In Conversation
Continued from page 13
opportunities for energy, clean growth and
decarbonisation in the north of England, was
organised in conjunction with the Department
of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s
Green GB & NI Week.
Teamwork
“We are very much one team with one
purpose,” said Darren.
Given the current fossil fuels backlash, FON
asked if attitudes had changed more recently,
making it harder to attract new or younger
members of staff.
“The Humber Refinery remains a pre-
eminent employer in the area,” explained
Darren.
There are presently 12 trainees in
post replacing retirees, with no difficulty
experienced in either hiring apprentices or
recruiting the best graduates from Russell
Group universities. The refinery also attracts
interns on sandwich courses and has very low
attrition rates. The refinery employs over twice
the national average of female engineers, with
diversity encouraged in the workforce.
Taking a proactive stance with respect
to future employees, there is an outreach
education programme which gives
presentations at local schools.
“The refinery has always had a very strong
focus on both community engagement and
philanthropy,” said Nina Stobart.
“Our outreach programme gives us
the opportunity to highlight the industry’s
contribution to society and the role that it can
play in our energy future and careers. We are
deliberately forward looking and remain very
positive about fuelling the future.”
Doing things differently
“To ensure its longevity, my job is to play to the
refinery’s obvious strengths which, in turn, will
enable the Humber Refinery to remain at the
top of its game as one of the UK and Europe’s
most efficient,” said Darren.
“As an industry I believe we must work
harder when it comes to decarbonisation. On
the current trajectory it is essential that we
reduce our carbon emissions, primarily by
using our energy more wisely and sensibly.
However, I believe in the long term that fossil
fuels will still be needed as part of the energy
mix to provide more of the world with access to
cheap, abundant energy.
“Our industry does recognise that there
is a need to do things differently; however,
a reasonable balance is essential. We fully
appreciate the direction of travel and the need
to reduce carbon, but the answer does not lie in
placing disproportionate burdens on industries
like ours. All sectors of industry and society
need to work together if we are to achieve our
decarbonisation aims.
“The future is bright for forward-looking
organisations which are responsive to change
and can meet society’s needs.
Making innovations every day, the
Humber Refinery is now tailor-making new
products for new markets, reprocessing waste
materials and addressing the shift to a lower
carbon future.
“Whilst still providing security, reliability
and affordable products to society, the industry
will continue to evolve and contribute to
decarbonisation goals. We’re here to stay
and keen to get our message across,” added
Darren.
Taking a guided tour with Mark Welfare
– Jane Raphael (l) and Anna Gibbs
As we mark the refinery’s 50 th anniversary, Phillips 66 Limited has never been in a stronger position to meet the needs of UK customers. Since
2015, we have enjoyed a period of sustained growth 13% above the market and our gasoline business has grown by 35% since 2012 – an
impressive result when compared to an overall market decline of 12%.
We think this growth can be attributed first and foremost, to the success of the businesses we work alongside and the customers we supply.
Meeting our customers’ needs for quality fuel that is reliably supplied where and when it is required is also key and our UK business is ideally
positioned to do so through the highly effective cross functional collaboration of our teams. From our refining and production planning team at
Humber Refinery to our marketing and supply team in London – sitting alongside our commercial traders who are able to import product from
across the globe.
Our experienced team of sales managers offer industry-leading customer service and support and we work to develop new value-added solutions,
such as our online pricing portal, ensuring that our customers have access to live pricing information and are in control of running their businesses
most efficiently.
Furthermore, we continue to secure investment in the core terminals that we supply from. Bramhall Oil Terminal
and IPC have benefitted from the addition of super unleaded, as well as further additive capability. We have
also invested at the WOSL Terminal in Kingsbury to optimise the additive provision across the terminal’s retail
racks. And the ISCO Terminal (adjacent to IPC) has benefitted from additional biofuels storage capacity.
The Humber Refinery has played a vital role in the UK’s energy resilience over the past 50 years. It has also been
a critical factor in the continued growth of Phillips 66 Limited over the past five decades and will undoubtedly do
so for many years to come, enabling us to service the UK’s future energy and fuel needs.
Mark Todd, wholesale business manager, Phillips 66
14 Fuel Oil News | December 2019