea.org.uk and it will be forwarded to Brian for approval. Please email the text in Word format and any images as separate high resolution pdf or jpeg files to admin@apea.org.uk.

Bulletin Advertising

Discounts are available for booking in more than one issue, please contact Jane Mardell at admin@apea.org.uk for more information. Bulletin advertisers that book in 3 or more issues in one year also receive a 50% discount off rates for advertising in the annual Yearbook, see table.

If you would like to book advertising in The Bulletin, please email your requirements to admin@apea.org.uk or call the office on 0345 603 5507. Please ensure you send your artwork to admin@apea.org.uk. All rates quoted exclude VAT.

We are always pleased to receive contributions from our members and it ensures that The Bulletin remains an interesting and informative read.

Deadline dates for copy and advertising artwork 2020/2021 Issue

Copy deadline

Posting date

Mar 2021

7th December

12th February

Dec 2020 Jun 2021

Sept 2021

21st September 22nd March 25th June

6th November 7th May

13th August

Please note the deadline date for the March 2021 issue is early due to Christmas and New Year holidays.

Size of advert

Advert in 4 Advert in 1 issues issue (includes 25% disc

Full page (210mmw x 280mmh with 10mm border or with 3mm bleed)

£498.00

£1494.00

½ page (185mmw x 125mmh)

£249.00

£747.00

¼ page (90mmw x 120mmh)

£125.00

£375.00

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Articles

Interview with Andy Kennedy, Business Development Director - Global-MSI & Petrol Sign By Brian Humm, Bulletin Editor

Hi Andy, thank you for agreeing to be my next victim in the interview series for the APEA Bulletin. Firstly, I know you quite well from my petroleum inspector days, our first encounter when you worked for BP. Could you inform the members of your previous roles within the industry? Thanks Brian. I left my job as a Colliery underground electrician during the miner’s strike in 1984. Not having any wages for six months was a good incentive to get off my backside and look for a new career. I dropped on as my first foray into the local free newspaper (remember when you looked in newspapers for jobs) led to an advert for the position of service engineer with electrical/ mechanical abilities. The advert didn’t name who it was for, just an address to send a C.V. As I had plenty of time on my hands I went to the library and read up on interview techniques and attended very well prepared. I knew more about their company than the interviewers did. This included global turnover, UK turnover, staffing levels, previous year’s profits etc. The company was Gilbarco who were owned by Exxon at the time and the role was a pump service engineer for the APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Articles

South Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire area. I’m glad to say I was successful and started my career in the forecourt industry. I have always said this was my most enjoyable job; they even gave me a van to run around in. After three years I went to a smaller service and installation company, Lectronic Specialists Limited (known as LSL, then later just Lectronic). Starting as a service engineer I later held several roles including Technical Support Manager and Regional Manager. I still think Lectronic were way ahead of their time in the forecourt service industry led by the late John Hare. First to have laptops for all engineers, first to send job updates electronically, first to kit all the engineers out in uniforms with company logos. All things we take for granted today but were revolutionary back in the late eighties. Ten years later Lectronic was bought out by Gilbarco and I ended up with my old job back. That was a very strange feeling, even though I had been gone 10 years it seemed like I had just been on a long holiday. It was all the same guys I was working with, a real nice bunch of engineers. My last role for Gilbarco came about when they signed a new five year contract with BP for all the forecourt equipment maintenance and the deal included a full time Account Manager. I worked in this position for three years and must have built a good rapport with the client as the BP Global Alliance offered me the position to manage their fuel equipment maintenance contracts for them as part of their team. Poacher turned gamekeeper was mentioned a few times. Around three years in to that challenge the position of UK Maintenance Manager became vacant and I put my hat in the ring.

After seven years at BP I felt I had put enough pressure on my family by working in Milton Keynes Monday to Friday only going home at the weekends. I’m sure many member’s partners can sympathise with my wife. Handling two stroppy teenagers is hard enough without having to do it on your own most of the week. So, I left BP and took up the role of Service Manager for Tokheim and then moved nearer home working for Combined Gas Systems (CGS) who were based in Doncaster (my adopted hometown). Working with LPG was a great education and the staff at CGS definitely knew their stuff. It is a pity, but after a few years in it became clear that LPG was slowly dying on the forecourt - time to move on again. We were busier taking sites out than putting any new ones in. My last outing was completely oﬀ the wall for me. I managed to get a great job with Global-MSI who make forecourt structures such as canopies and shop buildings. Chances are, if you are on a site with a canopy or modern shop, they built it. Again I had managed to stray into an area I knew little about. Looking back I must like new challenges. As usual the vast knowledge of my colleagues carried me through until I could look like I knew what I was talking about. I became Business Development Director for Global-MSI then retired from full time work at the end of August last year.

Your role was obviously important. Could you let our members know what your duties included? I like to think I looked after the customers as my main role at Global-MSI. If you do that customers tend to come back to you with new business, rather than you having to chase new business elsewhere. However it was always a challenge trying to grow business in the current market. We also had some success installing large canopies in non-forecourt settings such as loading bays, car dealerships and airports. However there is no substitute 16

for contacting people and following up leads. When MS International Plc purchased a signware company ‘Petrol Sign’ it gave me a vast array of new opportunities to compliment the structures business and helped open new doors.

This must have involved a lot of travel. Any interesting stories? I have several stories usually about staying away which could unexpectedly turn into an adventure when you least expect it.

I once got booked into a hotel near Basildon that had chalets in the grounds. Just as I got into bed the door handle started getting rattled from the outside. I opened the door to see an unshaven bloke in his pyjamas at the door. When I asked if I could help he said he wanted to come in. When I said “sorry no” he started to push on the door. We ended up pushing against each other until I managed to get the door shut. As I stood listening against the door the next thing he started banging on the window at the other side of the room. I didn’t sleep a wink all night. In the morning when I mentioned this to the receptionist I was informed by the manager after leaving my chalet the guy had stripped oﬀ then went into somebody else’s room and tried to set ﬁre to their bed. Turns out there was a psychiatric hospital next door and the poor chap had escaped from a secure ward. Funnily enough I asked to get booked in elsewhere next time I had to stay at the factory.

Another time I flew up one summer to install a Micrelec till system and new pumps in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Half way through commissioning the till went off and the power supply inside had failed. Not having a spare with me I arranged for an engineer in Glasgow to put one on the first flight up in the morning. The plan was, I had time to pick the power supply up from the morning flight, go to site and finish the commission then get the last flight back out that day. All was going to plan until the engineer (Billy) phoned to say he was at the airport but had arrived too late for unaccompanied freight. I told Billy, no option now you will have to fly up with it as hand luggage and then fly back with me later in the day. He said “I can’t I have my work boiler suit on”. I said just take it off to get the reply “but it’s a hot day and I’m not wearing any trousers”. I replied, “I’m not staying here another day, just get on the plane”.

Luckily the job went well and we were back at the airport in plenty time that night. Now Billy being a canny Glasgow lad informed me “as we had our boarding passes with seat reservations we could enjoy a coffee and let all the punters (his term for the other passengers) queue up first and we go on at the end.” However, I was stopped when I got to the steps of the plane because I was carrying a briefcase full of hand tools. My comments that the case hadn’t been a problem for the crew in Glasgow loading on the way up didn’t hold any sway with the locals, it had to go in the hold. This meant the plane was held up while they opened the hold to put my tool case in. By the time Billy and I got on the plane the rest of the passengers were chomping at the bit to get away. On arrival at our allocated reservations there was a very smartly dressed business couple in our seats. Billy immediately clicked his fingers to summon the stewardess who then asked “is there a problem sir?” Billy’s reply came in these words “Yer bluddy tooting luv, these twa punters are in oor seats”. The lady sat in our allocated place then said “We were last on and were told to sit in any empty seats”. To which Billy replied “well these are ours, so I suggest yea find anither yin tae park yer butt”. I often wonder about the tale she related when back at work about the day she was kicked out of her British Airways aeroplane seat by the little Glaswegian mechanic in an oily boiler suit…

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Articles

We had some amusing calls in the BP maintenance centre. We arrived one morning to ﬁnd the following call placed by a BP site. ‘White Transit van mis-fuelled and put petrol in a diesel tank. Driver backed up to the VAC machine and came in for a token. Driver tried to vacuum fuel out of his tank and the Vac machine exploded. (No third party details). Can you send an engineer?

Another was a site who were convinced asbestos was falling out of the canopy and had shut the site, even though we tried to assure them there shouldn’t be any asbestos in the canopy. To keep them happy we arranged an emergency contractor to attend. On arrival they had trouble keeping a straight face while telling us it was just blossom blowing oﬀ the trees behind the site.

Lastly some amusing (but not funny) vent pipe sightings. On a visit to a company owned site I spotted a glass ash tray at the bottom of the vents. When I mentioned it to the manager I was advised that was the designated smoking point.

On a dealer site I noticed an enterprising sort had installed a small garden shed at the bottom of the vents as the used car sales office. Concerned that it had a phone line going to it I decided to investigate further and as I got closer noticed the shed was actually chained to the vent pipes. Imagine my reaction when I went inside to find the car dealer sat warming himself in front of a Calor gas heater. Unbelievable.

So quite vast experience then. Which aspect did you enjoy most? I have many varied roles in the industry working for different organisations, but I still class myself as a petrol pump engineer that branched out into other things. I always loved the job going round different sites fixing problems. I know it isn’t the same today with a lot more pressure on due to tight SLA’s and customer expectations. When I started back in 1984 the highest SLA we had was three working days. Now most customers are looking for four hours on the busy sites. But nothing in my opinion gives greater satisfaction than the feeling when you have a really difficult technical fault and manage to solve it. So what area are you currently involved in? Retirement didn’t last long as I agreed to carry on my old role at a reduced level. I am enjoying helping out where I can with sales for both divisions of MS International Plc; Global-MSI for structures and Petrol Sign UK for forecourt signware. Perhaps it is just as well, with the arrival of Covid-19, we’ve had several holidays booked this year and all have been cancelled.

You are now the Honorary Secretary of the APEA, could you tell our members your role? My role is similar to any company secretary in a publically listed company. The company secretary is responsible for the efficient administration of a company, particularly with regard to ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and for ensuring that decisions of the board of directors are

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Articles

implemented. However, there is such a vast array of highly skilled and experienced people to work alongside on the APEA, it is not as difficult as it may sound.

Do you enjoy it and what do you consider the important areas of your role? I do enjoy the role. I was trying to work out how long I have been a member and I think it was the very early nineties I joined. I always eagerly waited for The Bulletin to drop through the door and attended all branch meetings I could. It was a shame when the Yorkshire and Humberside branch stopped meeting but all credit to Craig Brocklehurst who got it up and running again. Having gained so much from the organisation over the years I feel honoured that I have been given the opportunity to put something back in. Hopefully my balanced approach is a benefit to the council and can help to facilitate good debate and assist in driving change to keep the organisation fresh and relevant for the members. Now, you must be working extremely long-hours, what you do to relax away from the office environment? I have always been a great believer in family life and have now enjoyed 37 years of marriage to my wonderful wife Judy, so most things involve doing things together. We are keen travellers and get in as many holidays as we can in the UK as well as abroad. We have a well-travelled touring caravan and spend a lot of time cycling and walking. Luckily we moved to a quiet village location a few years ago, so there is plenty of countryside around for us

to ramble in. One purchase from a well-known auction site last year after several beers was a tandem. It has taken a bit of getting used to but you can see us touring round North Lincolnshire on it every now and again. Of course I get to be captain and Judy has to be the stoker. (Tandem user’s lingo) Sounds like good fun. Is there anything else you would like our members to know about? A couple of thoughts I would like to leave the members with from experience are;

• When things are not going well it is usually not as bad as it seems at the time. I have been in a few situations where you think the worst and the outlook is gloomy. Stick with it and try to stay as positive as possible. Change is always going to happen, look for the opportunities and take it as a chance do something diﬀerently or make a fresh start.

• One thing that is guaranteed, you will always worry about your kids. I can conﬁrm you never stop worrying no matter how old they get. All I can say is try to give them advice but don’t get upset when they ignore you. My two boys usually do, but have both done OK. One has followed my footsteps and is a forecourt service engineer at TLM, the other is an electronics engineer on the Renault F1 team. Ok Andy, thank you very much for your participation in this interview and hope we will catch up soon.

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Articles

Petrol Sign Rescue Site Opening during Covid-19 By Andy Kennedy Business Development Director - Global-MSI & Petrol Sign

Petrol-Sign, based in Doncaster, came to the rescue of Euro Garages during the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Eurogarages had just built a new site in Manchester Road, Bolton and were getting it ready to open to the public when the lockdown started. The contractor installing the Shell image on the site furloughed all their ﬁeld staﬀ and advised the client that they were not in a position to install the branding to open the site. An urgent call was put out to Petrol Sign to see if they could step in to rescue the project from coming to a halt. The challenge being they had to be on site in a week’s time.

together (some teams have worked together for many years) it was now a case of not getting within each other’s social bubble. Even getting to site was now a problem where they had previously shared a vehicle. All the method statements had to be re-visited and often re-written for this new way of working. What was previously a straightforward task for two men now became a logistical problem of how to manage it.

As Petrol Sign were operating a near normal service to their customers, it was not a problem to pick up this additional work. The only issue was they only had a week’s notice to start the install. Being their first large installation during a full lockdown certainly proved a challenge for the management team. With some key staff working from home it was a full scale operation getting just the risk assessments and method statements organised. This would have been difficult enough to do in the timescales required but was further challenged by the new working requirements for social distancing and additional PPE required to work safely. It was definitely different on site and strange to the engineers installing the signware. As the crews are two person teams working

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However, the crews turned up on the allotted day and the work progressed with a watching eye from the management to make sure the new processes were all working. Luckily all the materials supplied by the third party were correct and the engineers on site soon settled in to the new normal. With very little delay to the agreed schedule the shiny new site resplendent in its fresh Shell livery was open and available to the public. This was a great learning curve for all at Petrol Sign and was a great tester for the new procedures required for the brave new world post Covid-19 that we are all learning to live with. The main beneﬁt was the fact that Euro Garages were very pleased to open their fantastic new facility to the public on time without further delays. For enquiries to Petrol Sign please contact: Paul Firth paul.ﬁrth@ petrol-sign.com or visit www.petrol-signuk.com

APEA Online Training

By Tom Daly, APEA Chairman and Training Committee Chairman The APEA is pleased to announce our ﬁrst online training package for Regulators and Operators of petrol ﬁlling stations. We have been working with Olive Group in the development and the production of this online training course. The online training course will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2020.

We expect that this training course will appeal to many stakeholders in the industry. The traditional training courses already provided by the APEA are recognised throughout the world as being of a very high standard and are delivered by our expert trainers. The online training course will be of an equally high standard from the same expert trainers and will encompass many relevant topics from the Blue Book, the Red Guide and relevant legislation associated with petrol ﬁlling stations. The course will provide a basis for learning and an awareness of the various aspects of a petrol filling station and will enhance the competence of petroleum inspectors and operators, who will then use this course as a foundation in their overall competency framework. The details of this course along with the content will be available on our website: www.apea.org.uk

The APEA have managed to deliver traditional training for many years and we will also continue to provide this necessary training. With the advent of the Covid 19 worldwide pandemic, the future of everything that we do will more than likely have to change to accommodate the new norm, at least for the foreseeable future and probably for some years ahead. Online training will enhance the training element of the APEA and provide a much needed accessible and professional course to both Regulators and Operators of petrol filling stations. We have spent some time researching a suitable provider of an online platform for our training course and the Olive Group has shown themselves to be of a particularly high standard in this regard. The APEA is very pleased to partner with the Olive Group in the provision of our first online course. Olive Group was established in 2006 and provides state of the art training in the Construction, Oil and Gas, Hospitality, Health and Safety, Pharma and Manufacturing sectors. With more than one million learners on their platform, they are located in Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA, headquartered in the UK. Olive provide the following services: • Customised and secure learning management system • Custom learning pathways • Highly engaging tutor and leader interaction • Blended learning and gamified learning mediums • Virtual classroom facilities • Instant messaging and communication • Live tracking and reporting • Multiple access for stakeholders

Left to right, Tom Daly, APEA, Dylan Kavanagh and Brendan Kavanagh, Olive Training

Brendan Kavanagh is the CEO and founder of Olive with a background in the Retail and Commercial Petroleum business.

Brendan also explained that covid-19 has accelerated the need for alternative delivery models:

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• From independent tutors, trainers, small to medium-sized training organisations who have predominantly delivered faceto-face

• Tier 1 Universities, Skillnet Networks & global training & consultancy companies have digitally transformed

• Corporate enterprises are supporting and managing 3rd party training suppliers

Olive is now delivering all types of training and education globally, with demand in the last number of months growing more than ever before.

Everyone is facing similar challenges with restrictions on travel and social distancing, resulting in a massive increase and transition from the following areas: • Nursing Homes & Healthcare • Health & Safety

• Regulatory Courses speciﬁc to job roles - maintenance, rail, construction, • Leadership & Management • Service Stations.

