Goodbye FPS, hello UKIFDA

PART OF THE SOLUTION

SHOW REPORT • THE 2019 FPS EXPO, WITH PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT, WILL BE THE LAST UNDER THAT BANNER AS THE ASSOCIATION WILL ENTER 2020 WITH A NEW NAME AND A WIDER FOCUS

LIVERPOOL WAS ONCE again the host city for FPS EXPO this past 15-16 May and it was a full house for exhibitors and attendees at the 39th event. The stalls were packed with the latest offerings from providers and eager visitors were treated to demonstrations of some of the newest innovations in the fuel distribution industry.

Each stand showcased the finest products and services available to the industry, in areas as diverse as shipment tracking, static grounding, logistics recruitment and even concrete on a roll. Valves, hoses and pumps of all shapes and sizes adorned the stands while brightly coloured tankers scattered the exhibition hall making for some great social media posts.

This year was the first time that the organiser, the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS), had hosted a dedicated seminar area for attendees and exhibitors – all of which thoroughly enjoyed the addition. It proved to be a great opportunity for industry members to discuss sector-specific issues and to network with a range of business leaders.

Further enjoyment and excitement could be found in two non-industry activities. Patrons to the show were able to take part in a game of inflatable American football and practice their kicking abilities when taking a break from talking tanks and hoses. Also, a miniature golf course was set up for people to go putting on. It is often said that some of the most important business conversations happen on the golf course.

ROAD TO ZERO The environment took centre stage at this year’s event, with a strong focus on reducing – and ultimately eliminating – the impact industry has on the planet. Whether it is finding practical answers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions or seeking the most effective way to prepare for (and contain) any damaging environmental spills, there are FPS members with specialist credentials.

Dipetane International, based in Ireland, provides an eponymous fuel treatment that reduces emissions and improves fuel consumption – two prime benefits for any transport company. Dipetane is a treatment that is able to upgrade petroleum fuels without any additives or mechanical devices. It is a 100 per cent hydrocarbon liquid fuel treatment as opposed to an additive that contains nothing not already in the fuel. Dipetane uniquely interacts with the carbon chains enabling oxygen in the air to attach and burn the carbon chains in a way that ensures more complete combustion, increasing the air-to-fuel ratio and reducing fuel usage by up

LIVERPOOL’S EXHIBITION CENTRE HAS PROVED

to 10 per cent. Outside of petroleum fuel use, it can also assist in burning lower carbon biofuels more completely.

Aside from providing cost-saving benefits with fuel consumption, Dipetane is the only combustion fuel treatment worldwide that significantly reduces greenhouse gas problems associated with standard fuels. Dipetane reduces NOx by up to 30 per cent, CO2 by up to 25 per cent, carcinogenic particulate matter by up to 24 per cent and smoke by up to 60 per cent. Added benefits include assisting engines to pass everstricter emission tests, protecting injectors against low-sulphur fuels due to increasing lubricity and keeping exhaust treatment units clean as a result of the more complete combustion of carbon.

Storage Solutions provides systems for those looking to safely store and use AdBlue. AdBlue, one of the main additives that is able to improve fuel consumption and efficiency, is highly corrosive and therefore needs specialised storage. It is used to clean up diesel engines where selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is implemented. SCR technology is applied to reduce harmful gas emissions from diesel engines and meet the Euro4, Euro5, Euro6 and Euro7 standards. Storage Solutions can equip private transport organisations and fuel station forecourts with smart pumps, specialised tank trailers, blending equipment for fertilisers and also custom-made automatic and manual filling lines for IBCs, cans and drums that perform perfectly with AdBlue.

There was also representation from the Oil Recycling Association (ORA). ORA promotes, protects and assists the interests of its members within the hazardous waste industry, including the recovery and recycling of a variety wastes such as oil filters, lubricants, catalysts, batteries and other waste products. This includes wastes arising mainly from the servicing of automotive engines and other mechanical equipment, but also wastes arising from contaminated fuels, spillages, ships’ slops, tank bottoms and water contaminated with oil. The longterm goal for ORA in Europe is to achieve a society that avoid wastes wherever possible but can use any unavoidable waste as a resource – a hierarchy of reuse, recovery and recycling objectives.

The collection of dangerous waste and preventing spills is a key part of the fuel industry, and planning for the off-chance of an accident goes a long way to protecting the environment. Refineries and tank terminals require secure concrete and earth bunds to provide the secondary containment needed in the event of a spill. Rawell Environmental showcased its Rawmat HDB system, an environmental protection in secondary containment liners, that is now in use globally by some of the biggest names in the petrochemical industry.

The Rawmat HDB has been specifically designed for environmental protection applications by providing long-term resistance to contamination for a diverse variety of projects. It utilises a polyethylene upper layer and a non-woven geotextile lower layer to sandwich its unique pre-hydrated high-density sodium bentonite clay core. The addition of the plastic sheet offers greater resistance from the weather to the swellable bentonite core, allowing the membrane to be left uncovered for longer periods of inclement weather during civil works. Key applications include tank farms, filling station forecourts, transformer bunding and trench lining as well as landfill bases, landfill caps and the impounding of waste on site.

SAFETY AND QUALITY Few jobs in the modern world involve handling goods that can, in the wrong scenario, be lethal – which is why ensuring the safety of users throughout the supply chain and guaranteeing the quality of product is of utmost importance. The exhibitors at FPS EXPO displayed equipment that is the result of decades of engineering and refining to implement the finest in safety protection.

