INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE oil , certainly for the rest of my lifetime anyway . It ’ s not going to disappear . This has been signalled by the likes of the International Energy Agency . The decarbonisation should happen over a series of steps – improve the emissions from boilers and improve insulation being two simple steps . These two steps alone will have a dramatic effect on the carbon emissions but also on volumes of oil consumed .
This is the big challenge for the industry . Reduced volumes which will definitely lead to further rationalisation in the marketplace . I hope that this won ’ t change the way that we interact with our customers as we see ourselves as local and part of the communities .
How does the company see the longerterm future for the diesel , kerosene and gasoil markets ? The current Covid situation has thrown a few curveballs into the supply chain . The way that business is contracted between a distributor and its supplier will change . Formal Supply Agreements will become the norm and the days of a non-contracted distributor rocking up unannounced to a terminal to fill up will be gone .
The huge demise of the aviation sector will have an effect on the kero market , and it remains to be seen how the refiners can get around the uncertainty of what happens with supply . Nominations and even draw and average stock levels will be a minimum requirement from the distributor ’ s perspective .
Are you optimistic about the industry ’ s campaign for liquid fuel heating ? Given that I am a life-long supporter of both Greystones Rugby Club and the Wicklow GAA Football team , I ’ m optimistic by nature !
Yes , I ’ m very hopeful that the industry will get a fair hearing and that recommendations will be taken on board . It ’ s not feasible to have an energy policy without oil being part of it , both in the short and long term .
Fuel Oil News – our own journey of diversification
DIVERSIFICATION CORNER
Friends of Fuel Oil News may already know of its founder ’ s own history in the fuel oil industry which started back in the early 1900s .
Albert Smith , great-grandfather of A & D Publishing ’ s current managing director Nick Smith , bought Ashley and Dumville when it came up for auction in 1905 . The business , which had been selling coal and coke from horse-drawn carriages since 1880 , continued on this path until Sir Albert ’ s oldest grandson , William , took over the reins of the business in 1954 .
Seeing a clear need to diversify for the business to survive the post war changes , the company moved into oil distribution in 1957 . The company ’ s first purpose-built tanker ( shown here ), was an ERF built in Sandbach , Cheshire .
Following in William ’ s footsteps , Albert ’ s grandson , Jimmy Smith , established the Knutsford Domestic Fuel Oil Company in 1975 to serve a growing market in home-heating .
Having worked as a journalist and newspaper proprietor in his early career , Jimmy used his experience to launch a newsletter for the region ’ s fuel oil distributors . Enthusiastically received , as a vital means of sharing important news and other communications between those involved , in 1977 it expanded and launched as a national title – Fuel Oil News magazine – and continues to be the voice of the industry to this day .
The 1980s saw Jimmy begin supplying fuels to the industrial and power generation markets by sea and road , and in 1998 Nick Smith joined the family business . At a time of declining sales for coal and fuel oil , Nick diversified the business further , having identified a need for a specialised recruitment provider to the industry . To meet this need , Nick founded A & D Publishing ’ s sister company , the then-named Oil Recruitment , which successfully rebranded to Eleven Recruitment in 2018 .
With recruitment and publishing running side-by-side under the parent company Ashley and Dumville , the publishing arm launched a new quarterly journal , Oil Installer , in 2007 followed , a year later , by Renewable Energy Installer . The addition of Bulk Distributor in 2010 , a bi-monthly journal for professionals involved in the international distribution and logistics sector , brought another complementary title into Ashley and Dumville ’ s publishing portfolio , and all titles still continue to deliver quality content to their respective niches .
Immersed in an industry that has continually adapted and diversified to remain vital in a constantly evolving energy landscape , Fuel Oil News continues to look ahead . As the next phase unfolds , we look forward to welcoming and incorporating new challenges and opportunities whilst continuing to be the voice for the fuel distribution community .
Over the next few years , what do you see as the major challenges and positives for the industry ? To adapt and evolve , or you will get left behind .
Positives ? We have all experienced change in our industry many times before , so when these new changes come down the line , we will embrace them and move on and wonder what all of the fuss was about !
We will follow the continuing evolution of Glen Fuels with interest . If you would like to talk to Fuel Oil News about the way your business is adapting , please get in touch : margaret @ fueloilnews . co . uk
Ashley and Dumville ’ s first purpose-built tanker – an ERF built in Sandbach , Cheshire
Fuel Oil News | December 2020 19