Olive Group is delighted to partner with the APEA to create their ﬁrst online learning platform and course.

Online is perfect for businesses and education because it can be customised very easily for the specific environment. Learner engagement and learner experience combined with easy accessibility to on-boarding for learners is at the forefront of Olive’s strategy. Olive has designed the platform to be highly engaging, scalable and accessible to all. It significantly reduces costs using Digital Content, Gamification and Tutor feedback in Courses. We look forward to a successful launch of this online training course.

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The Hidden Cost Building up on your Forecourt By Andy Kennedy Business Development Director - Global-MSI & Petrol Sign

All the owners and customers see of the canopy is the oil company branding, under sheeting and lights. The only maintenance carried out is if the canopy gets hit and damaged, or it starts to leak on to the forecourt. Nobody thinks about the part of the canopy that is taking all the elements of the weather until after there is a problem. Once the issue is apparent by water coming through the structure, you are usually in for an expensive repair at that point as a serious failure has already occurred.

Corrosion is the biggest worry as you would expect with a metal structure. This process quicker where either the paint coating is damaged or where trapped water is keeping the structure damp. One very common problem we ﬁnd is dented roof sheets, caused by untrained people where they have walked on your canopy roof. You don’t know this has happened until you have a leak, (sometimes several years later) as trapped water eventually causes corrosion holes in the roof sheets. Another problem is blocked drainage causing an overﬂow into the canopy legs, leading to corrosion from the inside. As you can imagine, the legs are the main support and need to be structurally sound to keep the whole thing upright.

Impact damage to canopies is a mainstay of our industry. We must sometimes wonder if the large vehicle drivers ever take notice of height signs. When this happens it can often damage the internal parts of the canopy. That is why we would recommend a proper structural survey after the event, not just a patch up of the signware. If it was your car you were dealing with, wouldn’t you want to make sure the chassis was straight and undamaged underneath and not just get a quick ﬁller and paint job. It is the same with canopies. As we also have our own signware company Petrol Sign we can quickly implement a full emergency repair solution and get the problem solved quickly and eﬃciently. APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

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Poor maintenance is the last problem. As mentioned there is the problem with people walking on roof sheets. Do you check the people accessing your canopy know where the safe parts to walk on are? It is worth checking next time you have some electrical or cleaning work done as it is very expensive to fix their damage. The other issue is keeping gutters and drains flowing freely. Blocked water is not your canopy’s friend. This problem is greatly increased where trees are in the vicinity of the site. One other issue we come across regularly is poor quality of remedial work. It may be because the client doesn’t see what the repair looks like or cost restraint has driven the ‘cheapest quote wins’ decision. However the cheapest job in the short term, may not be the most cost effective or in the best interest of your canopy’s life. We often get called back to survey canopies where a quick and cheap fix has been carried out but is short term. Examples are rubber liners fitted to gutters (which never last very long) or long runs of gutters that have been cut into short lengths to transport in a transit van to reduce cost. This can result in multiple leak points in your brand new gutter. We would recommend regular planned maintenance inspections for two reasons.

You will be aware at an early stage of any potential issues on your canopy. If this is done regularly then you can also keep a track of any problems and assess what repairs are required and when.

Early intervention is always cheaper to rectify than waiting until it needs doing urgently. Having records of maintenance and checks being carried out will also help with insurance claims if you do happen to suﬀer a canopy failure. As previously stated, some insurance companies are already asking for this.

Regular maintenance schedules can be far cheaper than you think. If the survey is carried out by a trained technical canopy engineer, they can often carry out small maintenance repairs at no additional cost on the survey attendance. Don’t leave minor repairs until they become major or urgent incidents. That small leak means the canopy integrity is already breached and wherever water is getting in to, corrosion is taking place.

Only use reputable canopy companies for repairs and don’t just opt for the cheapest quote. It is the cheapest for a reason. Ask probing questions as to what the damage is, what the repair entails and exactly how it will be carried out? Ask for photographs of the problem so you can see what it is and use common sense to judge whether it looks a long term repair.

Look at longer term investments to protect your canopy from damage. This can range from simple strategic placement of bollards to cutting back problem sections of the canopy or raising it to accommodate larger vehicles.

Costs Cost of canopy repairs can vary greatly depending on the work required and size of the canopy. The key point is the earlier the intervention then the less the amount of money you need to spend. For example a simple survey and gutter clean for a few hundred pounds can save a later gutter replacement causing several thousand pounds. Using only trained personnel to work on your canopy roof may cost a little more, but can save you several thousand pounds later to replace dented roof sheets damaged by an untrained contractor.

Global-MSI Global-MSI is the long standing class leader in canopy design, supply, installation and maintenance for a reason. We directly employ our own specialists in all fields whether it is the engineering design, manufacturing or field based engineers. This allows us to provide our clients with the best options and the correct solutions to meet their needs. In cooperation with our own signware company Petrol Sign, we can offer a full canopy supply and maintenance package. As specialists we know your canopy and we know how to keep it in good condition. This is backed up by our extensive historical library of as built drawing for the majority of structures in the UK. This means we probably know every nut and bolt that went in to building your canopy, which can be invaluable when you need repairs carried out or modifications are required. Canopy surveys can be easily arranged and we will advise what the best option is for your site’s canopy to keep it in the best operational condition.

Global-MSI has also supplied many of the modern forecourt buildings, drive through units and designer canopies seen on current UK forecourts. If you want to stand out from the rest, have a look on our website www.global-msi.com and www.petrolsign.com or contact us on info@global-msi.com 01302 361588. 24

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Smartflex Specialist AdBlue Pipe and Compact Double Wall Fittings by Nupi were Ideal Solution for the Spanish Truck Stop with Tight Space for the Installation By Maja Stirrat, European Sales Manager for Central, Eastern Europe, UK & Ireland, Nupi Industrie Italiane S.p.A.

A busy truck stop in Madrid was a challenging project as the installation design left a very tight space for the pipework installation. The pipework had to be double wall and had to have an option for easy connection to the leak monitoring system. Smartflex AdBlue pipe has a special protective layer which gives the pipe a longer life expectancy.

Moreover, the SMARTFLEX double wall ﬁttings come with full welding connections for both the primary and secondary pipe. There was no need for extra couplers and other connections, which saved cost, installation time and space.

The SMARTFLEX double wall electro-fusion ﬁttings are manufactured using injection molding and are the most advanced products of their kind available on the market today. They are entirely coaxial in design, providing a continuous interstitial space throughout the line. This means that they can be tested or monitored under pressure or vacuum in both the primary and secondary systems, from the tank to the last ﬁtting on the line.

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The system was easily installed using our welding unit with bar code technology, offering full traceability of every single weld and pressure test of the installation. In combination with a full range of specially designed, high grade stainless steel/ HDPE transition fittings, flanges and special gaskets, the Smartflex AdBlue piping system was the perfect, long lasting solution for this AdBlue Installation. SMARTFLEX offers a full range of coaxial double wall fittings in a compact design in the following sizes: • 32/40mm • 50/63mm • 90/125mm • 110/125mm

Product benefits: • Reliability and durability - 30 year warranty • Designed life of 50 years • Traceability (barcode technology on the fittings) + welding report. • Ease of installation. • Less number of welds and fittings per installation. • High chemical resistance to all fuels, alcohols, biofuels, solvents, saline, acid and alkaline solutions. • High resistance to long-term pressure. • The compact design of Smartflex double wall fittings made installation a lot easier in a tight space.

For more information, contact our European Sales Manager: maja.stirrat@nupinet.com or visit www.nupiindustrieitaliane.com APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

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APEA/IET Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment - Filling Station Supplement By Gareth Bourhill, APEA Council member and Technical Committee member

At the time of writing this introduction to the above publication the authors were just waiting on the actual publication date to be released; we would hope it has already been published and people are using it when you read this copy of The Bulletin.

As with all APEA technical publications National Council have agreed that existing members of the APEA at the date of publication will be entitled to receive a single free copy of the Supplement to the IET C.O.P. This will be achieved by logging into your APEA account and requesting either a single licence pdf version or request a hard copy to be sent in the post. If a member wishes to purchase further electronic or hard copies, they will be able to do so at a special member’s rate. Electric vehicles have an important role to play in meeting air quality legislation and the UK’s commitment to climate change targets. For these reasons, the UK Government is actively supporting the switch to electric vehicles. The UK network of filling stations has an existing distribution of locations across the UK. Many filling station operators are looking to offer electric vehicle charging facilities alongside the other available vehicle fuels. The APEA identified, through some of its members and technical officers, that there are unique electrical safety issues that must be addressed by those involved in the design, construction, modification and maintenance activities where electric vehicle charging facilities are considered for filling stations that had not previously been considered, identified nor addressed in any existing publications. This supplementary document to The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Code of Practice (COP) for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation, 4th Edition, addresses those unique issues that will be encountered on UK ﬁlling stations. Not only for safe use by the public of the EV charging equipment, termed electric vehicle

supply equipment (EVSE), and for the persons that work on the ﬁlling station, as well as the continued safe storage and dispensing of existing vehicle fuels found on the ﬁlling station.

This Supplement has been produced jointly by the IET and the APEA. Considerable technical input has also been provided by the major filling station operators, along with other industry stakeholders in the UK, including the Health and Safety Executive. All the “Blue Book” electrical stakeholders were also approached for comment. This supplement will exist and be available until the “Blue Book” is next revised and its contents will then be reviewed and adopted into the electrical and appropriate sections of the “Blue Book”.

The APEA are indebted to John Dallimore who was not only the independent Chair of the technical group producing this supplement, but was also the lead author, with support and input from Gareth Bourhill (APEA) and Graham Kenyon of the IET.

The APEA had already stated when the current Blue Book was launched that it was folly to think that EVSE can be safely installed on every ﬁlling station site in the UK and those that will be able to correctly implement the detail in this supplementary COP will understand why that is indeed the case.

The APEA would certainly encourage all site duty-holders to ensure that those companies and contractors, especially electrical contractors, they consider employing to install EVSE on their filling station ensure that the technical details in this supplementary COP are followed.

In future copies of The Bulletin we will print further information on some of the critical items identified in the Supplement. If any member has any questions on this subject or on the Supplement when it is available, please email the Technical Chairman or Jane Mardell our Business Manager at the APEA.

Public Petitions on Fireworks

By Ian Hillier FAPEA, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s Explosives Lead Officer On 5th November 2019, the House of Commons Petitions Committee published a report on the anti-social use of fireworks in the UK. The report focused on petitions which were current but noted that there had been three previous e-petitions which had each attracted over 100,000 signatures. Over the last three years petitions calling for tighter controls on the sale and use of fireworks have attracted 750,000 signatures. The committee held an inquiry into the supply and use of fireworks and the concerns of some groups involved in animal welfare and people with disabilities. 28

The petitions, which concluded in 2019, ranged from “Ban the sale of fireworks to the public. Displays for licenced venues only” (epetition 231147): closed on 30 April 2019 with 307,897 signatures to “Fireworks should only be sold in registered gun shops” (e-petition 232653): closed on 8 May 2019 with 13 signatures. The committee decided to hold an enquiry despite the Government’s consistent refusal to make any changes to fireworks laws. The Government made a statement on fireworks in November 2018, We have legislation in place to regulate the supply, storage, possession, use and misuse of fireworks, to help to ensure

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public safety. These powers include powers to prosecute those who use fireworks in a dangerous or antisocial manner. Together, the restrictions set out in the Fireworks Act 2003, the Fireworks Regulations 2004 and the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 provide the regulatory framework that seeks to support the public’s enjoyment of fireworks while effectively managing the risk of fireworks harming individuals, property or animals.

Although a small minority of people use fireworks in a dangerous, inconsiderate, or anti-social manner, we believe that the majority use them sensibly and responsibly. [ … ] the number of injuries is low and the total number of hospital admissions caused by firework injuries has remained below 200 a year for the last 10 years.[ … ] The Government believes that the current regulations strike the right balance between the enjoyment of fireworks by the public and restricting the sale and use of fireworks for public safety reasons.

Evidence was presented to the committee from a wide range of interests including Fireworks Abatement UK, the British Fireworks Association, the Health and Safety Executive, the RSPCA and the Police Chiefs and Fire Chiefs Councils. The evidence was not consistent and sometimes contradictory but there were a number of anecdotal accounts of serious attacks on fire crews who were attempting to deal with fires. Evidence was given of many incidents of reckless use of fireworks in public places and setting off fireworks past the night-time curfew of 2300 hours. Petitioners complained that neither the police nor local authorities seem to be able to deal satisfactorily with complaints from the public on dangerous and anti-social use of fireworks. Noisy fireworks were also considered to be a problem for animals and people with disabilities.

The committee made a number of recommendations to the Government which included reviewing the noise limit on consumer fireworks, considering a permit scheme for fireworks displays, recording all attacks on emergency services, reviewing complaints from the public to provide a consistent approach to data collection and publication, reviewing online sales of fireworks especially through social media, reconsidering a legal misinterpretation about the sale of small quantities of fireworks without a licence, preventing packaging from being child appealing, and funding an awareness campaign on the impact of irresponsible firework use. The Government responded to the petitions committee in March 2020. It was acknowledged that the problems identified by the committee were wide ranging and are the responsibility of a number of departments within Whitehall. These were identified as including policy on anti-social behaviour, the environment, animal welfare and reporting non-compliance to the police. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has been collecting fact-based evidence on the subjects of noise and disturbance, antisocial behaviour, noncompliance, environmental impact, and the impact on humans and animals. The OPSS intends to publish this evidence in due course which should provide a sound background to identify whether perceptions and concerns about public safety and nuisance are based on fact or speculation. Tests have been commissioned to determine the noise levels of common fireworks available to the public. The government has also commissioned a study into the attitudes and perceptions of the public towards fireworks and has trained some Local Authorities’ Trading Standards Officers on effective enforcement.

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The Government’s response to the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations was firstly to reject calls for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public. It acknowledged the experience of the National Police Chiefs Council who believe banning fireworks would push the market underground and make it more difficult to monitor. Social awareness of the detrimental effects of fireworks will be highlighted in an awareness campaign for the 2020 fireworks season, and the OPSS will work with both the Scottish and the Welsh Governments.

Animal welfare issues have been examined with the help of animal charities, the National Farmers Union and other organisations to seek evidence-based knowledge on the detrimental eﬀects of ﬁreworks on household pets and farm animals. The evidence will be gleaned from surveys conducted by the participating organisations.

The petitions committee recommended that a permit scheme should be introduced by local authorities for organised ﬁreworks displays. The government responded by indicating that it was not clear, from the committee’s report, exactly how this would reduce non-compliance but the OPSS intends to discuss the matter with local authorities before Autumn 2020. No mention was made of the Scottish dispensation scheme for ﬁreworks’ displays which has been in use by Scottish local authorities since 2004.

The recommendation to work with emergency services across the country to ensure that such incidents involving ﬁreworks are speciﬁcally and consistently recorded across all local emergency services, and the data made publicly available was considered by

the Government. Fireworks injuries are recorded by the NHS but it was implied that there was room for improvement in how the causes of injuries were recorded. OPSS will report by Autumn 2020 on the progress of the discussions with the Home Oﬃce and the Department for Health and Social Care. It was recommended that the Government should review the sale of ﬁreworks by online sales channels and the response was given that OPSS was taking action against online platforms and would review the lessons learned by Autumn 2020.

The Government was tasked with bringing in legislation to deal with an exemption in explosives legislation which apparently permits the storage and sale of up to 5 kilograms of fireworks without a storage licence. This exemption may be abused and it was recommended that the legislation be clarified and restricted to F1 fireworks (low hazard and indoor use). The Government responded by stating that the Health and Safety Executive will work with Local Licensing Authorities and business representative groups to support and raise awareness of approaches to safe storage.

The next recommendation was that the Government should take steps to ensure that these age-restricted products are not packaged in a way which is designed to appeal to children and that it introduce appropriate Regulations as soon as possible, and at the latest by November 2020. A voluntary approach instead of regulation was reported as the proposed course of action by OPSS in conjunction with the ﬁreworks industry. This should be done by Autumn 2020.

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The final recommendation was that the Government should fund and coordinate a major national awareness campaign on the responsible use of fireworks to get this message across to the public. The campaign should run across national mainstream and social media, and in all schools, from October 2020 and annually thereafter and should include explicit information on the impact which fireworks can have on veterans and those with PTSD. The Government agreed to develop a public awareness fireworks campaign by autumn 2020.

The main ﬁreworks event in the UK is Guy Fawkes’ night on 5th November and small retailers are permitted to sell ﬁreworks from the 15th October. The problems associated with the restrictions on work practices caused by Covid 19 may have already prevented the government from meeting its commitment to implement its responses by November 2020. It may be some time after Guy Fawkes’ night before we are made aware of the Government’s progress.

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Millbrook car testing site aims to ‘stay ahead of the game’ A car testing facility is aiming to stay “ahead of the game” when it comes to developing driverless and greener cars.

