NEWS
Petroineos announces future-proofing Grangemouth reconfiguration plan
Petroineos has announced its proposal to reconfigure the Grangemouth refinery to meet the current , and future , anticipated demand for its fuels products . The reconfiguration will impact on the 637 current full-time roles at Grangemouth but is anticipated to retain 450 highly skilled roles at the site .
The global refining industry is facing huge challenges as increasing electrification of the transport fleet and more fuel-efficient vehicles lead to reduced demand for fuel , a trend that has been accelerated this year by the Covid-19 pandemic .
To address this , Petroineos proposes a realignment of its refining capacity at Grangemouth in line with current , and anticipated future , demand for fuel in Scotland , the North of England and Northern Ireland . The proposal – to keep the two production plants , Crude Distillation Unit 1 and the Fluidised Catalytic Cracker Unit ( FCCU ) in a mothballed state – will reduce future incurred costs associated with operating these two older plants .
With these changes , Petroineos believes it can have a viable longer-term business , employing up to 450 highly skilled jobs .
Crown Oil completes acquisition of £ 18m-turnover Star Oil
North West-based Crown Oil has strengthened its brand in the North West after acquiring an £ 18m-turnover oil supplier .
The Greater Manchester company , part of the £ 420m-turnover Crown Oil family of companies , has completed the purchase of Stockport-based Star Oil for an undisclosed sum .
This deal for the 20-year-old business will increase Bury-headquartered Crown Oil ’ s reach in the region and take staff numbers to more than 1,250 .
Star Oil , set up by Christian Hatherall and Michael Doyle , has 7 tankers covering the North West and supplies fuel , oil and lubricants to industrial operations , farms and homes .
Christian and Star ’ s 10 staff will remain with the business , while Michael will seek new opportunities elsewhere . The business will continue to trade as Star Oil for the time being .
The deal is Crown Oil ’ s first purchase since 2018 , when it added Birlem Oil , in London , and West Midlands-based Beesley Fuels to its portfolio .
The business , established by the Greensmith family more than 70 years ago , had worked with Star Oil for some time when the opportunity arose .
Matthew Greensmith , managing director of Crown Oil Group , said ;
“ We ’ re excited to have announced this deal , which will see the Crown Oil family expanding once again . Star has been around for 20 years and , in that time , has built up a
fantastic reputation for great service , which will fit in with Crown ’ s ideology of putting the customer first .
“ We ’ ve worked closely with Christian and Michael and we were keen to take up this opportunity to safeguard the future of Star , and strengthen our North West footprint . We are looking forward to building on these successes together and we wish Michael all the best for the future .”
Christian Hatherall , who will be senior operations manager for the business , commented ;
“ I am delighted to see the completion of this deal , which has come about from the solid relationship we have built with Crown over the years .
“ I look forward to seeing the business flourish and grow . Being part of that growth journey and working for the Crown Oil Group brand is a very exciting prospect for me .”
The Crown Oil family of companies also offers fuel-related environmental services ( fuel testing , fuel polishing , etc .) and has interests in utilities connections , gas supply and uPVC building products .
Franck Demay CEO Petroineos Refining says ;
“ As a national critical infrastructure it is vital we retain a productive capacity of fuels in Scotland . For almost a century the Grangemouth refinery has reliably produced high quality fuels for the domestic market and for export . We firmly believe that only by taking action now will we preserve one of Scotland ’ s last large manufacturing sites and a significant contributor to the Scottish economy .”
Petroineos is entering into a statutory consultation period with its workforce and their representatives to discuss its proposals .
Fuelsoft team members receive recognition
Fuelsoft ’ s operations director Neil Smith and technical director Glyn Highfield , have received certificates in Company Direction from The Institute of Directors ( IoD ).
Commenting on the receipt of his certificate , Neil said ;
“ I am over the moon to have received my certificate in Company Direction with distinction . I think it is always important to keep learning and expanding your knowledge and experience in all sorts of areas , as it can bring benefits to me personally and to Fuelsoft . The rest of the board were 100 % behind both myself and Glyn taking this qualification .”
When asked about the course , which covered strategy , leadership , finance and the role of the director , Neil added ;
“ Not only was the course very enlightening , but it also provided me with the opportunity to meet some fantastic business leaders and lecturers .”
4 Fuel Oil News | December 2020