In the sphere of static grounding and monitoring levels, safety is of course the highest priority. The relative ease of transferring hazardous goods in a modern facility can easily mask the dangers that are ever-present. Scully’s motto of “controlling fills and eliminating spills” succinctly defines its attitude when inventing a self-checking technology providing safe, efficient, and reliable transport, storage, and handling of hazardous fluids. The industry-leading equipment provided by Scully is designed to ensure every single movement of dangerous liquids and chemicals through a large range of specific monitors. Whether being used to monitor a road tanker, storage terminal or simply running tests to ensure the quality of a unit, Scully has a solution. »

Continuing with the safety theme, Elaflex exhibited a wide range of options for the safe and efficient transfer of different dangerous goods and sensitive fluids through an extensive portfolio of hoses and connections. Its strengths are in the designs of standard-compliant, longlasting hoses, fittings, couplings, expansion joints and nozzles. Elaflex has diverse solutions ranging from everyday use at fuel stations to highly complex pharmaceutical requirements. The company’s products are state-of-the-art in accordance with the highest safety measures and set standards.

Over at UK Sampling Gauges, the onus is on delivering the most accurate and versatile readings possible. It has designed equipment used to obtain spot samples from any level or depth within a liquid, to check for quality, density or chemical purity. The equipment can also be used to obtain samples from the bottom – or at a specified distance from the bottom – of a tank or reservoir, to detect water underneath oil or fuel and is ideally suited to taking samples from the liquid interface to obtain evidence of microbial growth.

UK Sampling Gauges is also able to provide closed sampling systems that are ATEX and IECEx approved. These kits can accommodate 2 to 6-inch vapour control valves and maintain safety, operator and environmental friendliness while taking reliable and uncontaminated samples.

SHORT-TERM SIGHTS Three years on from the UK referendum, no one seems any the wiser about what to expect from Brexit and many of those attending industry events are beginning to grow weary of the circular conversations. As FPS EXPO is primarily focused on the fuel distribution industry in the UK and Ireland, the uncertainty of Brexit developments and what it will mean for future trade has left many shifting their focus to short-term priorities.

One of the strongest similarities that the UK-based businesses at the show have with each other is that they are no longer putting the levels of effort into larger, long-term business aspirations, deciding to focus on day-to-day dealings. There is an attitude of “carry on as normal” as no one feels they have any control over the situation but sitting around and worrying about it is not going to bring any solutions. The downside is that larger projects involving international collaborations and partnerships have been put on hold indefinitely until some clarity shows itself.

Fortunately for FPS members, as the majority are UK-based and conduct a large portion of their business within the British Isles, most deals and developments have gone relatively unscathed. Any impacts that have affected the members tends to affect them all, so disruption has been minimal.

However, problems begin to arise when including Ireland in the equation. The fiasco with the UK-Irish border looms large in the minds of many logistics companies working on the island, but many businesses aim to carry on regardless as it is a situation out of their hands. There is a strong sense of hope that a disruption-free arrangement will be agreed – only time will tell. Perhaps the next show in 2020 will provide some answers as to where businesses are heading, or perhaps it will be another 12 months of uncertainty.

REBRANDED AND REVITALISED Arguably the biggest news of the flagship event was that, after forty years, the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers is undergoing a rebranding. No longer will it be known as FPS – say hello to the United Kingdom and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA). »

The main reason for the rebrand is that the association wants a name and brand that provide more of an insight into all it stands for and what its members do. There is a tremendous level of diversity in businesses associated with FPS and members want this portrayed in a more visible manner. The short version is that ‘petroleum’ as a term excludes a lot of what the members offer, whereas ‘fuel’ is far more inclusive. Part of the move to rebrand is also to highlight that no matter what may happen on the global political scene, the members of this association are international in scope.

“The industry in which we operate has undergone tremendous changes over the past four decades and FPS has continually adapted over that time to ensure that it represents, supports and informs its growing membership. The future vision will ensure that it continues in the same vein, supporting the UK and Ireland changing energy landscape,” says Guy Pulham, FPS chief executive.

“Our rebrand and future vision reflects where we are today and our ambitions for the future,” Pulham continues. “Together with our members we agree and support the principle of decarbonisation, clean growth and clean air. We believe that we can play a part in achieving the net-zero aims recently published by the Committee on Climate Change. Liquid fuels are changing and will continue to change to meet the aims of the Paris Agreement.

“Our name should reflect the fact that we are an association not a federation and our members distribute not supply. Including both UK and Ireland in the new name highlights that our members operate across both the UK and Republic of Ireland and that both are important to us. Liquid fuels are key if we are to reach the government’s decarbonisation targets and in a way that meets the needs of the consumer too, and we wanted our support for this to be more obvious from our name – UKIFDA enables us to display all we stand for, simply and effectively.”

The conclusion of this rebranding transition will coincide with the 40th anniversary dinner on 31 October 2019. Tickets for the event will be on sale soon for and updates can be found at www.fpsonline.co.uk.

Exhibitors and visitors alike showed plenty of enthusiasm for next year’s show, with many having already signed up. The first UKIFDA event will take place on 10 and 11 June 2020; for more go to www.fpsshow.co.uk. HCB

ROAD TANKER MANUFACTURERS FROM ACROSS EUROPE

AND BEYOND BRING THEIR LATEST DESIGNS TO THE FPS

EXPO EVERY YEAR AND 2019 WAS NO EXCEPTION