Millbrook Proving Ground, in central Bedfordshire, is marking its 50th anniversary this year. President Alex Burns said the pace of change in that time had been “extraordinary” and thanked its “incredible staﬀ”. Motoring journalist Andrew Frankel said the site was an “indispensable asset”.

Work started in 1968 and the track opened two years later for General Motors (GM) to test Vauxhall and Bedford vehicles. Its rural location was paramount to the companies developing cars and using it, Mr Burns said.

Millbrook takes its name from the nearby village, where a flourishing community of mills were located around an idyllic brook. Workers helped to lay 3,500 tonnes of granite blocks on the track when it was being built. The track has been independently owned since 2013 and £120m has been invested in global testing facilities since 2015. Some 500 staff work there. “We are ahead of the game for testing autonomous vehicles,” Mr Burns said. “In the past we have looked at what happens in collisions, now we are seeing how to avoid collisions. We are helping to reduce the impact vehicles have on the environment and improve the safety of road transport.”

The work there was “very, very secret” and the purposeful planting of 3,000 trees on its boundary meant it was “difficult to see in”, he said. “Some of our customers will drive at night for added security.” Episodes of Top Gear have been filmed there along with the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale.

Mr Frankel, from DriveNation, an Instagram car magazine, said: “Millbrook was then and remains today the only place in the UK where road cars can sustain near maximum velocity, providing vital data for anyone from a chassis engineer to a road tester from a car magazine. “When I was testing cars full-time in the 1990’s, Millbrook was an indispensable asset, as vital a tool of my trade as my typewriter.”

A disability campaigner has called for more help for wheelchair users ﬁlling up their cars at petrol stations. Jennie Berry, who has recently become the owner of a specially adapted vehicle, said she found the situation “diﬃcult”. Ms Berry, of Hartlepool, says few garages are signed up to apps enabling drivers to alert them to their arrival.

“There are measures in place for lorry drivers to fill up. They have certain lanes. Why is there nothing in place for someone like me?” Mike Scarlet, a wheelchair user who advises transport companies on working practices, said he has encountered difficulties for 40 years.

“I’ve also been told to go to a diﬀerent petrol station or to get someone else to put the petrol in for me, but why should I have to rely on someone else to ﬁll up or drive around?

However, PRA spokesman Phil Monger, who is himself disabled and uses crutches or walking sticks, said that is often not possible because of costs. “If a person is driving locally, they can establish a relationship with a local petrol station about when assistance would be available and when the best time to visit would be,” he said. “Apps rely on retailers setting them up with considerable costs and no guarantee anyone will use them.”

Hartlepool disabled driver calls for extra petrol station help

The Petrol Retailers’ Association (RPA) advised it “would always be willing to consider possible solutions”. Ms Berry, who is paralysed from the waist down, runs the Wheelie Good Life Facebook and Instagram accounts, on which she documents her day-to-day life. She said: “Certain petrol stations ask me to pull on to the forecourt, ﬂash my hazard lights, beep my horn and wave my arms [to attract attention from the kiosk].

“If you can’t adapt what you do, you add staff to help. Instead of having one person, have two to provide assistance if it’s needed.”

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Coronavirus: Winners and losers from oil price drop Heating oil suppliers said the cheap fuel was a “positive news in diﬃcult times.”

“Normally at this time of year a lot of customers top up their tanks, but at the moment they are ﬁlling up completely.”

However, there are concerns that those customers storing additional cheap fuel could be targeted by thieves.

Quad Fuels, based in Wrexham, said the price fall was a “small positive in diﬃcult times” and predicted it would be “several months” until the markets fully recover. However, Managing Director Anthony Saunders predicted a slump in business later in the year with so many customers stocking up now.

The dramatic fall in oil prices may be bad news for the industry but is providing a brief windfall for households fuelled by heating oil. The UK’s oil and gas industry is warning 30,000 jobs could be lost as a result of the coronavirus pandemic with oil prices at their lowest in 20 years. That has seen bills for houses heated by oil fall by as much as 75%.

About 1.5 million homes in the UK use heating oil, including nearly 114,000 in Wales. The majority of those are across rural areas where houses are not connected to the mains gas supply. They are being urged by industry experts to take advantage of prices falling from 54p per litre in January to below 20p in recent weeks. Suppliers say some customers are even buying extra tanks to be able to store the cheap fuel.

Certas, the largest heating oil supplier in mid and west Wales, said demand had increased signiﬁcantly. “Fuel, and heating oil in particular, is one of the highest expenditures for anybody throughout the year,” said commercial manager Andrew Cooper.

Mr Cooper, based in St Clears, Carmarthenshire, said some customers were anticipating a 75% saving on heating. “It’s refreshing in uncertain and diﬃcult times that there is some positive news,” he added. “I would certainly ﬁll up the tanks but ensure the security measures are in place. With everybody buying fuel, there is the threat of theft with people knowing they are full.”

Should I stock-up? Malcolm Farrow of the industry body the Oil Firing Technical Association (Oftec), said this was a “really good time for customers” with prices so low. He predicted a “small rebound” in prices over the coming months though prices would remain relatively low for a while. “If you can aﬀord it, do it now, and you’ll get an incredibly good deal, but if you can’t it’s probably not the end of the world and you will still probably ﬁnd that prices are pretty low even if they have crept up a little.”

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What will happen when prices rise again? Lloyd Thomas runs a fuel club in Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, which buys oil every month for its 200 members collectively, to save money. April’s order was £1,200 cheaper than March - but Mr Thomas is worried prices could rise just as fast as the lockdown eases. “I’m very concerned, where will the prices end up after this?” he asked. “They’re starting to creep back up now in the last month. For older people, it’s hard - we’re still in poverty there’s a lot of people who can’t aﬀord it as it is.”

What about petrol for my car? Petrol prices have also fallen during the crisis, but not as significantly because of taxation levels. A litre of unleaded petrol has gone down from 127p in January to 101p, according to UK Government figures. However, the AA has claimed motorists are being ripped off by petrol companies not passing on cheaper oil prices at the pump. What about liquid petroleum gas (LPG) users? Prices are lower but users of LPG central heating - delivered to tanks or in bottles - have not benefitted as much from cheaper crude oil either. “It’s because they are locked into longer-term contracts,” said Mr Farrow of Oftec. “As they renew their contracts, they’ll get a better deal if the LPG suppliers think prices are likely to stay low for a period. But with LPG, particularly if you’ve got a larger tank, it’s usually owned by the supplier, so changing supplier is not quite so straightforward.”

Will it aﬀect jobs? Valero insists it is business as usual at its Pembrokeshire oil reﬁnery, which employs about 1,200 workers, despite the global crash in demand for fuel - particularly from motorists and the airline industry.

A spokesperson said: “While we have previously shared that some of our gasoline-producing units have been temporarily idled, the guidance we provided for second quarter 2020 is our system running at about 70% capacity. We are not considering employee layoﬀs or furloughs.” What’s the long-term outlook? The oil industry is having to wait for the outcome of the pandemic on the economy like everyone else. Carol Bell, an oil industry expert, said storage was the immediate issue facing refineries with tankers holding crude oil having to sit offshore from ports, waiting for demand to pick up.

However, the industry was already facing questions amid the climate change debate. “There was already a global conversation about the future of oil, as concern grows about climate change,” said Dr Bell. “Add to that, the fact that many businesses have discovered during the pandemic that many of their staff can work from home, and you can see a situation where the demand for fuel could continue to be lower than pre-pandemic levels and decline over the longer term.”

OASIS Engineering part of the ELAFLEX group of companies Elaflex has again extended its digital service. The CNG product range of our subsidiary OASIS Engineering Ltd can be now configured online. Link: oasisconfigurator.elaflex.de.

This feature is very user-friendly, informative and fast to use. All relevant technical ﬁles are available online.

Oasis is an internationally operating specialist for valves and couplings used in the compressed natural gas (CNG) industry. Oasis has established a strong reputation as supplier of CNG components and systems for ﬁlling stations and gas delivery networks. The company supplies standard products of their own design and customised or make to order engineering parts as required, to customers in over 40 countries.

For many years CNG users have been aware that the efficiency of CNG transfer has been impacted by the restrictions within their system. Unique is that the Oasis ULTRA FAST FILL SYSTEM™ is the first to use flow-rate matched components that have been purpose built at apertures and pressures which suit the larger rates of CNG transfer, required for larger vehicles and CNG trailers. Oasis Engineering is the first component manufacturer to develop the ULTRA FAST FILL SYSTEM™ to transfer CNG from storage, through dispensers to waiting trucks and trailers. The UFS brings together Oasis’s range of the ULTRA FAST FILL tank-head valves, ball valves, manifolds and breakaways alongside couplers and filling nozzles to deliver a better customer experience. For more information on the above contact: Anton Martiniussen, ELAFLEX LTD, anton.martiniussen@elaflex.co.uk

Nisa signed up 242 new stores in first five months this year Nisa Retail Limited, the delivered wholesale and convenience retail specialist, reports recruitment numbers with 242 stores onboarded in the ﬁve months to May. This follows a year post acquisition by The Co-op Group in May 2018 and places Nisa £2.4m ahead of its recruitment budget Year to date. The 242 stores recruitment include 37 sites secured with growing forecourt retailer Ascona Group. These new wins follow a record 2019 for Nisa with over 500 stores enlisted, marking a 40% like-for-like leap in store number recruitment.

The new recruitment drive comes amid a changing retail landscape, as convenience stores become an increasingly important outlet for shoppers during the lockdown. The latest Kantar ﬁgures released

show symbols and independents taking more of the grocery market share- growing to 69.3% in the 12 weeks to 14 Jun 2020. Data from research company Statista shows the market share had remained relatively unchanged over the past ﬁve years, whereas now more than two thirds of consumers have used local stores and services during lockdown - according to a survey by Deloitte Digital - highlighting the signiﬁcant impact COVID-19 has had on consumer shopping habits. “lt has been an incredibly busy start to the calendar year and I remain extremely proud of the way Nisa partners have gone above and beyond to support their local communities during these

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diﬃcult times. The additional 242 recruitment wins build on the positive momentum set in 2019 and are testament to the strength of Nisa’s retail and wholesale oﬀering. I am pleased to welcome

our new partners, who will receive industry leading support, competitive prices and have access to the award-winning Co-op own brand,” said CEO of Nisa Retail Limited, Ken Towle.

Voice Command Payment at the Pump 7-Eleven announced the launch of its fuel loyalty program providing new contactless payment options to reduce touch at the pump. The new solution enables customers to use voice commands to pay for fuel. The voice command feature is available through Siri shortcuts on iPhone or the 7Rewards app, and addresses health and safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by making it a more seamless user experience.

“Fuel loyalty oﬀers value with an elevated experience that allows customers to pump, pay and be on their way all without taking out their wallet!,” said 7-Eleven Chief Digital Oﬃcer Tarang Sethia.

7-Eleven, Inc. is now piloting Fuel Loyalty in participating 7-Eleven stores in North and South Orlando Florida, North Texas and Woodbridge, Virginia.

UK’s first ‘Electric Forecourt’ set to open in summer 2020 Gridserve announces a network of more than 100 electric forecourts to pave the way for electric vehicles to become mainstream.

A nationwide network of electric forecourts is now under construction and will open this summer, oﬀering convenient, ultrafast, low-cost charging, with excellent customer experience. As part of its £1bn programme, the forecourts will be built on busy routes and near powerful grid connections close to towns, cities and major transport hubs. The Electric Forecourt being built near Braintree, Essex, UK can charge 24 electric vehicles at once with superchargers that can deliver up to 350kW of charging power. It will allow people to charge vehicles within 20–30 minutes initially, and much faster in the future as battery technologies mature.

The network will be powered by clean, zero-carbon solar energy and battery storage projects, also constructed by Gridserve, so that carbon emission targets can be met, while keeping prices low. The high tech two-storey building will house a coﬀee shop, convenience supermarket, as well as an airport-style lounge with high-speed internet and meeting rooms.

the world-class charging infrastructure that we need to support our policies and will inspire people in towns and cities throughout the country to have the confidence to make the move to sustainable transport.

James Cleverly, Minister of State, former Conservative Party chairman and MP for Braintree Supporting the UK Government’s commitment to ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles within 15-years, the Gridserve aims to have a UK-wide network operational within ﬁve years. The company is currently in discussions with a number of local authorities around the UK and expects to have several more sites in construction and many more into planning by the end of this year.

Toddington Harper, CEO and founder of Gridserve, said: “We’ve designed our Electric Forecourts entirely around the needs of electric vehicle drivers, updating the petrol station model for a net-zero carbon future.

It will also function as an education centre for electric vehicles and sustainable energy, which will help people to understand, test drive, and secure vehicles that are most suitable for them.

The ultimate aim of is to provide the confidence, and support to transition to an allelectric future. Gridserve’s Electric Forecourt, close to Braintree, is pioneering

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“Many more people want to buy electric vehicles but are worried about how to charge them. We will help solve that challenge and deliver the confidence needed to make the switch to electric transport. “This will be the most advanced charging facility in the UK, and possibly the world. Drivers will be able to turn up and charge their vehicle at the fastest rate each vehicle can support, using 100% renewable energy, and with the best possible charging experience.”

Construction on the ﬁrst Electric Forecourt on a 2.5 acre site adjacent to Great Notley, is supported by a £4.86 million grant

from Innovate UK, one of the largest awarded last year.

The site has links to Stansted Airport, Chelmsford, Colchester and the M11 motorway. A rapid switch to electric vehicles is essential to respond to the climate emergency and improve public health by cleaning up our air, but it is being held back by lack of ﬁt-for-purpose charging infrastructure. Cllr Simon Walsh, from Essex County Council.

The ﬁrm is also developing several large solar farms, supported by batteries, to supply energy to its Electric Forecourt so that 100% of the electricity is clean and low cost.

Shell donates $50,000 in fuel gift cards for Meals on Wheels The $50,000 fuel gift card donation for Meals on Wheels will be split equally between ﬁve local programs, which will help deliver hundreds of meals per week to seniors.

“Now more than ever, Meals On Wheels Atlanta is counting on our volunteers to deliver meals and smiles to our senior neighbours facing hunger and isolation. Our volunteer delivery drivers save us over $550,000 per year in labour costs, so this generous donation of fuel gift cards from Shell provides us with a way to say thank you to our volunteers and make it a little easier for them to deliver meals to our seniors each week,” Charlene Crusoe-Ingram, Executive Director.

Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger.

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates over 13,000 Shell-branded stations across 50 states and employs more than 20,000 people working to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future.

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Merger of the ELAFLEX HIBY Group After more than sixty years of successful cooperation, all business and production activities of the two affiliated companies ELAFLEX - Gummi Ehlers GmbH and ELAFLEX HIBY Tanktechnik GmbH & Co. KG have been brought together to operate under one single umbrella. This is retroactive effective from 1 January 2020, with the name change to ELAFLEX HIBY GmbH & Co. KG. All production and distribution sites including your contact persons are unchanged.

Also Thorsten Wasmuth is a new member of the ELAFLEX HIBY management. He will take over as well as promote a part of the ELAFLEX HIBY distribution division. Moritz Hiby as managing director of our Plettenberg-based factory will continue to be responsible for production. Stefan Kunter will continue to perform comprehensive executive duties as CEO and Managing Director.

This consolidation constitutes the legal completion of what the majority of our clients have perceived as a fact for many years now - a uniform market presence of the entire ELAFLEX HIBY group of companies. We will strengthen our position in both the domestic and international markets, at the same time substantially improving our processes and increasingly focusing on new business segments. This approach will sustain our efforts to ensure the first-rate quality of our products and the reliability of our services - it forms a good basis to continue our excellent cooperation with our business partners. For more information on the above contact: Anton Martiniussen, ELAFLEX LTD, anton.martiniussen@elaﬂex.co.uk

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Marathon Petroleum delays plans Speedway spin-off COVID-19 has forced Marathon Petroleum to consider plans for a more independent Speedway. Marathon Petroleum Corporation MPC plans to postpone its Speedway gas station spin-off to early 2021, according to filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The separation, which was initially scheduled to take place by the end of 2020, is being delayed due to the weak market scenario in the context of COVID-19.

“In light of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on market conditions, MPC continues to assess the timeline for the Speedway separation. The initial target for the separation was the

fourth quarter of 2020 but has been revised to early 2021. The separation remains subject to ﬁnal approval by MPC’s board of directors, as well as the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary conditions,” said the company. In October 2019, MPC announced it would spin off Enon-based Speedway into an independent company. Under the plan, the new Speedway will consist of all of MPC’s company-owned and company-operated convenience stores. Speedway, a division of U.S. petroleum refiner Marathon Petroleum, operates around 4,000 gas stations and convenience stores in the U.S.

Vivo Energy Uganda launches ‘IGNITE’ Health and Safety initiative Shell service stations countrywide expect a resumption of vehicular traffic on the roads and an increased demand for fuel and other services. Vivo Energy Uganda, the distributor and marketer of Shell branded fuels and lubricants in Uganda, has embarked on a countrywide cleaning and sanitizing exercise as it prepares for increased traffic. Shell service stations countrywide expect a resumption of vehicular traffic on the roads and an increased demand for fuel and other services. The move follows the ease of restrictions announced by the Government on the movement of private motorists, among other measures, during the recent lockdown.

“Our customer champions are our real heroes. We deeply appreciate them braving the current conditions and all risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic to show up and serve our customers,” said Gilbert Assi, the Managing Director at Vivo Energy Uganda.

The objective of the IGNITE initiative is to provide reassurance to customers by implementing enhanced site hygiene and safety measures in compliance with set Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation guidelines. Over 150 Shell retail sites provided hand wash and sanitizing facilities at various locations to enable customers keep their hands clean.

NREL launches hydrogen filling simulation software The Hydrogen Filling Simulation (H2FillS) is a thermodynamic model designed to track and report transient change information when ﬁlling a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The Nationals Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, has released the Hydrogen Filling Simulation (H2FillS) software, a thermodynamic model designed to track and report the transient change in hydrogen temperature, pressure, and flow when filling a fuel cell vehicle.

H2FillS stimulates gas ﬂow from the hydrogen station to the car storage system. Using empirical fuelling data sets, the model has

been validated over a range of fuelling conditions to match common light-duty fuel cell vehicle fill profiles. H2FillS uses a “drag-and-drop” graphical user interface to simulate station and vehicle systems with pre-set parameters for common hydrogen station components as default values. When needed, users can define their own parameters to create their own station and vehicle components. H2FillS will automatically output fill performance data from the vehicle by tracking pressure and temperature throughout the fill. Users can input their own fill profiles into the model to run a variety of simulations.

Electrify America completes first of two EV fast charging cross-country routes The route spans 11 states from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. Electrify America’s second route is to be completed by September this year.

Electrify America announced the completion of its first crosscountry route in the United States, which allows electric vehicle (EV) drivers to travel from coast to coast using the largest open 40

DC fast-charging network in the country. It is the first of two cross-country routes the network will complete this year, and spans 11 states and over 2,700 miles to take drivers from Los Angeles to the nation’s capital Washington D.C. The first cross-country route travels along Interstates 15 and 70, providing high-powered chargers with speeds up to 350kW.

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Electrify America charging stations are on average about 70 miles apart, in metro areas and near highway routes.

“Electrify America’s primary goal has always been to advance electric vehicle adoption in the U.S., and that starts by instilling feelings of confidence and freedom in consumers when it comes to EV ownership,” said Anthony Lambkin, director of operations at Electrify America. “The completion of our first cross-country route is a significant step towards that goal - by making long-

distance travel in an EV a reality, we hope to encourage more consumers to make the switch to electric.”

To date, Electrify America has more than 435 operational charging stations with over 1,900 DC fast chargers, and another 100+ sites in development. Of the completed charging stations, more than 300 are located near major highways. By the end of 2021, Electrify America plans to install or have under development approximately 800 total charging stations with about 3,500 DC fast chargers.

South Island fuel retailer NPD to expand in North Island With six sites envisaged already, NPD aims to bring cheaper fuel prices to the North Island.

NPD, the South Island family-owned fuel retailer, announced its plans to expand into the North Island, promising more competitive fuel pricing for motorists in the region. NPD has currently committed to six sites, five of which are under contract, with the first two sites to be open in Porirua near Wellington and in New Plymouth by the end of 2020.

“We aim to bring more competitive fuel pricing to the North Island as we have in the South Island,” says NPD Chief executive Barry Sheridan, who believes North Island fuel prices are currently, and have been for some time, too high.

“Our data analysis clearly shows that North Island motorists are paying too much for their fuel - we see this as an opportunity to bring greater levels of competition and significantly lower pump prices for motorists.” “Our North Island sites will be premium selfserve sites - this site model allows NPD to offer cheaper fuel that will make a positive difference in the weekly budgets of families,” says Sheridan. NPD sites in the North Island will be spread throughout Hamilton, Porirua near Wellington, Palmerston North, New Plymouth and two in Auckland. The company is actively searching for further potential sites; NPD has expanded its network throughout the South Island to operate 70 locations to date. The company expects to complete 16 more sites in the South Island over the next 12 months.

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Germany unveils new EV-focused mobility plan Angela Merkel’s Government has approved a €130 billion package that includes €6,000 subsidies for EV purchases.

Germany will double its current subsidies to €6,000 ($6,720) on electric vehicles that cost up to €40,000 in what is a major show of support from Angela Merkel’s Government to the EV industry.

As part of a €130 billion package approved by the German Government to boost the country’s economy and reach climate targets, €2.2 billion will be handed to users to acquire batterypowered cars while suppliers will receive another €2 billion for research and development. Despite electric cars only making up 1.8% of new passenger car registrations last year in Germany, with diesel and petrol cars accounting for 32% and 59.2%,

respectively, the new mobility plan could require all petrol stations to install EV chargers. Higher taxes will be placed on vehicles with a heavy consumption of petrol and diesel such as SUV’s and sports cars.

A measure that will beneﬁt combustion engines is the reduction of value-added tax from 19 to 16% from July 1 to December 31, 2020. With a calculated sum of €20 billion, this is the largest single item in the economic stimulus package. Private and municipal operators will receive a total of €1.2 billion through a bus and truck ﬂeet modernisation program to switch to alternative drive systems.

FIVE, Green Packet open first AI-powered station The new brand of fuel stations in Malaysia has launched the ﬁrst AI-powered site in the country.

Green Packet Bhd has teamed up with Five Petroleum Malaysia Sdn Bhd (FIVE) to launch the ﬁrst artiﬁcial intelligence (AI)powered petrol station in Malaysia.

In a joint statement, both companies said the collaboration will take advantage of Green Packet’s technological innovations such as e-KYC, e-wallet, payment gateway and licence plate recognition to enable a seamless and cashless digital experience across all FIVE petrol stations. In addition, FIVE will co-develop a new mobile application with Green Packet via its Kiple brand to facilitate cashless payments at its sites.

“Gone are the days of carrying around an additional membership card. With our new mobile application, users can enjoy a much-personalised experience in their every trip to the nearest FIVE stations as they can register, collect, manage, and spend their rewards within the application. This will eventually create strong brand loyalty among users,” said Chairman of FIVE, Datuk Juhari Abdul Ghani. The system can automatically identify the driver’s pre-ﬁlled information by scanning the user’s licence plate upon entering the petrol station. Five Petroleum opened its ﬁrst fuel station in Malaysia in March. Operated by Seng Group, the retailer plans to open more than 200 stations nationwide.

Government comes to the aid of fuel retailers Seen as an essential industry, the fuel retailing sector has already received $778,000 in ﬁnancial aid.

Colombia’s central government has released a 2.8 billion pesos ($778,200) ﬁnancial relief package to rescue thousands of gas stations struggling to survive.

Thirteen measures designed by the Ministry of Mining and Energy have now helped some 2,200 gas stations in Colombia. The measures include a 40% subsidy for salaries for up to three months for those retailers that have suﬀered a 20% reduction in sales.

More stations are expected to receive financial aid as the initial package aimed at helping 5,500 sites with a budget of 7.3 billion pesos.

Tax exemptions, fuel subsidies and pricing strategies have also been rolled out to help fuel retailers survive the COVID-19 crisis. During the first 70 days of lockdown fuel sales in Colombia dropped by 80% with losses of 1.8 billion pesos ($495 million) in April only, according to the National Federation of Fuel and Energy Retailers.

Gasum to open four stations across the Nordics this summer With the additional sites in Sweden and Finland, Gasum will operate a total of 26 gas stations across the Nordics after the summer.

The Nordic energy company Gasum is increasing the opportunities to ﬁll up with gas in Sweden and Finland during summer 2020 with four additional stations. The new sites will be opened in Ljungby, Helsingborg and Gothenburg in Sweden, and Lieto in Finland. Gasum will have a total of 26 gas stations after the summer. 42

Gasum currently operates 22 of the 30 gas filling stations for the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) segment across the Nordics, of which 13 in Sweden serving long-haul transport with low emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable liquefied biogas (LBG). The new stations are part of Gasum’s strategy to expand the liqueﬁed gas ﬁlling station network in Finland, Sweden and Norway.

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“Despite the challenging conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, Gasum is still expanding the filling station network. The demand for alternative fuels has grown at an incredible rate as companies pursue more environment-friendly and cost-effective transport solutions,” states Mikael Antonsson, Director, Traffic,

Gasum Sweden. Gasum’s ﬁlling station network in the Nordics consists of around 100 stations that serve passenger cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles with gas. Together with other fuel retail operators, the number of LNG/LBG ﬁlling stations will total around 35 in the Nordics this summer.

HTEC, 7-Eleven open hydrogen fuelling station in North Vancouver 7-Eleven Canada and HTEC are partnering on three hydrogen fuelling stations to support the rollout of zero-emission hydrogen electric vehicles in British Columbia.

HTEC Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC), in partnership with 7-Eleven Canada, Inc., has opened a hydrogen fuelling station in North Vancouver. The station is part of an Essobranded service station in the Westview Shopping Centre. It is the third station to open in HTEC’s hydrogen fuelling station network. HTEC and 7-Eleven Canada have begun construction on a second station together, which will open on Vancouver Island later this year. The companies are also expanding the network into the Okanagan with a station set to open in Kelowna next year. All three 7-Eleven Canada stations will operate at sites where Essobranded fuel is sold.

“Reducing our impact on the environment is a major focus for 7Eleven Canada and an important priority for many of our customers. The innovative hydrogen refuelling solutions we are building with HTEC continue to reduce our carbon footprint while meeting the evolving transportation needs of our customers,” Norman Hower, Vice President & General Manager, 7-Eleven Canada, Inc. Natural Resources Canada is providing funding for each of the three stations through its Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative, which aims to establish hydrogen stations in major metropolitan areas. A signiﬁcant level of support for the Westview station comes through the Government of British Columbia’s Part 3 Agreement under the BC Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which includes investment for actions that increase the use of low carbon fuels. The Province is also contributing funding for the stations through its Go Electric BC Program, part of the CleanBC plan to reduce pollution and meet BC’s climate targets.

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Neste develops new solutions to decrease the use of crude oil Neste are developing waste carbon sources to substitute crude oil with a 5, 10 or 20 year horizon for signiﬁcant commercial scale.

Neste launches a new research project which aims at developing sustainable and globally scalable raw materials and technology solutions for transportation fuels and the production of chemicals and polymers. The new technologies will be based on scalable renewable and circular raw materials that have been diﬃcult to utilize so far, such as forestry or agricultural residues, municipal waste, algae, waste plastics and carbon dioxide.

The commercialization of these raw materials requires longterm research and development of novel value chains with partners. Neste receives support for the project from Business Finland and works closely with companies, research institutes and universities. “Innovation is an important enabler to strengthen our ambitious growth strategy. Our innovation activities focus on renewing the

existing businesses and developing new raw materials and technology solutions for transportation fuels as well as chemicals and polymers,” says Lars Peter Lindfors, Senior Vice President, Innovation at Neste.

“We are developing waste carbon sources to substitute crude oil with a 5, 10 or 20 year horizon for signiﬁcant commercial scale. Lignocellulosic could potentially provide a large pool of sustainable feedstock from agricultural and forestry waste and residues. Municipal solid waste and waste plastic are also interesting raw material sources, and could be a relatively short-term solution,” says Lindfors.

Further down the road are algae-based solutions, renewable hydrogen and Power-to-X, which use CO2 and renewable electricity as raw material sources. The new raw materials have high potential globally and could replace a significant amount of the world’s crude oil use for transportation fuels by 2040, according to Neste.

Aramco completes record $70bn acquisition of SABIC Combined strengths and interests of two global companies will accelerate Aramco’s downstream strategy and leverage petrochemicals growth opportunities.

Aramco have completed the acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) for a total purchase price of SAR 259.125 billion (US$ 69.1 billion). Aramco will push back the bulk of instalments until after 2022 and delay the ﬁnal one by three years until 2028 due to the diﬃcult global scenario produced by COVID-19.

The completion of the transaction enhances Aramco’s presence in the global petrochemicals industry, a sector expected to record the fastest growth in oil demand in the years ahead.

Combined, in 2019 Aramco and SABIC recorded petrochemicals production volume of nearly 90 million tonnes, including agrinutrient and specialty products.

The acquisition is one of the biggest ever in the global petrochemicals industry and is consistent with Aramco’s long-term Downstream strategy to grow its integrated reﬁning and petrochemicals capacity.

“We are excited to complete this transaction. It is a signiﬁcant leap forward which accelerates Aramco’s Downstream strategy and transforms our company into one of the major global petrochemical players. The strategic integration of our Upstream production and Downstream chemicals feedstock production with SABIC’s chemicals platform is expected to create opportunities for selective integration synergies that support growth and add value for shareholders,” said Amin Nasser, President & CEO, Aramco. Aramco’s chemicals strategy will be enhanced by transforming it into one of the major global petrochemical players; integrating upstream production with SABIC feedstock; expanding capabilities in procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, marketing and sales; complementing geographic presence, projects and partners.

ENOC Group opens two new sites in Lehbab and Al Qudra The opening of the new fuel stations takes the total number of ENOC sites now in the UAE to 147.

ENOC Group recently opened two new service stations in Lehbab and Al Qudra in Dubai. The Lehbab service station is located along Lehbab Road and will provide retail, fuel and automotive services to commuters traveling to Jebel Ali; while Al Qudra station will cater to the needs of the communities residing in Al Qudra area such as Arabian Ranches 2, DAMAC Hills, Mudon and Sustainable City.

“Our new and strategically located service stations will further add to the convenience of our customers in meeting their daily needs, especially during these diﬃcult times when people are encouraged 44

to stay home; or within the vicinity of their residential communities,” said Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, ENOC Group.

The stations feature new generation double dispensers with retractable hoses to refuel cars on both sides. Supported by its Auto Tank Gauging and electronic leak detection system, the fuel system is fully automated to reduce the potential for human error and the need for intervention. All modern payment methods including ENOCPay, VIP, NOL and Dubai Now are accepted at the fuel station. The fuel stations also have ZOOM c-stores, which oﬀer customers over 7,500 products including confectionary and snacks as well as hot and cold beverages.

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Total joins the “Getting to Zero Coalition” Total will contribute to the Coalition’s focus areas including fuels, marine lubricants, and ship zero-emission technologies.

Total has joined the Getting to Zero Coalition to support the maritime industry’s decarbonisation by collaborating with companies across the maritime, energy, infrastructure and ﬁnance sectors.

The Getting to Zero Coalition’s ambition is to help achieve the target set by the International Maritime Organisation to reduce Greenhouse Gases emissions from shipping by at least 50% by 2050 - compared to 2008 levels. To that extent, the Coalition is aiming, through its members, at getting commercially viable deepsea zero-emission vessels powered by zero-emission fuels into operation by 2030. Leveraging its expertise, Total will contribute to the Coalition’s focus areas including fuels, marine lubricants, and ship zero-

emission technologies.

“As a major energy player, Total is already developing cleaner fuels for the maritime industry.” underlined Patrick Pouyanné, President and CEO of Total. “We share the ambition to get to netzero emissions by 2050, together with society, for our global operations. By joining the Getting to Zero Coalition, we want to push innovation and foster collective actions with all the stakeholders of the industry, thus contributing more efficiently to the reduction of the carbon footprint of maritime transport and its energy value chains.” Total is already actively working on improving the environmental footprint of the shipping industry, through the development of marine LNG supply infrastructure, fuel-efficient lubricants, biofuels and batteries. It has also recently announced the longterm chartering of 2 LNG-propelled VLCC’s.

DAPSA to brand at least 50 gas stations this year DAPSA’s goal was to reach 100 new sites but the drop in consumption due to the coronavirus crisis forces them to rethink their strategy. Destilería Argentina de Petróleo (DAPSA) “should not brand less than 50 stations for the rest of the year,” DAPSA’s Commercial Director Hugo David has announced.

DAPSA had planned to brand 100 more stations in 2020, bringing the total number of revamped stations to 150. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent quarantine measures imposed in Argentina, however, led the

company “to assume that the figure could be lower,” according to Hugo David.

DAPSA’s Commercial Director has explained that restrictions on interprovincial movement make distribution and installation diﬃcult in inland regions such as Santa Fe, Córdoba, or Mendoza. The Argentine oil company would be working on a plan B to establish the necessary logistics at the local level with the aim of proceeding with inaugurations as soon as possible. In 2019, DAPSA branded new 50 gas stations in different parts of the country.

Eleven launches voice command payment at the pump 7-Eleven is the ﬁrst c-store retailer to use Siri shortcuts, which enables customers to use voice commands to pay for Petrol and Diesel.

concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by making it a more seamless user experience.

The voice command feature is available through Siri shortcuts on iPhone or the 7Rewards app and addresses health and safety

7-Eleven, Inc. is now piloting Fuel Loyalty in participating 7-Eleven stores in North and South Orlando Florida, North Texas and Woodbridge, Virginia.

7-Eleven announced the launch of its fuel loyalty program providing new contactless payment options to reduce touch at the pump. The new solution enables customers to use voice commands to pay for fuel.

Lukoil opens new fuel station in Azerbaijan The Russian oil and gas company operates in Azerbaijan a network of about 70 filling stations under the Lukoil brand name.

Russia’s Lukoil inaugurated a new fuel station in Yevlakh city’s Ashagi Budzhag village.

The new site will offer ECTO fuel. A mini market, a cafe, and a car service area will also be featured in the new site. 46

Lukoil Group has been active in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas sector since 1994 and is represented in the country by two subsidiaries. The group operates a network of about 70 filling stations under the LUKOIL brand name. Lukoil Group has a 10% share in the Shah Deniz and South Caucasus Pipeline projects, and it also owns an oil depot that transports 120 thousand tons of oil products per year.

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Record amount of cashless transactions ENOC Group records 12 million cashless transactions in the UAE.

Encouraging cashless payments is one of the pillars to maintain precautionary measures in the ﬁght against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the directives issued by the UAE Government.

ENOC Group has recorded 12 million cashless transactions in the first five months of this year, in a move towards encouraging cashless payments. The Group recorded an increase in cashless transactions when compared to cash payments during the same period. More than 5 million cashless transactions were recorded through ENOC Vehicle Identification Pass (VIP), the Group’s contactless payment service for individuals and corporate customers. Additionally, over 5 million cashless transactions were facilitated via debit and credit cards. Customers also used ENOC Select Card to make 1.38 million cashless transactions. In addition, more than 15,000 cashless transactions were paid through ENOCPay, while

Dubai Smart Government enabled an additional 26,118 cashless transactions.

“Driving the growth of a digital economy in the UAE is of immense importance. The growth of cashless transactions across our retail operations underpins our commitment to supporting the nation’s smart infrastructure and, especially during these challenging times, ensure the safety of our customers and employees. We will continue to support the UAE Government’s vison and drive to encourage cashless transactions,” said Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, ENOC. Enabling cashless payment options across its retail operations is one of the key elements of ENOC’s eﬀorts in digitalisation. The Group ﬁrst introduced cashless payment options in 1996, with the launch of the ENOC Select Card, and has continued to rollout several cashless and contactless payment methods across service stations in the UAE.

Rompetrol launches cashback service at its retail network The company expands the service in its gas stations following a positive outcome in number of transactions and feedback from customers in a pilot project.

Rompetrol Downstream, the retail division of the KMG International Group in Romania, launches a new service through which customers will have the possibility to withdraw cash with 0% commission from any Rompetrol owned station. The service allows withdrawal of cash from the personal debit or credit bank card in an amount of up to 200 RON (46$)/ transaction together with a POS payment operation at the gas station.

“We are constantly looking to develop and implement innovative solutions to offer customers an immediate benefit and contribute to improving their experience in our stations. The new service allows customers to use the payment terminals at the stations and withdraw cash from bank cards, along with the purchase of goods and/or services from the station.” says Sergei Sevcenco, Rompetrol Downstream General Director.

The only condition for using this service in Rompetrol stations is the purchase of fuel or any goods or services from the store and Hei restaurant portfolio.

Customers can currently use this service in all 156 Rompetrol owned gas stations in Romania, the company being the first player in the oil & gas field and one of the first non-banking companies in Romania to launch the cash withdrawal service nationwide. The service is not available at Rompetrol Partner or Rompetrol Express stations.

In March, the company initiated a pilot project in its own stations in Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu. Based on the number of transactions and the feedback received from customers, it decided to rapidly expand the service to its entire network of gas stations.

Rompetrol Downstream operates locally a fuel distribution network consisting of 988 sale points, 6 depots, 200 auto LPG stations and over 7,000-cylinder distribution points. The fuels sold are produced at the Petromidia Navodari reﬁnery - the largest proﬁle production unit in Romania and one of the most modern and complex in the Black Sea region.

Vendée Energie to open four CNG filling stations by 2024 Vendée Energie’s development plans in France’s Vendée region also include hydrogen ﬁlling infrastructure, with a ﬁrst station planned to open in late 2021.

Vendée Energie has launched a global call for tenders to commission the deployment of its next CNG four filling stations in France’s Vendée region by 2024. The provisional roadmap could be “updated depending on the results of customer prospecting and other commitments made,” says the Vendée Energie call for tenders. The announcement comes as Vendée Energie prepares to open its third CNG station, in the Fontenay-le-Comte locality, reports

Gaz-Mobilité. Originally planned for May, the opening of this site was postponed to mid-June due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Fontenay-le-Comte station will be the first to offer LNG, in association with Primagaz.

Vendée Energie is currently in talks with three municipalities Challans, les Sables d’Olonne and Boufféré Montaigu - willing to host its fourth CNG location, scheduled to open by June 2021.

Vendée Energie’s development plans also include hydrogen filling infrastructure. The company announced that a first hydrogen filling station is planned to be rolled out in La Roche-sur-Yon

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between June and October–November 2021. This site will be developed in partnership with Lhyfe, a pure player in green hydrogen created in 2017.

“We are also thinking about upgrading our current CNG stations with hydrogen [filling points]. The deployment of quick-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is also being studied,”

announced Laurent Sorin, responsible for CNG projects at Vendée Energie.

Vendée Energie is a semi-public company created in 2012 by the Syndicat Départemental d’Energie et d’équipement de la Vendée (SyDEV) with the goal to develop, build and operate renewable energy production facilities in France’s Vendée region.

Gazprom NGV Europe restructures CNG station network in Czech Republic NGVE moved underutilized stations to higher demand centres, upgraded others with more capacity and ﬁlling spots, and announced plans to open more sites. Gazprom NGV Europe (NGVE) is restructuring its existing CNG station network in Czech Republic to better serve increasing bus and truck customer demand.

The optimization started with moving two underutilized stations to higher demand centres with more cost synergies. Since May the CNG stations in Hodonín and Pelhřimov have been closed and at the same time, the CNG stations in Kolín and Opava have been upgraded with more capacity and additional refilling spots.

NGVE also plans to open two new CNG stations in the Czech Republic by the end of the year; and for next year, a further expansion of the station network is planned.

“The gas mobility in the Czech Republic is a clear success story with steadily growing sales volumes over the last 15 years and one of the best CNG station networks in Europe. Together with continuous political support - like the recently approved National Action Plan for Clean Mobility - and attractivity of gas vehicles especially for the environmentally important public transport and logistics, we see a big potential for CNG and LNG in the Czech Republic. We want to support this good development and will further invest in our station network,” states Tobias Jacobs, the branch manager responsible for the Czech Gas for transport business.

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Petrol stations to open day and night After limiting the opening hours due to COVID-19, the Government has now allowed sites to open 24 hours.

Gas stations in Zimbabwe will be able to operate open 24 hours a day in an eﬀort to tackle fuel shortages in the African country. In a statement, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the national taskforce on Covid-19 agreed that service stations must not be treated like other businesses and would not be limited my lockdown measures.

“Following reports on erratic hours of operation by some fuel retail outlets, the Attorney General has clarified that fuel retail outlets are classified as an essential service under the lockdown regulations. As such, retail outlets are allowed to conduct trade during their normal hours of operation. Their hours of operation are not confined to 8am to 4.30pm which applies to some other exempted categories of business,”. Zimbabwe’s fuel prices will go up by as much as 152%, the energy regulator said, after the Government removed a fixed exchange rate in place since March.

QuikTrip plans up to 70 stores opening in Denver Midwest-based convenience store chain QuikTrip is planning to open 50 to 70 stores in the Denver metropolitan area over the next five years as it closes in on its plan to expand to the MileHigh City.

company. The stores are foreseen to begin opening early 2021, although their locations are to be announced yet.

QuikTrip Denver-area stores will feature an average lot size of 2.5 acres each with a 4,800 square-foot store, according to the

In business since 1960’s, QuikTrip has grown to operate over 800 stores across 11 states.

The company announced that it’s on the lookout for Denverarea general contractors to help with the construction of the new stores.

QuikTrip announced its decision to expand into the Denver-area following opening requests on social media from Colorado customers. The city’s recent population growth has also prompted the QuikTrip to venture into a new market, according to Mike Thornbrugh, a spokesperson for the company.

Plug Power completes acquisitions of United Hydrogen and Giner ELX The acquisitions enhance Plug Power’s position in the hydrogen industry with capabilities in generation, liquefaction and distribution of hydrogen fuel.

Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of hydrogen engines and fuelling solutions enabling e-mobility, has completed the acquisitions of United Hydrogen Group Inc. and Giner ELX. These acquisitions are in line with the company’s vertical integration strategy in the hydrogen business laid out in September of 2019 with plans to have more than 50% of the hydrogen used to be green by 2024.

These activities will enhance Plug Power’s position in the hydrogen industry with capabilities in generation, liquefaction and distribution of hydrogen fuel complementing its activities in the design, construction, and operation of customer-facing hydrogen fuelling stations.

customers as well as position Plug Power to target existing large and growing hydrogen markets. The company projects that its existing customers will use almost 100 tons of hydrogen per day by 2024 and expects over 50% of that to be green hydrogen.

The acquisition of United Hydrogen Group, one of the largest privately held merchant hydrogen producers in North America, enhances Plug Power’s capabilities in hydrogen generation, liquefaction and distribution logistics. Plug Power expects the Giner ELX acquisition to increase its overall green hydrogen supply capabilities and the company can add manufacturing capabilities to serve the global market for electrolysers.

Plug Power is focused on becoming one of the largest green hydrogen generation companies in the United States over the next ﬁve years and globally thereafter. This planned capacity addition of green hydrogen will serve the growing demand from current

“Plug Power is working to build the modern clean hydrogen economy,” said Plug Power CEO, Andy Marsh. “Every decision we make is with an eye to the future, not the past. This closely aligns with the eﬀorts that companies like United Hydrogen and Giner ELX have made to secure broad participation in the hydrogen economy, and to achieve the objectives of a clean environment and reduced dependence on foreign oil. We welcome these organizations into the Plug Power family where, as a team, we can accelerate the adoption of low carbon and zero carbon hydrogen on a global scale.”

Repsol will invest around €80 million in two pioneering industrial decarbonization projects that the company will undertake with the participation of prominent Spanish and international partners.

The first project, with an initial investment of 60 million euros, involves building one of the largest net zero emissions synthetic fuel, also known as e-fuels, production plants in the world, based

Repsol bets on e-fuels with €80mn decarbonization project 50

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on green hydrogen generated with renewable energy. The main feature of these new fuels is that they are produced using water and CO2 as the only raw materials. They can be used in the combustion engines that are currently installed in automobiles in Spain and the rest of the world, as well as in airplanes, trucks, and other machinery. The facility, which will be fully operational within four years, will set a new benchmark in Europe due to its technology and the use of CO2 captured in the nearby Petronor refinery. Its development will be led by the Repsol Technology Lab research centre. It will combine green hydrogen—a 100% clean energy generated from renewable sources—with CO2 as the raw materials in the process, and it will position Repsol on the leading edge of the development of net zero emissions fuels.

In the first phase 50 barrels of synthetic fuel will be produced per day, with net zero emissions of CO2 in the entire production cycle. Conceptual engineering will begin this year. Petronor is the only refinery in the Iberian Peninsula and one of few in Europe that has integrated the process of capture, storage, and use of CO2, and it is expected to be able to capture the CO2 directly from the air.

“Spain must base its decarbonization strategy on its technological and industrial capabilities. The production of green hydrogen in combination with the capture and use of CO2 to produce net zero emission fuels is part of the industrial decarbonization strategy of Repsol. With this project, the Spanish industry is positioning

itself to become a leading European player in reducing emissions”, said Jon Imaz, Repsol’s CEO. The project represents a major boost for e-fuels. One of the biggest supporters of synthetic fuels has been German fuelling association UNITI, which recently opened an office in Brussels to push the production of climate-neutral liquid fuels in Germany and Europe.

The second project, which will be located next to the first one, also with the port of Bilbao and its surrounding area as the priority option, will represent an initial investment of 20 million euros. Led by Petronor, it will consist of a plant for generation of gas from urban waste. The generated gas will be used to replace part of the traditional fuels that the Basque refinery, one of the largest in Spain, currently uses in its production process. This second initiative aligns with Repsol’s strategy of promoting the circular economy which is applied in many phases of the company’s production cycle through technology and innovation. Repsol has already implemented over 200 projects in this area which it has identified as one of the key levers for achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

In its first stage, this pyrolysis plant will be able to process around 10,000 tons of urban waste a year, and its capacity could be increased in later stages to approximately 100,000 tons a year, equivalent to all the urban waste produced in the surrounding area.

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ADNOC Distribution has opened 16 new sites this year Fuel and convenience retailer continues its national network expansion in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Umm Al Quwain. ADNOC Distribution, the UAE’s leading fuel and convenience retailer, is bringing convenience to customers across the UAE with 16 new sites open in 2020 to date. ADNOC’s national network expansion this year has been located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Umm Al Quwain.

Five new ‘ADNOC On the go’ neighbourhood stations have been opened across Abu Dhabi in the month of May; in Al Reem Island, Shamkha Community, Khalifa City Chouifat, Manazef and Yas Acres, bringing the total number of ‘ADNOC On the go’ stations to 10 since the concept launched with the opening of the first station in Al Bateen in March of this year. These new neighbourhood stations offer fuelling and retail facilities located in areas where traditional stations are impractical. Customers are able to order from the ADNOC Oasis convenience store from their car through a tablet device and collect their purchases from the dedicated drive-thru window. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 15 new stations have opened across the UAE, including five traditional stations in Dubai. Of the five new stations in Dubai, two of these are located in the residential communities of Al Barsha South and Al Warqa, and one in the industrial area of Al Quoz, offering customers

fuelling and non-fuelling solutions, such as convenience stores, quick service restaurants, car washes and lubricant change for vehicles. In the heart of the financial district, the new station at Business Bay provides fuelling and retail convenience, with the final new opening in Muhaisnah, Deira, offering fuelling and car wash facilities in the industrial area. These latest openings in Dubai bring ADNOC Distribution’s total number of operating stations in the emirate to 11, with several additional stations in the advanced stages of completion. In addition to the recent station openings, the company has also launched its inaugural Vehicle Inspection Centre in Umm Al Quwain, offering customers regulatory safety inspection and certification services.

“At this time, it is more important than ever that customers have necessities close to home. We want to ensure we continue to provide accessible convenience combined with the highest safety and hygiene standards,” said Ahmed Al Shamsi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of ADNOC Distribution. “Our expansion in Dubai, the roll out of our new ‘ADNOC On the go’ neighbourhood stations in Abu Dhabi, and our unwavering commitment to bringing our services closer to customers in all emirates are core to our growth strategy and we will continue to deliver on this commitment throughout the year ahead.”

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Oil company to expand

Petrogress expands its retail network in Southern Greece. The energy company expands distribution operations in Europe with the lease of the third gas station in Sparta, South Greece. PIL plans to create a chain of gas stations in Southern Europe.

Petrogress, Inc. announced that its Petrogress Int’l, LLC (PIL) subsidiary has concluded the lease of another gas station, which will be renovated and managed in Southern Greece (Sparta) with associated storage and distribution operations. The operating will commence in Mid July 2020. Petrogress currently owns and operates 2 other gas stations in the Sparta region.

PIL expects to initially operate and manage the three gas stations by supplying them with the petrochemical products. The gas stations are located in a major national road between Sparta city and Gythio port, the well-known cruise port, where the company has built and provided “rest areas” and full service with restaurants, café and mini markets. The fuel sales at the gas stations are estimated to be 100,000 gallons per month. PIL plans to increase the number of the gas stations to create a chain in Southern Europe, including Cyprus and other East

International News Mediterranean countries to accommodate the burgeoning tourist and visitor market. The gas stations will be operated under the trademark PG OIL. “The expansion of the gas stations is an excellent opportunity for Petrogress to expand its operations into and serve the South Greece market where the populations of tourists and visitors is growing exponentially. Bringing new business opportunities to fruition demonstrates our mission to establish Petrogress as a strong integrated oil company by providing upstream, midstream, downstream services and now participating directly in the retailing of our products. Our companies’ combined facilities, assets and services are not only expected to provide for enhanced revenue streams, but also ensure our future in this important international market,” stated Petrogress Chief Executive Officer, Christos P. Traios. Petrogress Inc. is an integrated energy company, engaged in the upstream, downstream and midstream segments. The downstream segment comprises refining of crude oil into petroleum products, marketing of crude oil and refined products of gas oil, naphtha, fuels and lubricants. Since last year, the Company entered into the retailing market by leasing a number of gas stations in Greece.

OnTurtle adds 8 new natural gas stations to its international network OnTurtle continues to expand the presence of CNG and LNG in its network of international refuelling stations to respond to boost alternative fuels.

In its commitment to natural gas vehicles, OnTurtle, a reference partner in Europe for transport companies, adds eight new CNG and LNG stations to its international network. Last March the

Circular economy proposed

Neste, McDonald’s Netherlands and HAVI have joined forces to create a circular economy partnership. The collaboration will see McDonald’s restaurants in the Netherlands recycling the used cooking oil from French fries into Neste MY Renewable Diesel.

The fuel will be used in HAVI trucks that deliver goods to McDonald’s. Neste MY Renewable Diesel enables customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% over the fuel’s life cycle compared to fossil diesel.

In the circular economy partnership, McDonald’s’ supply chain partner HAVI plays a central role as the collector of the used cooking oil from all 252 Dutch McDonald’s restaurants. Neste then converts this used cooking oil at its Rotterdam reﬁnery into the renewable diesel that fuels HAVI’s trucks. “The collaboration with Neste and HAVI is an excellent example of how we can make circularity a practical reality. We are connecting the recycling of a valuable waste fraction, which we have been doing for years, to our ambitions to reduce our climate impact. Together with HAVI we developed a roadmap to see what steps we could take to reduce our carbon emissions from the logistics side and to make our logistics more future proof,” says Jeroen Dekkers, Head of Supply Chain at McDonald’s Netherlands.

company incorporated new stations in partnership with MOLGAS Group, a leading company in energy services with over 20 years of experience in the sector. In addition, OnTurtle added several gas stations of the HAM Group to its own international network. In total there are 52 self-service and unmanned natural gas stations throughout Europe. Its gas refuelling network to the transport sector is distributed in 24 points in Spain, 22 in France and 6 in Belgium.

“Neste’s ambition is to become a global leader in renewable and circular solutions. We are excited to partner with McDonald’s in the Netherlands and HAVI to demonstrate how circular economy can be promoted in practice,” says Carl Nyberg, Executive Vice President for Neste’s Renewable Road Transportation business unit. Neste has experience in circular economy solutions around Neste MY Renewable Diesel. In 2019, Neste launched a partnership with the City of Oakland to fuel the city’s ﬂeet with Neste MY made from used cooking oil, grease and other waste and residue materials sourced from local businesses in the San FranciscoOakland-Hayward metropolitan area. Neste has been active in the Netherlands since 2011 when the Rotterdam refinery for renewable products started its operations. The Rotterdam refinery and the company’s Singapore refinery are the world’s biggest and most advanced renewable diesel refineries. Last year Neste opened a new office in Hoofddorp, just outside Amsterdam, which serves as the global hub for the growing Renewable Aviation business. Neste launched Neste MY Renewable Diesel, produced from renewable raw materials, on the Dutch market in October 2019. This renewable product is currently available at more than 90 locations throughout the country.

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Oil and gas industry can implement new ways of working with its suppliers to mitigate financial distress Building long-term procurement and supply chain resilience, the worst effects of the crisis could be avoided. ADIPEC Webinar told oil and gas operators need to work more closely with suppliers to mitigate financial impact of oil price collapse, stabilise supply chains and build long-term resilience. The triple shock of COVID-19 and the subsequent collapse of energy demand and oil prices have put the future of the oil and gas industry’s oil field equipment supply sector under threat, as operators impose activity and price cuts and renegotiate contracts to reduce costs. Warning today’s industry crisis is significantly more severe than 2014, when oil prices fell by 40 percent, Alexey Dolya, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), said more than half of oil field equipment suppliers are at risk of bankruptcy if oil prices remain at $30 per barrel until the end of the year. Participating in an online ADIPEC Webinar, entitled Building Future Business Resilience through Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, Dolya said if the oil and gas industry can implement new ways of working with its suppliers to mitigate financial distress, while building long-term procurement and supply chain resilience, the worst effects of the crisis could be avoided.

In the short-term, he said, operators need to have forward-looking transparency into vendor ﬁnancial health to mitigate supplier distress. In the medium term, operators and suppliers need to consider new technologies and strategic partnerships to unlock 20–50 percent lower costs to survive in a $30 per barrel oil market. “The current crisis is very diﬀerent to what we have seen before,” Dolya said. “Supplier prices have not yet recovered from the last crisis and many vendors’ health is much weaker. However, the response of oil and gas operators has been similar to 2014, with activity cuts and requests for price cuts putting suppliers at risk of bankruptcy. “Instead, operators should look to the automotive and defence industries, where there is close collaboration with suppliers and

both sides learn from each other. Operators need to build forward looking models to try to understand how long supplies can last in the current environment and work with suppliers to unlock signiﬁcant potential from alliances and strategic partnerships.”

A BCG survey, conducted in May, shows the biggest impact on the oil ﬁeld equipment supplier’s industry is being felt in the well services, drilling and rigs and topside and process equipment categories. Other areas under pressure include seismic; subsea; logistics; engineering, procurement, construction and installation and maintenance and professional services.

According to BCG, unilateral measures to mitigate financial pressures on suppliers could include extending preferential rates; front loading ordering of products; improved access to finance, including direct lending to suppliers, direct payment of Tier 2 suppliers, bank guarantees and measures to safeguard against default, including an option to purchase, sell-off or recover input materials. Meanwhile, cross-operator levers could include Government support packages for the oil field equipment supply industry, including tax exemptions; structural guarantees for key industries; greater clarity on the demand pipeline and coordinated cross operator bail-out efforts. The ADIPEC Webinar series is a weekly online thought leadership event created by dmg events, organisers of the annual Abu Dhabi International Exhibition and Conference. Featuring key stakeholders and decision-makers in the oil and gas industry, the dialogues focus on how the industry is evolving and transforming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapidly changing energy market.

ADIPEC attracts more than 155,000 energy professionals from 67 countries, including senior decision-makers and energy industry thought leaders, over 2,200 exhibiting companies and 23 national exhibiting pavilions as oil and gas companies convene to share views and best practices to address the long-term impact of the triple challenge of lower oil prices, weaker demand and over supply.

Puma Energy tops consumer satisfaction rankings Puma Energy has beat 7-Eleven as the favourite gas station brand for Australian motorists according to a new survey that has been undertaken.

Puma Energy has taken out top spot in our petrol and service station ratings for 2020, knocking 7-Eleven oﬀ the podium. It received ﬁve stars in most categories, including overall satisfaction.

Over 2,200 motorists were surveyed across Australia asking them about their opinion on service stations. The range of factors included appearance & cleanliness, customer service, convenience, facilities, and range of other items for sale. Puma Energy, the new favourite chain to fuel up, has shot up in popularity in recent years, and has an expansive fuel card system, café and convenience offering. It also supplies fuel to various

mining sites across the country. In Western Australia, Puma enjoys a partnership with RAC, offering club members a 4c per litre discount on fuel. In Queensland, Puma has a similar partnership with RACQ, offering members the same 4c per litre discount on fuel. Metro Petroleum, Liberty, Costco, United Petroleum, 7-Eleven and BP all scored four stars for overall customer satisfaction, while Woolworths Caltex, Shell, Caltex and Coles Express Shell were left on three stars apiece. Other noteworthy results this year include Metro Petroleum and Costco both earning five stars for price of petrol, while 7-Eleven was the only chain to score five stars for range of non-car items for sale. Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) said that the cost of fuel is a major strain on their finances, down from 39% in our last survey.

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Australia to double its domestic fuel reserves The Government has committed to reach the 90 days of emergency fuel reserves in line with that of the International Energy Agency. Australia will expand its domestic emergency fuel reserves in the face of increasing global uncertainty. Following a landmark deal to have access to the US Government’s strategic supply, announced earlier this year, the government now looks to boost reserves by 7 million to 15 million barrels, reports ACAPMAg.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor said they were responding to recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the impact of large global shocks and the need for fuel security. As a member of the International Energy Agency, Australia is supposed to maintain a 90-day supply of fuel but has not been compliant with the requirement in recent years. The plan to boost onshore storage by up to 15 million barrels will add between eight and 19 IEA days to domestic storage, taking it to the requisite 90 days by 2026.

OPW donates to support foodbanks across the world International fuelling equipment manufacturer shows supports for foodbanks in need.

OPW thanked local foodbanks that have worked to support families in need around the world with several donations. With many foodbanks reporting shortages, OPW has donated between $500 and $1,000 (USD) to key foodbanks in communities where OPW employees live and work.

“Many communities and industries have been impacted by COVID 19,” said OPW President Kevin Long. “We recognize the challenging times and are committed to supporting our

employees and the communities in which we operate. OPW would like to thank the local foodbanks that are providing critical services for our neighbours in need.”

OPW has provided charitable donations to the following foodbanks to help them continue to provide meals in Greater Chicago Food Depository (Illinois), Khaana Chahiye (Mumbai, India), Oz Harvest (New South Wales), Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (North Carolina), The Trussell Trust (North Yorkshire, UK), Shared Harvest Foodbank (Ohio), Suzhou Industrial Park Volunteers Association (Suzhou, China) and De Pere Christian Outreach Food Pantry (Wisconsin).

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Starbucks to close 400 stores as it expands on-the-go formats The expansion of convenience-led formats such as kerbside pickup, drive-thru and mobile-only pickup has been accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Starbucks will close around 400 company-owned locations in United States and Canada over the next 18 months as it expands “convenience-led formats” such as kerbside pickup, drive-thru and mobile-only pickup locations. The Seattle-based coffee empire said in a press release that the transformation of its store portfolio, with an emphasis on the “to go” format, accelerated due to a shift in the retail environment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we navigate through the COVID-19 crisis, we are accelerating our store transformation plans to address the realities of the current situation, while still providing a safe, familiar and convenient experience for our customers,” said in a press release Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson.

The U.S. store portfolio transformation includes to open up to 300 new stores - down from its original target of 600 locations - in its current ﬁscal year, with the expansion of new Starbucks Pickup stores in dense markets including New York City, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco, and convenience-led enhancements such as kerbside, drive-thru and walk up windows in suburban areas.

“Kerbside pickup is an experience accelerated due to the COVID crisis as well as customers’ increasing need for convenience in onthe-go occasions,” Starbucks said in the statement. “Over the coming months, Starbucks will increase the number of stores that oﬀer kerbside pickup as well as pilot a select number of locations to exclusively oﬀer this format.”

Starbucks’ plans to accelerate the transformation of its portfolio were also shared in an open letter from Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson. Starbucks has not provided a list of stores to be closed according to this plan. The coﬀee chain operates 24,000 locations worldwide.

First ultra-fast EV charging station in Ampol’s retail network Ampol and Evie Networks opened the first ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Ampol’s retail network at Avenel in Victoria. The Avenel site, which is currently branded Caltex, is the first location of an initial roll out of EV charging across six Ampol sites in New South Wales and Victoria that will be delivered over the next 12 months. The six sites will form part of Evie Network’s ultra-fast charging network, connecting the east coast of Australia from Cairns to Adelaide. Backed by the St Baker Energy Innovation Fund and accompanied by a recoupable grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Evie’s network will be the largest ultra-fast EV charging network in Australia.

Alan Stuart-Grant, Ampol’s Executive General Manager, Strategy and Corporate Development, said the pilot would provide an opportunity to test how EV charging can be integrated into a traditional service station forecourt. “We’re proud to partner with Evie Networks who bring strong EV charging expertise and a quality network that will ensure we

continue to build our knowledge of services and technologies that will shape our future.”

Evie Networks Chief Executive Officer, Chris Mills, said the partnership with Ampol was a significant step forward in delivering its national network build, drawing on Ampol’s high quality roadside convenience and amenity.

“Partnerships with trusted brands, like Ampol, help us deliver our mission to accelerate EV adoption in Australia. Using Evie Networks’ cutting edge-technology helps our host partners showcase their sustainability credentials as well as returning solid commercial benefits from increased foot traffic and convenience sales while EV customers are on site.” The Avenel site will have two 24/7 available bays for EV owners, with charging to be delivered in around 15 minutes using Evie Networks’ ultra-fast 350-kilowatt Australian-made, Tritium technology. All electricity delivered through the EV charging site will be 100% accredited GreenPower procured from renewable generators in the market.

Repsol and Kia in partnership for electric vehicles Spanish energy company Repsol and South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer Kia have signed an agreement for the installation of charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as other services associated with electric mobility for individuals, companies and dealers. With this agreement, Repsol becomes Kia’s approved supplier for fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The South Korean firm will offer its customers in Spain the option to install the Repsol electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in their homes. This includes a “turnkey” installation of the home charging point, maintenance service, the option of signing up for a Repsol electricity rate adapted to each home and additional benefits, such as two free charges per month exclusively for Kia customers.

Additionally, the customers of the two companies will be able to recharge their vehicles at over 250 Repsol public points at a 50% discount if they are clients of Repsol’s domestic electricity supply. Those customers will also benefit from a credit of up to 150 euros in Waylet, Repsol’s payment application which can be used at the company’s 3,400 service stations and a wide network of businesses. The agreement also contemplates personalized electric mobility solutions for fleets, companies and dealers.

Repsol will also be the preferred installer of the electric vehicle recharging infrastructure at 220 Kia points of sale in Spain, with electricity that is guaranteed to be 100% renewable.

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“Connected Truck” and “Connected Depot” Apps from Implico Achieves SAP Certification through the “Co-Innovated with SAP®” Program Hamburg. The international software and consulting company for the oil and gas industry, Implico, celebrates another milestone in its on-going digitalization journey. Its “Connected Truck and Connected Depot 1.0” apps are now SAP certified - Built on SAP Cloud Platform through the “Co-Innovated with SAP” program. The cloud-based micro services offer tank terminal operators and their business partners significant benefits, such as more efficient, secure and transparent truck handling from entrance to exit. The SAP certification underlines the added value that “Connected Truck” and “Connected Depot” grant their users.

The “Co-Innovated with SAP” program is designed to help partners through the development lifecycle that culminates in a SAPcertiﬁed and tested solution against SAP product standards. It is an end-to-end program of guided services oﬀered by the SAP Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services organization that helps APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

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partners take their products to market in alignment with other SAP teams (product management, solution management, development and field), thereby providing the guidance and support to help ensure a competitive solution in the marketplace. The apps “Connected Truck” and “Connected Depot” are part of the “Supply Chain United” (SCU), an across-the-board architecture of easy-to-use web services for all supply chain processes with multiple participants. Implico realized them through the co-innovation program with SAP. This initiative enabled the downstream IT solution provider to tap into a global expert network and use state-of-the-art technologies and platforms. The result are two best-of-breed solutions providing oil and gas companies - such as tank farms, refineries, fuel retail networks and logistics firms - with operational process excellence and further added value. The app “Connected Truck” directly links the truck driver with the dispatching and transport planning system. This enhances the trip planning and reconciliation for bulk deliveries significantly and raises a wealth of new possibilities. The result: The fetch and deliver process can become more efficient, transparent and safe for all parties involved. The app “Connected Depot” addresses two crucial issues at tank farms with truck connections, namely queuing at the gate and traffic on site. Via the cloud-based functionality “Online Check-in”, it streamlines product loading in oil, gas and chemical terminals. The key to success: “Connected Depot” links all partakers in the operation in real time. The app keeps them in the loop regarding the latest developments and lets them carry out key work steps before the truck has even arrived at the gate.

This supports a seamless process from planning to execution - even in cases that involve several terminals and customers.

Jean-Marc Delbos, Director, Oil & Gas Industry Business Unit at SAP, points out: “To boost the supply chain efficiency across complex business networks by increased collaboration based on standardized processes becomes an objective that companies are pursuing in the fuels secondary distribution domain. The ‘Connected Truck’ and ‘Connected Depot’ applications, by Implico, are prefiguring the evolution towards such business networks that will further develop in these times of fundamental transformation.”

Tim Hoffmeister, CEO of Implico Group, is excited about the latest developments and the things to come: “With the ’Connected Truck’ and ‘Connected Depot’ apps newly achieving SAP Certification through the ‘Co-Innovated with SAP’ program, we are taking an important step towards our vision of a fully digitalized, intelligent downstream supply chain. The increase in process optimization for tank farms and carriers is immense. We are looking forward to offering our new ‘Supply Chain United’ technologies to the industry soon. Here, the label ‘Co-Innovated with SAP’ will help us a lot. After all, a company that opts for an SAP-certified product can be certain to receive class-A technology and service to help boost its business.”

“Connected Truck” and “Connected Depot” are already implemented at pilot locations in Europe. For further information on the co-innovation apps in particular and the “Supply Chain United” in general, Implico invites interested parties to visit www.supply-chain-united.com and sign up for the SCU-speciﬁc mailing list. For more information, visit www.implico.com.

Saving time on site with Aliaxis’ new PLX secondary-contained one-weld fitting range Aliaxis is pleased to announce the launch of its PLX One-Weld Fittings; a new range of secondary-contained electrofusion fittings that offer the ability to fuse four welding surfaces in only one weld cycle. The range comprises an innovative coupler and an industry first 90-degree elbow. The new fittings have been designed to generate significant time savings for installers.

Part of the PLX fuel system range from Aliaxis, the One-Weld Fittings are designed for use with the PLX Close-Fit Pipe. The new fittings, in comparison to traditional secondary-contained products, will save installers an average of 15 minutes per fitting on site and half a day of labour on a typical forecourt project. This is because primary and secondary joints can be welded simultaneously, which reduces total fusion time, as well as reducing the number of preparation steps required, making the installation process much quicker and more efficient.

An industry first, the 90-degree elbow is the only integrated oneweld elbow design on the market. The coupler acquires the benefit of an integrated pipe measurement guide, which indicates the correct socket depth that is required for both primary and secondary PLX close-fit pipes, allowing for quicker and easier installation. The secondary-contained One-Weld Fittings also provide an opportunity for interstitial monitoring for continuous leak detection and offer manual and barcode welding options as standard. 58

Designed with the forecourt sector in mind, PLX One-Weld Fittings are available in sizes 110#125mm for offset tanker fill lines and 63#75mm for dispenser product lines, ensuring that forecourt and service station specifications can be met.

Rich Pedley, Product Manager: Fuel Systems at Aliaxis, commented: “We are constantly challenging ourselves to think further and faster, ensuring that we deliver smarter and more innovative solutions to our customers. While the use of traditional fittings requires six preparations and three separate welds, the new fittings can be installed with four pipe preparations and just one weld making the products extremely installer friendly. The One-Weld Fittings also offer a more compact option in terms of size. “In line with the launch, we have also developed the PLX Hand-Held Pipe Clamp to aid the installation of the new fittings; it secures both the primary and secondary pipes in position, prior to the electrofusion welding process and prevents movement within the joint. With the introduction of the new fittings and the pipe clamp, PLX will be the most efficient pipework system to install on the market.”

The new fittings are fully compatible with the existing PLX tooling range. In addition, the One-Weld Fittings range conforms to EN 14125 Standards when used in conjunction with the PLX Close-Fit Secondary-Contained Pipework.

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Available from July 2020, the new fittings and pipe clamp can be purchased from Aliaxis’ specialist UK forecourt distributors, Berry’s Technologies, as well as all other Aliaxis UK stockists across the country.

PLX is a complete range of specialist electrofusion welded pipework systems suitable for above and below ground, for the safe transfer of liquid fuels and their vapours. Comprising an internal permeation barrier, oﬀering maximum environmental protection and peace of mind, PLX is suitable for use with traditional fuels, leaded, unleaded petroleum, diesel and alternative fuels such as bio-diesel, E10, E85 and a range of fuel oils.

For more information or enquiries on Aliaxis’ PLX One-Weld Fittings, please contact: plx@aliaxis.com APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

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Evolution not revolution - STA Technical shares its approach to product development Delivering products that are fit for purpose with any inherent design flaws engineered out is key to STA Technical’s way of doing business.

Managing director, Warren Peters explains: “There’s a host of components used across the industry that have simply evolved over time, with no in-depth thought invested when it comes to design improvements, increasing product longevity, reducing installation time or savings when it comes to maintenance costs.” East Anglian-based STA Technical works with clients to ensure that components going out of the door are 100% ﬁt for purpose with no on-site retro ﬁts required.

Warren continues: “With 20 years plus industry experience behind us there’s often design amendments we can recommend that have worked in similar instances or situations, which lead to time or cost savings, or engineer out unforeseen issues. Taking the time to talk with clients and understanding their precise needs ensures what we deliver ﬁts the bill.”

Working collaboratively with Gilbarco Veeder Root on the redesign of a forecourt emergency cabinet exemplifies this approach. Developing a redefined cabinet design for a supermarket chain over the last six months, Warren continues: “We presented the prototype cabinet to the client at the start of January and it ticked all their boxes. Now, with businesses picking up where they left off following the Covid lockdown, the cabinet is being trialled onsite and plans are in place to go into full scale production.”

Citing a range of problems with the existing emergency cabinet Gilbarco Veeder Root asked STA to look at what improvements could be made to this vital piece of forecourt hardware. Terry Everitt, project manager for the pump manufacturer explains: “There’s always been a host of rust and leak problems with the conventional cabinet. They’re cumbersome and heavy to move, which brings into play manual handling issues. Having just evolved over time, no consideration has been given regarding long term durability or product improvement. 60

“We were delighted with the design STA presented to us and were particularly impressed they’d consulted with experts to ensure the new design reﬂects guidelines set out in the Highways Agency’s TR1000 build code for motorway communications equipment.”

Manufactured in two pieces the new cabinets are easily assembled into a single unit. Warren explains: “Gilbarco’s feedback highlighted how diﬃcult the current units are to transport and install. Overcoming this issue provides an instant beneﬁt. We’ve also updated the cabinet’s comms capabilities with a weather and vandal resistant networkable audio-visual system.”

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Terry adds: “STA’s product development far exceeds what we were expecting. If the trials go as we all hope, the plan is for them to become our go-to cabinet on those sites that require them.”

Another great example of evolving a piece of kit vital to the industry is STA Technical’s standard test rig (which was a ﬁnalist in the innovation category at APEA’s 2018 awards).

Bringing together standardised testing equipment and ensuring the integrity of the gauge, STA’s pipe and tank test rig’s simple design is key to its success. Warren explains: “Our test rig simply brings together all the independent components installers usually have somewhere in the back of their van but ensures they’re 100% ﬁt for purpose.”

With the ability to test up to ﬁve lines at once plus a sub-manifold enables testing on each pipe island, with an ATEX approved digital gauge ensuring the integrity and safety of the testing. The rig is then housed in a Peli waterproof casing, built to withstand the knocks of day-to-day use on petrol forecourts and installer life. Since launching the easy-to-use and accurate rig, STA has been delighted with how well it’s been received. Dave Jasper of Westﬁeld Services says of the two rigs purchased: “We have been looking for a robust, accurate test rig that can be easily transported but take the knocks and bumps of site use and STA has given us the perfect solution.” For further press information please contact: Lyn Peters (Sonder PR) T: 07909 544496 E: lynpeters225@gmail.com W: www.statechnical.com

Eurotank Service Group invests in the commercial fuelling market Eurotank Service Group is extending its full spectrum of fuel system maintenance and installation services to the fleet fuelling sector with the launch of Europump Maintenance for commercial customers. The company has established an experienced team with a wealth of ﬂeet fuelling knowledge spanning all environments and operations to build the commercial business.

Former Cameron Forecourt Sales & Marketing Director Martyn Gent has taken on the role of Business Development Manager, bringing with him Karen Walmsley as Service Contract Coordinator and Ellie Nieuwenhuizen as Group Marketing Manager. Darren Reynolds and Graham McAlister joined Europump’s nationwide network of pump service engineers, and Graham Webb is providing consultancy on QHSE in the commercial fleet fuelling sector.

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Group Managing Director Edward Wheeler said: “We are bringing the UK commercial market a new supplier that can meet and exceed all of their requirements with our ability to manage all tank, pipework, pump and fuel management systems in house.

“Our strategy is to quickly create a nationwide coverage of specialist commercial fuelling engineers to provide the market with the dedicated service company it needs to look after this critical national infrastructure.”

Europump’s target for 2021 is to have a fully nationwide engineer coverage for the commercial sector to work alongside its national network of engineers for the retail sector.

“We are already carrying out tank lining works at commercial fuelling sites that Martyn and Karen have secured, which is a positive sign that this investment will be of great beneﬁt to the Group and commercial fuelling operators,” added Wheeler. Contact: ellie.nieuwenhuizen@eurotank.eu.com LinkedIn @Europumpmaintenanceltd www.europump.uk.com

Former Cameron Forecourt personnel (l–r) Graham McAlister, Martyn Gent, Ellie Nieuwenhuizen and Darren Reynolds bring their fleet fuelling expertise to Europump Maintenance

GripHero protect millions against Covid-19 at the fuel pump and reduces environmental impact in the process Devon-based GripHero Ltd, the developer of the world’s only ‘onthe-nozzle’ fuel pump hand-protection, has released ﬁgures which show that during the coronavirus pandemic, over 60 million drivers have been protected from contracting Covid-19 at the fuel pump, thanks to GripHero’s availability at thousands of forecourts globally. Wearing hand-protection at the fuel-pump prevents the potential for the contraction of Covid-19 from drivers that cough or sneeze on their hands whilst driving, passing on traces of infected mucus via the fuel pump handle to other drivers.

Since March, GripHero has been installed at forecourts in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Australia. The dispensers are the only ones in the world permitted within the refuelling zone due to the use of ATEX-Certiﬁed anti-static material. 62

Designed to release just one item of hand-protection at a time, the by-product of GripHero being taken up internationally during the lockdown is that 70 million otherwise wasted gloves have been avoided. This is because traditional dispensers allow clumps of gloves to be withdrawn, blown into the environment or simply taken in handfuls away from site. By preventing unintentional withdrawals, GripHero cuts volumes of hand-protection used at forecourts by 55%. And through the use of eco-friendly materials, GripHero dramatically reduces the impact of single-use handprotection on the environment. GripHero also avoids wasted oﬀcuts during manufacturing which, combined with the need for fewer items of hand-protection, has removed 130 tonnes of plastic from entering the waste stream during the pandemic. In the process, this has saved over 500

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tonnes of CO2 that would have been created by the manufacture of conventional gloves, and 25 tonnes of unnecessary cardboard boxes that house traditional gloves.

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Commenting on the news, Oli Yeo, inventor and managing director of GripHero, said: “Protecting the health and wellbeing of drivers around the world sits at the core of what we do in equal measure to reducing the environmental impact of handprotection used on the forecourt.

“Now and in the future, we will continue to innovate to prevent the contraction of viruses, contaminants, and carcinogens at the fuel pump. Our goal is to create a future where customers can always find hand-protection where they need it most, so that they can refuel and purchase food and drinks without the worry of ingesting anything that could be picked up or passed on by another driver’s hand.”

Before GripHero came to market, the factor preventing handprotection being dispensed in the fuel zone was the possibility of ignition caused by a static charge released when a glove or item of hand-protection is withdrawn from a pack and worn by the driver in the fuelling zone. As a result, all conventional handprotection has had to be dispensed away from the fuel pumps themselves. Through GripHero’s innovative use of internationally patented ATEX-Certified anti-static material, all chance of ignition caused by static has been removed, enabling its dispensers to be placed on the fuel nozzle itself. For more information about GripHero, visit www.griphero.com or call 01837 811035.

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Fuel theft detection system

We have noticed an increasing number of our customers who store diesel fuel at unmanned sites being targeted by thieves who drill into the tanks and steal the fuel.

Amongst the victims are ﬁre and ambulance stations both from above and underground tanks.

One site had 20,000 litres taken in a night, and they were lucky. The thieves made a professional job of drilling into the top of an above-ground tank with a hole saw. I say the site was fortunate because if they had penetrated the tank from the side, the remaining 10,000 litres of diesel would have drained across the yard and into the drains.

Following these incidents, we searched the market for a suitable alarm system but found nothing. Products were available consisting of ﬂoat switches and klaxons or devices that sent out text messages. However, these were forever causing false alerts when vehicles took fuel outside regular hours when the alarm was set or because wind/vibration disturbed the ﬂoats. So Vectec has developed a fuel theft detection system that looks for the rate of change of fuel level over a set period.

For example, it can allow 200 litres of fuel to be drawn in a 5-minute window, but if 201 litres or more is taken, it will trigger the alarm. The conﬁguration will be set to match usage levels on the site.

The system incorporates a site based beacon and klaxon to scare off the thief and a GPRS modem that generates email alerts to nominated staff members so they can attend site and minimise the risk of major spillage.

The system has a USP which allows it to work even if the mains power is cut off. Cutting the level measuring probe cable will set the alarm off.

It is simple to install on existing above and below ground tanks, only requiring a 1” BSP socket for the probe. For further information contact Simon Fowler at Vectec Ltd (01296 624548) (simon.fowler@vectec.co.uk)

Terminal Management System OpenTAS receives certificate for EMCS 2.4 Hamburg.The terminal management system OpenTAS is now certiﬁed for the latest EMCS version 2.4. The IT experts from the software and consulting company Implico were able to process the necessary test cases from customs without any complaints. The adaptation of the customer systems to the new release will now begin.

The electronic movement and control system EMCS (Excise Movement and Control System) is used whenever goods are transported within the EU under suspension of excise duty - for example, when petroleum products are transported from one tank storage facility to another. The terminal management system OpenTAS is one of the few solutions that enable tank farms to handle loading fully automatically with simultaneous customs declaration and has been doing so without interruption since the system was introduced by customs. Implico’s downstream experts had previously successfully adapted the software to the latest requirements.

customs. Finally, all transport documents are automatically printed for the driver. The complete integration of the EMCS functionalities in OpenTAS shortens the loading processes in the terminals significantly, ensures smooth loading, minimizes traffic on the site and saves employees a lot of effort.

Conversion process started in refineries and tank farms The software company has now started to adapt the customer systems in all refineries and tank farms that want to use the fully integrated customs clearance in the future. OpenTAS is one of only a few solutions that fully automates electronic customs clearance. When entering a tank farm, the expected shipping information is transmitted to customs. If the authorities approve the transport in general, the driver can fill the truck at the loading bay. In this way, the parties involved avoid unauthorized transports as well as a possible necessary unloading of the tank truck. When leaving the site, OpenTAS transmits the exact quantity of the product to

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Centre Tank Services add another market leading name to their distributorship belt, with leading filter brand GoldenRod Centre Tank Services Ltd have added another reputable, quality, and well-known brand to their list of distributorships, this time announcing that they are the new agent of GoldenRod fuel tank ﬁlters for the UK and Ireland.

GoldenRod filters from US based Dutton-Lainson group, are widely recognised in the fuel industry thanks to their distinctive amber coloured bowl. Dutton Lainson were established in 1886 and have gone from a manufacturer of agricultural goods, to a leading manufacturer of quality products for the agricultural, marine, industrial, and automotive markets all over the world. This includes their market leading GoldenRod fuel tank filter range, making them a perfect addition to the distributorships held by Centre Tank Services.

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Goldenrod have been a leading filter brand, particularly popular in the agricultural market thanks to their compatibility with gravity systems, for many years. Their range of filters, designed for the removal of either particles or water content from diesel, petrol, kerosene and biofuels, includes the 495 Fuel Tank Filter, 496 Water Block Fuel Tank Filter and 497 BIO-FLO Fuel Tank Filter.

Special carton pricing is now available to the trade, allowing you to make savings on the price per element when you buy a box for your stock. Cartons include 12 replacement ﬁlter elements individually packed in a point of sale box, oﬀering a ready to display or individually dispatch option.

As the new agent for the UK and Ireland, CTS has heavily invested in its stock levels to remain a reliable source to its network of distributors. For any resellers interested in including GoldenRod filters in their product range, then contact CTS for trade pricing. Regular buyers of fuel tank bowl filters, whether it be GoldenRod or an alternative brand, should contact CTS with their volumes so that quantity based pricing can be provided.

SR Electrical announce new software called ‘FuelGuard’ Here at SR Electrical, we’ve been working hard on designing and developing a new software application called, “FuelGuard”. FuelGuard will help improve the security and eﬃciency of our clients’ fuel storage facilities and has been designed to use the latest security and programming standards.

We have designed and built prototype control panels which can be installed into fuel tanks, where they will monitor any changes and report these to an online system. These control panels offer an efficient way for clients to keep measurements of their fuel and can send real-time alerts using phone calls, text messages, and emails.

The software application has been designed to allow clients to manage all their sites from a single platform, with little to no training required. FuelGuard has been designed to protect our clients if their forecourt pump has been tampered with and lets them know of any movement on tank volume which has been identified - an alarm will also be raised to all devices through Cloud monitoring. Our team are specialists within the industry, with our wealth of experience in the petrochemical industry helping us to deliver an extensive range of services which are tailored to all our clients’ requirements. Our experience in the field means we understand the importance of reliable and accurate tank gauging systems. Alongside our product range, we offer a comprehensive range of services which cover the supply, installation and maintenance of our fuel tank gauging systems and dipsticks which promise complete control over your fuel stocks. We have a range of tank gauging system types available, including: TLS-450PLUS TLS-4B TLS-450 TLS-350

Our staﬀ are trained for Veeder Root TLS range of tank gauging systems. These are suitable for use in above and below ground 66

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tanks, and are compatible with petrol, diesel, gas oil, and other similar products. These systems are also compatible with a vast range of fuel management systems and have the latest technology, enabling these systems to send email or SMS alerts if there is an unexplained loss of oil stocks. Certas Energy’s Ulverston Depot has recently had FuelGuard installed and is extremely happy with the results. We have also

installed our remote cloud monitoring equipment to the tank gauging system to allow for wet stock management and maintenance to be carried out regularly and safely. If you would like to find out more about FuelGuard and how it could help your business, email us at info@fuelguard.io, call us on 01562 750804, or contact us via our website at www.fuelguard.io.

Suresite partners with EMS for Wetstock services The UK’s only independent wetstock company, Suresite Wetstock, has partnered with Environmental Monitoring Solutions (EMS). Suresite says its decision to partner with EMS was driven by its goal to bring more control inhouse with its existing Wetstock service and provide reporting tailored to the needs of the UK and European market. The partnership with EMS provides Suresite with the Greenscan® SIR system that is now operated in-house by Suresite’s trained and skilled analysts backed by EMS’s certiﬁed quality management system. Working alongside EMS, Suresite is now able to oﬀer a wider range of service levels to meet any wetstock need.

Suresite’s new web portal provides access to reports on any platform - phone, tablet or PC and retains its truly real time capability. The new inhouse built web portal will link to other areas of the business for health and safety and cards, creating an easy to use reporting platform. Dan Gibson, Suresite Wetstock Manager, said; “We’re always looking to stay ahead of the curve. Laws surrounding wetstock have been in place for years with a critical element of this being the ‘polluter pays’ policy. Recent changes in legislation regarding the expectation of owners to utilise 3rd party wetstock meant we needed to change our approach to the wetstock service we were

providing. The constant push to improve environmental monitoring shows how wetstock management in the UK and Europe has developed into a much more ‘mature’ market than almost any other country”.

“Retaining our truly real time capability with data collection and reporting is key to Suresite’s success” said Gibson. “Streaming data live provides many benefits and maximising the benefit of it through our data driven alerts for water, overfill and sudden loss and nozzle availability reporting are just some of the examples where we stand apart from our competitors”. EMS specialises in developing Wetstock [Fuelsuite®] and Leak Detection [Greenscan®] technologies for over 25 years, whilst also delivering critical environmental services to petroleum retailers globally.

Russell Dupuy, Managing Director of EMS, said; “Partnering with Suresite is a sound ﬁt for our Greenscan® SIR leak detection solution. Coupled with their extensive professional services and experience in retail petroleum, we believe they will provide independence and choice to UK and European petroleum retailers. For more information, please contact Helen Davenport at helen.davenport@suresite.co.uk or call 01772 790 901 (ext.: 270).

ZEN Petroleum Delivers Innovation with Expanding Retail Footprint in Ghana

(Accra, Ghana, June 2020) - ZEN Petroleum, the market leader in supplying high quality hydrocarbon products to the industrial and retail sectors in Ghana, continues to expand its retail presence in Ghana with 24 stations now open across the country with a target of 40 operational stations by December 2020.

Market Growth Since operations commenced in 2009, the company’s market growth has been consistent and substantial. Led initially by its business in delivering fuel to mines, ZEN now builds from that solid base and sees the rapid involvement of its growth in the retail sector.

From 2010 to 2019, ZEN has had a compounded average growth rate of 24%, compared to a total compounded market growth of just 7%. ZEN’s market growth rate every year exceeds the total market growth, highlighting how the company continues to increase its market share on an annual basis. Notably, ZEN grew its non-mining business by 70% in 2019.

In a statement about ZEN’s retail expansion, Retail Director Prince Awuley states that, “The retail sector will lead ZEN’s continued market growth, and realignment of our customer base moving from B2B to B2C. In 2019 ZEN’s B2C business accounted for 17% of its volumes, and should be over 50% of our volumes from 2022, as we expect to maintain a solid and successful growth of our retail business.” He added, “We are also optimistic about double digit market growth for the next 10 years, driven by the B2C business, which will beneﬁt from increased locations, and our unrelenting commitment to low priced, high quality fuel at the right quantity.”

Expanding Innovation In September 2019, ZEN opened the first filling station in Ghana designed, constructed and operating in accordance with The Blue Book. It is equipped with double wall tanks, leak detection, overfill prevention, flame arrestors, oil separators and other key safety features. This was done in recognition of the impact of innovation on efficiency, and most importantly in preventing accidents or losses. ZEN has greatly benefitted from The Blue Book, which is

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produced jointly by the APEA and the Service Station Panel of the Energy Institute (EI), with considerable technical input from other industry stakeholders in the UK.

Other innovation initiatives being implemented by ZEN include; live tracking of all delivery vehicles, call forwarding systems at all depots, including driver and vehicle recognition and automised dipping and stock taking of all inventories in various tanks. Further, there are far advanced plans to deliver a customer App that provides the latest information on network, pricing and oﬀers, as well as improving on mobile payment systems already deployed to our outlets for convenience and to enhance safety associated with cashless transactions at the retail stations. In addition to innovation and expansion eﬀorts, all of ZEN’s existing stations are undergoing major refurbishments to create a network of modern user-friendly stations, where safety and customer service are at the forefront of the design.

Delivering The ZEN Way Available to customers across retail network are ZEN’s quality lubricants, in addition to a convenience shopping option and other vital ancillary services. ZEN celebrates 10 years of operations in 2020, having attained enviable status as one of the Top 4 OMC’s in Ghana and as the market leader in supplying Fuel and Lubricants to mines across the country. APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

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Reliable Service, All The Time

In a world where “business as usual” changes on a daily basis, it’s important to ﬁnd a distributor that provides dependable service and exceptional products even in times of need.

We all know that working in demanding circumstances provides its own set of challenges. Knowing what will work - and work well - the first time can be the difference between completing within time and budget and dealing with the headache of everspiralling costs.

That’s why it’s important to choose a supplier that has leveraged their experience to build a tried and tested range of products, so you can buy in confidence. Hytek GB has carefully developed its range to provide customers with only the highest quality products on the market. Environmental Innovations When developing a new or existing fuelling area, so much time can be eaten up searching for products that comply with all the criteria needed to meet local legislation. Plus, with environmental procedures and standards becoming ever tighter, it’s paramount to choose products with a proven track record.

Developed by Franklin Fueling Systems, UPP pipework is the safest underground pipework on the market. Its innovative Gemini secondary containment system delivers optimum performance while reducing the overall footprint and installation time.

With over 20 million metres of pipe installed in over 48,000 sites, across 160+ countries, UPP is the preferred technology for thousands of customers. The range has been independently tested to meet the Institute of Petroleum by ERA Technology Ltd Cert No. BC63/0777/97/001A and OFCERT (OFTEC) Licence No. 2072090201, plus is BS EN14125:2013 certified. Hytek GB has been a UK distributor for UPP pipework for the past 22 years. Developing a keen understanding of the beneﬁts of the product they can provide invaluable guidance when purchasing your system, plus vital aftercare when necessary.

Together with decades of experience Hytek GB also holds large amounts of UPP stock, providing better availability of products and faster delivery times, reducing unnecessary downtime that too often complicates construction schedules.

Customer Focussed Products The complexity of any development does not - unfortunately - stop at the pipework. Determining which dispensing products to install carries its own set of challenges. Factors including cost, time restrictions, and operational hurdles all need to be considered in order to have a system that is ﬁt for purpose.

That’s why, building on extensive customer feedback, they have expanded the ALPHA range to include versions approved for the resale of fuel in the commercial market.

Building on the reliability of the original, these enhanced ALPHA models are National Measurement Oﬃce certiﬁed, with approval for the resale of fuel throughout Europe in accordance with the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) 2014/32/EU. 70

This makes the MID approved ALPHA suitable for use in applications where there is a requirement for guaranteed delivery measurement accuracy, for when fuel needs to be precisely costed across diﬀerent departments, or in situations where fuel is directly resold.

The range includes AdBlue® compatible models, as well as ATEX certified diesel and petrol versions. All of which can incorporate a fully integrated fuel management system, specially designed to alleviate the economic and operational burdens that often affect medium to large fleet operators.

Exceeding Expectations In order to deliver a well-finished project and exceed your customers’ expectations, investing in high calibre products that are fit for purpose and last is the main priority. But what about after a build is complete? To sign off your project with confidence, you need to use the highest quality testing equipment to ensure accuracy. To make this task as seamless as possible Hytek GB developed their own line of test measure cans.

Made from durable 304 stainless steel, they can be used with various fuels including diesel, biodiesel, petrol, kerosene, and AdBlue®. These test measure cans are a reliable tool for maintaining accuracy. Each model is available with a UK weights and measures certificate option to verify their accuracy to test fuel dispensing equipment. The test measuring cans are designed to be easy to use, with a scale in millilitres and separate lifting and emptying handles. They also feature an easy to read gauge and a screen-printed scale that is resistant to petrol and diesel making them easy to read in even the worst conditions. With three sizes to choose from, 5L, 10L, and 20L, the test measure will be as accurate as possible, guaranteeing optimal output and smooth operations. As a further precaution, the stainless-steel anti-splash funnel (15” diameter) can be added, which features an inward lip that prevents fuels from splashing the engineer when the can is being filled. A Service You Can Trust One of the many benefits of becoming a partner with Hytek GB is knowing that you can choose products specially designed and selected to perform to the highest levels. Whether your operation is time-sensitive, requires expert advice or you are trying to operate within tight budget constraints, Hytek GB can provide affordable products, dispatched the same day with unrivalled service.

You can read more about Hytek’s range of products on their website, www.hytekgb.com or speak to their experienced sales team on +44 (0) 1279 815 600. N.B. If using products with AdBlue® do not cross-contaminate. AdBlue® is a registered trademark of the Verband der Automobilindustrie e.V. For any enquiries please contact: Nick Burke, Hytek (GB) Ltd., Green Street, Elsenham, Bishops Stortford, CM22 6DS. T: 01279 815600

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Press Releases

Dover Fueling Solutions Partners with AvaLAN to Offer a Secure Wireless Ethernet Forecourt Communication System AUSTIN, TEXAS - June 30, 2020 - Dover Fueling Solutions (“DFS”), a part of Dover Corporation that delivers advanced fuel dispensing equipment, electronic systems and payment, ﬂeet systems, automatic tank gauging, and wetstock management, is pleased to announce its new partnership with Huntsville, Alabama-based wireless Ethernet company AvaLAN, to bring its secure wireless communication technology to market with DFS® products for the ﬁrst time.

The partnership between DFS and AvaLAN commences with the North American release of DFS Wireless Connect. This plug-andplay secure wireless ethernet system eliminates the need to excavate and re-wire the forecourt or rely on ageing, low-speed wiring, allowing sites to support the latest dispenser functions and features, such as EMV® payment, media, diagnostics, mobile pay, loyalty programs, and interaction with the back oﬃce, which require a fast network to manage the communication and security. With DFS Wireless Connect, transmissions utilize a proprietary protocol combined with advanced encryption technology and have possibility for segmented networking for a logical separation of secure payment card holder data all the way out to the dispenser. This will allow

retailers to have a separate subnetwork for secure outdoor payment data and thereby a simpler PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) audit.

“We are excited to be able to oﬀer our AvaLAN solutions to all North American DFS fuel retailers. This secure wireless communication technology will help optimize the retailer’s business while increasing data security and simplifying the transition to EMV,” said AvaLAN CEO and President Matthew Nelson.

“This secure, proven technology from AvaLAN is a great complement to the Dover Fueling Solutions product portfolio and will help our customers upgrade their forecourt networks to support the latest and future dispenser features,” noted DFS President David Crouse. “As a company committed to enabling the evolution of consumer experience in fueling and convenience retail, we are thrilled to be taking this step forward.”

For more information about DFS products and solutions, visit www.doverfuelingsolutions.com. For more information about AvaLAN’s secure wireless solution go to: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wxWjGg-FWjs&feature=youtu.be.

Adler and Allan delivers market leading leak detection solutions to UK petroleum industry 23 June 2020 - Environmental risk reduction specialist Adler and Allan has extended its leak detection capability by offering Leighton O’Brien’s Automatic Tank Gauge (ATG) Alarm Management solution (AMS) and Wetstock Live fuel management software to the UK petroleum industry. Aimed at commercial or industrial operators with onsite fuel systems for fleet or critical infrastructure, the AMS system provides remote, live 24/7 monitoring of inventory data, water levels, ATG alarms and compliance status via a web portal. Realtime monitoring of the ATG can reduce the potential for fuel stock outs, product contamination, theft and leaks which can impact fleet and equipment uptime and severely disrupt operations.

Wetstock Live provides real time visibility of all aspects of a petroleum retail network including ATG accuracy and functionality, pump flow rates, delivery validation, wetstock replenishment, water ingress and other alarms. It is independently certified as the most accurate wetstock management solution to detect leaks and losses of 9 litres per day with a leak detection threshold of 4.5 litres per day. Wetstock Live is aimed at fuel retail networks, hypermarkets and dealers, and operates with any brand of ATG, pumps, forecourt controllers and POS system, giving an independent view of any network. Andrew Clarke, Director, Forecourt, said: “With these products, we’re able to bring a global technology leader, providing best in class environmental compliance and wetstock management solutions, to the petroleum industry in the UK. Leighton O’Brien complements our enhanced range of services and solutions and aligns with our focus on technology innovation and the highest levels of customer service and safety.” Leighton O’Brien is a global market leader in precision testing, wetstock management and fuel restoration technologies. Its expertise enables customers to achieve the tightest storage systems, lowest fuel losses and most accurate wetstock management. Customers also beneﬁt from optimal pump speed, more precise restrapping of gauges, the highest compliance and cleanest fuel.

The news follows the announcement of a new licensed service partnership to deliver Leighton O’Brien’s proprietary EPA-certiﬁed precision tank and line testing technology in the UK. For further information: Jen Patterson, Marketing Manager, T: 01423 850 360 E: Jen.patterson@adlerandallan.co.uk 72

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Press Releases

Wayne Fuelling System Products Now Available from TSG UK in Partnership with Dover Fuelling Solutions TSG UK is proud to announce its new oﬀering from the Wayne Fuelling Systems (Wayne) product line, a brand owned by Dover Fuelling Solutions (DFS). This collaboration serves to further strengthen the partnership TSG has had with DFS since 2016, when they ﬁrst started working together to distribute the Tokheim-branded products and solutions.

This new distribution agreement will expand TSG’s current fuel dispenser oﬀering, now allowing them to provide the full range of Wayne HelixTM fuel dispensers in addition to their current dispenser oﬀering. The agreement will provide customers the option to choose either Tokheim or Wayne dispensers from a single supplier with nationwide maintenance cover for both.

to oﬀer the full suite of products to meet any of our customer needs. The quality and reliability of these products has been industry recognised for decades and we look forward to providing the same best in class aftersales support and maintenance for all the Wayne dispensers”.

For more information contact: Rene Willemsen, Head of Marketing, TSG UK. Rene.Willemsen@tsg-solutions.com or Niki.ramsden@tsg-solutions.com

The Wayne Helix 6000 fuel dispenser series, has been designed and engineered on a single global platform, emphasising intelligent design, advanced technology, safety, and security. This range meets current safety standards of both IEC and UL and is using the best of Wayne’s advanced technology to create a superior fuelling experience now and for the future. Steve Watts, Sales Director for TSG UK explained “This addition to our stable of quality products from Dover Fuelling Solutions including Tokheim dispensers, FuelPos and ProGauge means that TSG UK is able

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk

Training

Training course dates 2020

You will be aware that since early this year we have had to postpone our training Courses to the disappointment of many members. The APEA along with so many other organisations and companies in our industry have faced challenging and unprecedented time as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.

With recent changes in the advice by Government on social distancing and following risk assessments we now believe it is possible to safely start a limited number of courses. These courses will be limited to manageable delegate numbers and the rooms large enough to permit social distancing.

The courses scheduled to re-start on September 7th will be subject to any changes in Government advice are listed with plans to hold an additional combined 3 day course at Stansted Airport in October 2020, please search the website once the date has been conﬁrmed.

Please contact the APEA oﬃce for a quotation for a bespoke course for any of the courses listed at admin@apea.org.uk with approximate delegate numbers and preferred dates.

Course Fees

3 day course with accommodation 3 day, day delegate rate 1 day course

APEA Member £1020.00 £810.00 £260.00

3 Day Combined Petrol Filling Stations – Construction, Audit and Inspection Course 7 - 9 September Stansted Airport Electrical Installations - An Awareness 24 Sept Swindon Explosives and Fireworks 22 September Stansted Airport DSEAR 21 Sept

Stansted Airport

Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 28 September Stansted Airport Petrol Filling Station courses on request Vapour Recovery Installations Leak Investigation

Non member £1120.00 £910.00 £310.00

More information and booking details on the “Training” page at www.apea.org.uk Anyone booking a training course that is not an APEA member will automatically receive complimentary “Individual” membership to the APEA for one year.

Courses will be designed around the (4th edition) Blue Book Guidance for the Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations (May 2018).

A hard copy and a pdf version of the 4th Edition is available from the Publications page of the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk The hard copy is £75.00 to APEA Members and £150.00 to non APEA members. There is no VAT charged on the hardcopy or pdf formats. The pdf version can be purchased with a licence for individual use and cannot be shared or printed. It is strongly recommended that attendees have access to this document during courses. 74

For details of this and any other training enquiry, please contact: Jane Mardell - APEA Business Manager email: admin@apea.org.uk Tel: + 44 (0) 345 603 5507 or Thomas Daly (Chairman of Training Committee) Tel: +353 876899281/+353 876899281 or email: thomasdaly@apea.org.uk

APEA tel/fax 0345 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk