Issue No 9 | December - ErpecNews

an international retail petroleum news digest
Contents
News from around Europe, The Middle
East, America and the rest of the world
Page 1 – 10
Turkey / OPET and Petrol Ofisi Page 12 – 13
Mepsan interview Page 14 – 15
www.erpecnews.com
Pipes and Tanks Update Page 16 – 17
Bever Innovations – a case study Page 18
Alternative Fuel News Page 21
Diary dates Page 22
Issue No 9 | December / January 2008 / 2009
erpecnews
EuropEan Edition
Tokheim acquire the retail petroleum
business of Göhler Group in Germany
The Tokheim Group have announced the
acquisition of the retail petroleum business
of the Göhler Group. This covers the current
business interests in Germany, and the various
companies concerned will now become
Tokheim Göhler GmbH. Thomas Göhler,
one of the existing Managing Directors,
will continue to manage the company. With
Tokheim Göhler and Tokheim Steinebach,
Tokheim will now have close to 6 000 retail
petroleum stations in Germany under direct
service contract.
“This is a significant achievement for our
Company” said Patrick Berthon, CEO &
President of Tokheim Group S.A.S., “We have
continued to focus on this strategic objective
of developing the service and maintenance
segment of our business and this acquisition
is further confirmation that we remain
on track in this process. We are completely
committed to the equipment segment of the
retail petroleum business and this acquisition
delivers a complementary direct service
organisation in Germany with full country
coverage which will mirror our existing Sales
& Service Divisions throughout Europe. In
addition, this will allow a more direct and
controlled approach to total cost of ownership
for Tokheim GmbH in Germany which is now
better positioned than ever to establish a very
complete offer to the market.”
“Göhler Tankanlagenbau und Service is known
as a reputable and high quality Company in
the retail petroleum industry in Germany for
the past 50 years” said Thomas Göhler, “We
consider Tokheim to be very close to their
customers and answering their needs with
quality products. This is why Tokheim were
our preferred partner of choice when we decided
to bring our Company onto the global
European scene.”
PKN may drop Baltic expansion plans
PKN Orlen, Poland’s top refiner, may scrap plans to enter the Latvian market as part of a revision
of its expansion plans in the Baltic states, a Polish daily quoted its chief financial officer as say
ingrecently. “I won’t hide the fact that we are revising our strategy and the Baltic region is not
the one that seems the most attractive”, Slawomir Jedrzejczyk said. “Looking at the whole retail
segment, we could find better places to invest.” PKN, which two years ago bought Lithuanian
refinery Mazeikiu for US $ 2.5 billion in Poland’s largest-ever foreign investment, had said it
aimed for a fifth of the retail petrol station market in Lithuania and Latvia. The group wanted
to spend 200 million euros to have 230 petrol stations in the two countries.
lUKOIl Eurasia Petrol
acquires Akpet
GNE Group divests
Petrol Express
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
lUKOIl has signed a protocol agreement
to close the transaction for acquiring
a 100 percent interest of the
Turkish company Akpet in Istanbul
Akpet operates a network of 693 petrol
stations and its share on the Turkish retail
fuel products market reaches 5 percent.
The deal includes the sale of eight storage
depots, three airport filling stations and a
lubricants factory. It is planned that the
oil products for the station network will be
supplied from LUKOIL units in Bulgaria and
Italy. The total transaction amount reached
US $ 555 million. The parties agreed that
the payment will be implemented in a few
interest-free installments. The company
has paid US $ 250 million in the form of
a first installment. The second and third
installments will be paid not later than
October 30, 2009.
The GNE Group, a UK-based petrol station
operator, has completed the divestment of
its operating subsidiary, Petrol Express, for
a consideration of GBP 51.66 million.
The consideration has been completed
with Leopard No 2 Investment Limited,
the purchaser, assuming responsibility
for Petrol Express’s (PEX) bank and other
loan term debts, with the remaining sum
being settled by a cash payment.

CrEDITs NEws
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saras Energia to acquire 81 ErG service stations in spain
Italian refiner and fuel marketer saras Energia has signed a contract with ErG
Petroleos for the purchase of 81 ErG service stations located in spain
The 81 stations have an average sale volume of
2.5 million litres of fuel per year, in line with
the average Spanish sale volumes. The deal,
expected to be closed in the first quarter of
2009, has been concluded for a total consideration
of E42 million, and is expected to be
financed with Saras’s internal resources.
Massimo Moratti, CEO of Saras Energia,
said: “The purchase of the Spanish network
of service stations from ERG is part of the
Saras Group growth and consolidation strategy,
Invitations go out for erpec 09
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whose objective is to strengthen its presence
in the Spanish market, in particular along the
Spanish Mediterranean coast, in line with the
industrial plan for 2008 – 2011. Approximately
80 percent of the service stations are located
in the regions of Catalunia, Valencia, Zona
Centro, Andalusia and Extremadura. Therefore,
Saras Energia will generate important synergies
by integrating the new stations with the
logistics already owned and operated on the
Spanish Mediterranean coast.”
A new fuel company arrives in the Czech republic
Investors from saint Petersburg are buying Pap Oil petrol stations. leading fuel
distributors in the Czech republic believe they may have a new competitor
Following the recent purchase of forty JET
petrol stations by Russian giant LUKOIL, another
investor from the east is heading for the
Czech market. The target is the network of 140
petrol stations operated by Pap Oil. According
to a business service, the buyer is the Russian
investment, agricultural and petrochemical
group Phaeton, based in Saint Petersburg.
Several independent sources from the petrochemical
industry confirmed the information.
“They have spoken to several local petrol station
operators. The new owner apparently wants to
resell some of the stations immediately,” one of
the sources said on condition of anonymity. “If
Phaeton keeps some 80 of the Pap Oil stations,
sells the rest and acquires several new, modern
stations, it may become a serious competitor to
the other chains,” said another of the experts
who have information on the way the Russian
investor is proceeding.
lUKOIl to buy 150 petrol stations in Croatia
LUKOIL aims to become the second largest
petroleum retailer in the Croatian market by
2011. The Balkan headquarters of the Russian
oil company, LUKOIL, in Sofia, has announced
that the company has invested US $ 70 million
into the penetration of the Croatian market
this year and by the year 2011 they intend to
be the number two in the market based on
the number of petrol stations they will own in
Croatia. LUKOIL is planning on buying 150
Oil companies from across Europe have received their invites to the erpec 09 conference,
now in its 12th year, taking place in Italy from March 31st to April 2nd next year
Nick Needs CEO of organisers McLean Events
says, “We have done an enormous amount of
work in the past 9 months improving our links
with the retail sector and I personally have
petrol stations in Croatia, mostly through the
acquisition of some smaller networks and an
oil terminal in the Adriatic, making themselves
serious competition for Croatia’s oil company
INA, now owned by Hungary’s MOL. At the
moment LUKOIL owns a terminal on the Danube
near Vukovar and 14 petrol stations they bought
from the company Europa-Mil. By the year 2011,
the Russian oil company intends to increase its
investments into Croatia threefold.
travelled thousands of miles going to visit the
oil companies who are of key importance to
us and the delegates of erpec 09.
I am delighted to say that we have already had
acceptances from several new oil companies
who can be seen on a list to be published
after December 10th. Suppliers have also
responded extremely favourably to erpec 09
with over 50 companies taking advantage of
our early bird booking scheme. For the first
time in erpec’s history there will be a limit
imposed of 85 supplier companies only. Details
at www.erpec.com

omania must stimulate the development of
alternative energy, says Petrom CEO
Chief Executive Officer of Petrom, Mariana
Gheorghe stated at the recent ‘Environment
and Energy’ roundtable organized by Business
Standard, that Romania must stimulate
the development of alternative energy, as
Bulgarian fuel retailer Petrol to launch a
mobile phone service
Fuel retailer Petrol is introducing a prepaid mobile phone in Bulgaria. This decision
could well be a positive move for the company, providing it with a way to
increase loyalty at its service stations and grow its brand name
Petrol, Bulgaria’s largest fuel retailer, has
announced that it is launching a mobile
phone service under the Petrol Mobile brand.
Petrol is partnering with mobile operator
Mobiltel, a subsidiary of Telekom Austria.
The prepaid service will be sold through
Petrol’s 519 service stations across Bulgaria,
offering the company a large route to market
at a low cost.
Romania’s dependence on imports is likely to
enhance in the future. “The global demand
of electric energy is likely to increase by
50 percent. The primary power resources
of coal, crude oil and gas are limited and
Romania’s dependence on imports may enhance
to one or two international providers”
said Mariana Gheorghe.
According to Petrom’s CEO, traditional
power resources are not sufficient and the
country must stimulate the development
of alternative energy. “Romania’s potential
is high in alternative energy: wind energy
and geothermal power”, Mariana Gheorghe
added. With activities in the business segments
of Exploration and Production, Refining,
Marketing as well as Gas, Petrom has
proven oil and gas reserves of 940 mn boe,
a maximum refining capacity of 8 million
metric tons per year, approximately 550 filling
stations in Romania and 200 filling stations
in Moldova, Bulgaria and Serbia.
Ukraine is doing everything it can for the implementation
of the Eurasian oil project
President viktor Yushchenko told the plenary meeting of the 4th Energy summit
in Baku, Azerbaijan last month
In his words, Ukraine is in active talks with
Azerbaijan on a maximal integration of its
business structures in the territory of Ukraine,
in keeping with the project. Ukraine is also
ready for opening a chain of filling stations
to secure implementation of the relevant
part of the Euro-Atlantic oil corridor project.
He emphasized that there are no serious
obstacles to Ukraine’s sector of the tube
to be launched on schedule. Besides, the
Head of State described positively on the
whole, the main conclusions and proposals
based on the results of a feasibility study
on the Eurasian oil transportation corridor
project. “I am convinced that in December
we will witness an ultimate presentation of
the feasibility report all along the route of
the pipeline and will finally decide on the
projects perspectives,” Viktor Yushchenko
stated. The President stressed that, in the
past year and a half, the countries initiating
the project managed to make their way
from political declarations to technical
designing.
As well as generating revenues from the
mobile phone service, Petrol will be hoping
to use the product to grow customer
loyalty at its service stations. One of the
ways in which it is seeking to achieve
this is by increasing the discount which
customers receive on fuel purchases as
they increase their expenditure on their
mobile phone.
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
rompetrol Gas expands
auto lPG distribution
network in romania
rompetrol Gas, the liquefied petroleum
gas business division of the
rompetrol Group, has extended its
romania-wide network for the distribution
of liquefied petroleum gas for
vehicles by taking over the profile assets
of the Crimbo group
Within the following period, Rompetrol Gas
is expected to conclude supply contracts with
the operators of the concerned locations;
and by the end of 2008, it will identify the
necessary investments in order to integrate
the new stations within the Rompetrol network,
both in operational view and in order
to align the visual identity in compliance
with group standards.
zabka stores for
Poland’s petrol stations
The zabka convenience store chain is
considering opening stores at petrol stations.
At present the company is negotiating
with several potential partners
According to the management, the chain is
well prepared for such a project: it has both a
strong knowledge base and a well developed
logistics base. The establishment of grocery
stores at petrol stations is a new trend on the
Polish retail market. Retail chains such as
Carrefour, Spar and Piotr i Pawel already have
outlets at petrol stations belonging respectively
to BP, Orlen and Shell.
licenses issued to new
fuel companies in Malta
Two licenses have been issued to private
companies in Malta authorizing them to
import, store and distribute fuel
Enemalta Coporation will therefore have
to face this competition following the full
liberalization of the sector more than a year
ago. The Malta Resources Authority has so
far received and approved three applications.
The other two companies are Fuel Energy
Limited, a subsidiary of Falzon Group of
Companies which has been connected with
the fuel business for over 50 years; and Island
Petroleum Services Limited, a subsidiary of
the Virtu Group, operators of the catamaran
service between Sicily and Malta.
Competition is therefore set to arise as these
two companies may now start importing fuel
independently and offering it at different rates
to petrol stations or other distributors.
NEws
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NEws
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Tokheim acquires forecourt
systems in Ireland
The Tokheim Group announced the
acquisition of Forecourt systems, the
provider of forecourt and retail IT solutions
to Irish petroleum retailers
Forecourt Systems is based in Dublin with
a team of engineers situated nationally.
The company provides fuel dispensing
equipment, IT systems, a complete tank
and pipe work installation solution as well
as service and maintenance to all major
oil companies, hypermarkets and the vast
majority of the independent dealer network
across Ireland. The acquisition increases
Tokheim’s European presence and allows
the company to provide forecourt solutions
directly in the Irish market. A statement
from Tokheim said “the company looks
forward to securing further business opportunities
with Forecourt Systems by
expanding the marketplace in which the
Irish forecourts have developed into some
of the most enviable petrol and retailing
models in Europe”. As erpecnews went to
press, Tokheim also announced the acquisition
of an electrical contracting company
– Holland Verlichting Service BV (HVS),
which now becomes a 100 percent directly
owned subsidiary of Tokheim. HVS is based
nearby Rotterdam. The company provides
maintenance on electrical installations and
price signs, including preventative maintenance,
compliance and repair activities
as well as constructing services.
Flocafe to enter Eko
Bulgaria petrol stations
Greek fast-food chain Flocafe will
set up at Eko Bulgaria petrol filling
stations, reported a Greek business
newspaper
The coffee chain will open food corners,
minimarkets and crèches at the filling
stations of Hellenic Petroleum Group’s
local subsidiary, which plans to open 100
units by 2010 – 2011.
After acquiring 17 outlets of Turkish
OPET / Aygaz, Eko Bulgaria built a 75strong
network slicing some 6.5 – 7 percent
off the market.
Flocafe plans to develop 30 outlets of the
Vivartia coffee chain in Bulgaria. The
flagship store opened on Sofia’s downtown
Sveta Nedelya square.
Greek food and beverages company Vivartia
is a key player on the Bulgarian
market comprising milk producer OMK
and croissant maker Chipita. Last year
the company launched on the market its
YX Energi to convert all of its sites to unmanned
Uno-X stations in Denmark
YX Energi is to convert all of its remaining manned service stations into unmanned
Uno-X branded sites. The company is also launching its own branded visa card,
which will be accepted in the newly independent shops next to the service station.
These developments will see YX Energi cater for its two core service station customer
groups: large businesses and private customers / small businesses
Danish-Norwegian fuel retailer YX Energi
has stated that it is to transform all of its
petrol stations in Denmark into unmanned
Uno-X sites over the coming two to three
years. The company currently has a total
of 367 service stations in Denmark, 233 of
which are unmanned Uno-X sites. As things
stand, this move will bolster YX Energi’s
position as the second largest operator of
unmanned stations, behind OK, which has
a total of 590 unmanned sites.
YX Energi’s new unmanned sites will be
different from virtually all others in that
they will have shops. These shops will be
run by a different company and will be
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entirely independent from fuel sales. Although
motorists will be able to use their
fuel card to pay for their fuel at the pump,
it will not be accepted in the shop next to
the service station.
As a result, YX Energi is set to launch a
Visa card which, by its very nature, will be
accepted at both the pump and in the shop.
The company, however, will not be the first
fuel retailer in Denmark to launch a bank
card, after Shell partnered with Citi and
MasterCard to offer a credit card in March
2007. The Shell card offers cardholders a
reduction of 3 percent on petrol and diesel
purchases and a 1 percent reduction on
purchases at all other retailers.
YX Energi’s move will cater for both of its
core customer groups. First, large business
customers that have a fuel card are more
focused on fuel rebates and fleet services
than shop products and will be able to pay at
the pump with their fuel card. And second,
individuals and small businesses, which are
more service-orientated and place a strong
value on high network acceptance, are likely
to be attracted to the Visa card offering
which they will be able to use in the shop
while also receiving smaller discounts on
fuel which will mostly likely be a feature
of this card.
The conversion of all of YX Energi’s stations
into unmanned Uno-X sites represents a good
move for the company. While large business
customers will continue to benefit from the
fuel rebates provided by their fuel card and
be able to pay at the pump, individuals and
small businesses, which are more service
oriented, are likely to be attracted to the
versatility of the new Visa card.
Yushchenko invites Gaddaffi to build a refinery in
western Ukraine and start a chain of gas stations
Ukraine has offered libya the chance to expand cooperations in its oil / gas sector,
President Yushchenko said during a joint press conference with President Gaddaffi
“Libya is invited to participate in a very lucrative
project to build an oil refinery in Western
Ukraine and open a chain of gas-filling stations
all over Ukraine,” President Yushchenko said.
The project will make it possible for Libya to
sell its gasoline in Europe. We are ready to
cooperate at any level to implement the project,
the Ukrainian president added.
Ukrainian-Libyan talks also focused on
starting negotiations on extraction of oil by
Ukrainian companies in Libya. “We would
like to resume the negotiations and involve
Ukrainian prospectors and oil-extracting
equipment as well as sign a product-sharing
agreement suitable for both parties,” Viktor
Yushchenko said.

OK-Q8 sign new agreement with EDB
EDB, a leading Nordic IT provider, has signed an agreement with sweden’s largest
chain of petrol stations
The agreement, which runs for five years and
is one of the largest contracts for card services
that EDB has won in the Swedish market, will
involve the delivery of payments services for the
chain’s customers. EDB will be using the RS2
bankWORKS ® platform to provide the basis
for its products and services in this area. The
total contract value over the five year period is
around SEK 80 million. OK-Q8 is one of the
largest payment card issuers in Sweden, with
1.3 million customers and 1.6 million cards in
use. The contract provides for EDB to take on
responsibility, over time, for issuing all cards
for OK-Q8 Finance’s customer portfolio in the
Swedish market. The cards currently issued to
these customers can only be used for payments
at OK-Q8 and its partners, totalling 900 locations.
In addition, OK-Q8 will begin to issue
a new OK-Q8 VISA card, which will allow its
customers to use their cards throughout the
Visa network. RS2’s solutions are focused on
the bankWORKS ® suite of application modules.
bankWORKS ® is a powerful modular
high-end card management system designed
to meet current and future requirements in
the international payment card industry.
Murco Announces Acquisition of Petrol Express
Murco Petroleum is pleased to announce the £ 51.66 million acquisition of Petrol
Express limited from its parent company GNE Group plc.
Murco’s Marketing Director, Jeremy Clarke
says: “This is a major acquisition for us, coming
only weeks after our purchase of seven stations
in Scotland. “The 63 Petrol Express stations
situated throughout England and Wales are a
great fit with our existing station network and, at
the same time, they offer a combined forecourt,
valeting and shop strategy in line with the highly
successful approach that we initially developed
many years ago but then refined and improved
three years ago on our Fuelforce acquisitions.
“The Petrol Express sites are currently branded
and supplied by Texaco, BP and Esso and this
will continue for the immediate future.” Following
these two acquisitions, Murco has increased
its company owned station network by over
40 percent to 230 sites throughout England,
Scotland and Wales. Jeremy Clarke concluded:
“Our Milford Haven Refinery acquisition in
2007 has provided us with a great platform to
develop and action our retail plans and without
question, the next 18 months is going to be an
exciting time for Murco.”
KPs Conductive pipes receive ATEX letter of conformity
KPS claim to be the first company ever to
have received an ATEX-certificate for a plastic
petrol pipe system. It is the French test
institute INERIS that, after testing of the
pipes issued a certificate of compliance with
the ATEX 1999 / 92 / EC User directive for
KPS’s range of conductive pipes. To be able to
comply with the ATEX user directive it must
be possible to ground the pipes to earth, which
offers an additional safety aspect since static
electricity is eliminated. In this way, the use
of conductive pipes gives a safer installation
than non-conductive pipes. Says Mr Boudalaa
of INERIS: “The article 4 of the European
directive 1999 / 92 / EC evokes the fact that
the evaluation of the risks of explosions needs
to take into account the possibility that ignition
sources, including static discharging, be
present and may become active.” Mr Boudalaa
continues: “To prevent these risks, KPS has
chosen to use a conductive liner of the single
and double wall plastic petrol pipes. After
tests and verifications in accordance with the
relevant standards, INERIS confirms that the
KPS products with this liner conform for use
of transportation of petroleum liquids of group
IIA and IIB, for which the internal atmosphere
may be of type 0, 1 and 2.” Thomas Andersson,
President of KPS says they are very proud to
be the first pipe manufacturer ever to get this
approval, which he says underlines the company’s
ambition to produce and market the safest
pipe system. Thomas comments, “The question
for the future is not, are conductive pipes
necessary, but whether non-conductive pipes
should be allowed at all. The ATEX-directives,
the European standards, oil company safety
standards and different national legislations
already demand that static electricity be taken
into account and eliminated if possible.”
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smartCentric to provide
new fuel card system
for lUKOIl in Europe
Irish smart card provider smartCentric
Technologies International has
been awarded a contract to develop
a new contact and contactless fuel
card system for lUKOIl
SmartCentric’s Inter-Card will be rolled out
across the company’s more than 5 200 filling
stations in Europe. LUKOIL-Inter-Card has
been operating the LUKOIL fleet and account-based
fuel card, originally developed
by SmartCentric, in more than 3 000 of its
filling stations in Russia and Belarus since
1997 with more than 1.75 million cards
currently in circulation. The new system
will see the number of cards in use rise to
more than seven million and will enable
LUKOIL to offer a one-stop approach at its
filling stations. The point of sale equipment
will accept multiple card types including
magnetic stripe, contact and contactless
chip cards and even contactless car mounted
devices and payment via mobile phones. In
addition, cards issued by other fuel companies,
banks and card processors will be accepted
in the system, which will also offer multiple
customer solutions including prepaid or
account based fleet cards, single use cards
and end user consumer cards. The cards
can be used for fuel and oil products as well
as purchases of other goods and services. A
VAT reimbursement and reporting system
allows for seamless system operation as well
as Internet based client portals for efficient
registration and system management. The
new cards will also include a loyalty application
which will allow LUKOIL to offer its
customers incentives for their purchases
which can then be redeemed in-store at
filling stations as well as offering discounts
with group partners.
Just released. automechanika 2010 – new image
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ADvErTIsMENTs
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Alarm grows over russian swoop for repsol YPF
Concern was mounting in spain last week over a possible russian purchase of
nearly 30 percent of the country’s largest oil company repsol YPF, with the govern-
ing socialists appearing divided over the issue
“Repsol should remain a clearly Spanish and
independent company”, senior European affairs
official Diego Lopez Garrido said amid reports
that the Russian oil giant LUKOIL was about
to become Repsol’s main shareholder.
“The possibilities of a Russian company entering
the strategic energy sector might depend
on whether Moscow offered reciprocity to
Spanish companies”, Lopez Garrido continued.
Garrido’s comments partly echoed those of
Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian, who
earlier stressed the need for Repsol to remain
in Spanish hands.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
however, did not exclude the possibility of
a deal with LUKOIL, stressing the private
nature of the company.
“The government wants Repsol to remain a
company headed by Spaniards, but intervening
in its possible sale to private companies would
mean returning to past times”, Deputy Prime
Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega
said Friday. European Economic and Monetary
Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said
the principle of reciprocity applied to private
companies such as LUKOIL. “It is logical for
there to be a treatment of equality for investors,
not only in Spain but also for Spanish
investors when they go to other countries,”
Almunia said in Madrid.
Repsol is a key company for Spain insofar as
it controls more than a third of the country’s
petrol stations, half of refineries and has stakes
in other Spanish energy companies.
The private ownership of LUKOIL was irrelevant
given that the Russian government
controls big companies, the daily El Mundo
argued, warning that the Russian ruling class
could “take control of the energy market in our
country.” The daily El Pais said the possible
deal re-awakened fears of Russian domination
over European energy markets.
LUKOIL meanwhile apparently moved closer
to a deal as La Caixa bank announced it was
willing to sell LUKOIL a part of the 12.5 percent
stake it owned, if LUKOIL also reached a deal
with construction group Sacyr Vallehermoso
to acquire its 20 percent stake as well.
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
sri lanka serves up
tough action against
errant filling stations
The Petroleum and Petroleum
resources Ministry of sri lanka initiated
a full scale inquiry last month
on filling stations which have failed
to store adequate fuel stocks
A fuel shortage has arisen in some parts
of the island as filling stations have not
placed orders for fuel in November to
avoid any loss after the Government
announced an oil price reduction in its
2009 budgetary proposals.
According to Minister Fowzie, certain
filling stations have emptied their oil
tanks after the Government gave an
indication that an oil price reduction
would be effected through the 2009
budgetary proposals. The Minister said
this situation has led to an oil shortage
in certain parts of the island.
The licences of filling stations which hide
stocks to create an artificial oil shortage
and other filling stations which have
failed to store adequate fuel stocks will
be terminated after the inquiry.
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inkgraphics.it

NEws
Adnoc to increase
filling station network
to 220 in UAE
Abu Dhabi Adnoc Distribution, Abu Dhabi’s
only oil retailer, plans to increase filling stations
across the UAE to 220 by 2009, a senior
executive of the company informed. “We have
around 190 stations at the moment. We have
noticed the demand for petrol and diesel has
been increasing and we have to cater to this
increase in demand,” the Adnoc Distribution
executive said on the sidelines of a recent
industry conference. Adnoc Distribution, a
unit of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
(Adnoc) is an integrated energy company.
Founded in 1973, Adnoc Distribution markets
and distributes petroleum products and services
within the UAE and internationally.
ENOC self-serve stations
revert back to full
service in December
The self-service project was launched as a
pilot on the 12th of August 2008 and ENOC
has been evaluating customer feedback on the
concept during the past three months. Saeed
Abdullah Khoory, ENOC Group Chief Executive
said, “We have gauged customer response to
self-service and helped the company to evaluate
the social, technical and operational aspects
of introducing this new concept. The scheme
showed that acceptance of self-service varies
according to specific customer categories. In
general, the multinational and cosmopolitan
UAE community understands self-service fuel
retailing as it is common in many countries
abroad. The lessons learned from the pilot will
be highly beneficial should ENOC decide to
implement self-service across its network in the
future. ENOC will continue to look for ways to
win wider acceptance for self-service retailing,
and all customer feedback we have gathered in
this project will be evaluated and considered
in all our future activities.”
shell Ethiopia moves out of the Ethiopian market
After 60 years of presence in the country, shell Ethiopia has totally moved out of
the Ethiopian market, after libya Oil Holding ltd (Oilibya) finalized the purchase
and sale agreement
The official date that Libya Oil Ethiopia Ltd
commenced operations in Ethiopia was November
14, 2008, at which time the de-branding
of Shell Ethiopia as well as the re-branding of
201 retail outlets across Ethiopia started, to
be concluded within six months. A subsidiary
of the Netherlands based Royal Dutch Shell
Plc, Shell Company (Red Sea) Limited, was
formed in 1929. In October 1946, it bought
depot facilities previously owned by Agip and
leased land from the government of Ethiopia
on which included some retail outlets in Addis
Abeba. In April 1964, the operation was renamed
Shell Ethiopia Limited. Marking its total exit,
Shell Ethopia, has signed a purchase and sale
agreement with OiLibya, which gives the latter
100 pc ownership of Shell’s downstream
oil products marketing business in Ethiopia.
Its 142 employees have been retained by the
new North African entrant. The Ethiopian oil
8 lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
market, which had for years been dominated by
the foreign based Total, Mobil, Agip and Shell,
has recently been penetrated by the Kenyan
Kobil and the Sudanese Nile Oil and now the
Libyan OiLibya. With the exception of Total,
all the earliest oil companies – Agip, Mobil and
recently Shell – have left the market. Following
a decision in October 2004, by the Ethiopian
Council of Ministers to allow both local and
foreign companies to operate in the retail of oil,
two local companies – National Oil Company
(NOC) and Yetebaberut Beherawi Petroleum
(YBP) entered the market in November 2005
and May 2006, respectively. The state-owned
OiLibya, previously called Tamoil Africa,
operates gasoline stations in African nations,
including Egypt and Burkina Faso and plans
to build a pipeline between Kenya and Uganda
and another to supply five countries with oil
products from a Ugandan refinery.
NUPIGECO highlights the harmful effects of
bio-fuels in fittings for piping systems
Some suppliers have recently claimed their
piping systems are suitable for bio-fuels like
ethanol, however, NUPIGECO has stated that
some manufactures have failed to mention if
this also applies to their fittings, which are
clearly an important and integral component of
a system. Bio-fuels can have serious effects on
steel or brass fittings and have the capabilities
of causing failures. NUPIGECO claim to be
the market leading manufacturer in the development
of suitable products for bio-fuels like
bio-diesel, ethanol blends and AdBlue and say
they can proudly state their Smartflex system
does have the complete range of piping and
fittings suitable for the conveyance of these
bio-fuels. A spokesperson for NUPIGECO
said “Smartflex piping system is already fully
approved for any concentration of ethanol fuel
and its complete range of nickel plated fittings
are specifically designed for the conveyance of
ethanol, whereas its stainless steel fittings and
piping are specifically designed for the conveyance
of AdBlue. These are already well known,
accepted and used extensively in the market as
they have already been available for a number
of years. Experts say, ethanol can be corrosive
in any concentration and will attack vulnerable
materials such as mild steel and brass. The
rate of the effect will vary depending upon its
concentration. The higher the concentration
of the blend, the faster the resulting effects.
Nickel plating of brassware provides excellent
protection against the chemical attack by ethanol
blends up to medium concentrations. Stainless
steel should be used for higher concentrations.”
NUPIGECO has recently announced that
its EN 14125 listed Smartflex TSMAH pipe
has now obtained the ERA technology test
certificate after positively fulfilling the Fuel
Compatibility Test with Ethanol E 85.
lUKOIl interested in sharing Czech refinery
LUKOIL would like to buy into a Czech refinery,
according to LUKOIL president Vagit Alekperov.
LUKOIL, which already owns a chain of 44 petrol
stations in the Czech Republic, is especially
interested in a share in Ceska Rafinerska, the
country’s largest crude processing firm. “We
would be satisfied with 16 percent,” Alekperov
was cited as saying. Alekperov said the move
would bring in a shareholder who “manages real
oil supply, moreover in Russia which is linked to
the Czech Republic by a pipeline.” The Czech
Republic, a former Soviet satellite, which would
like to further diversify its energy sources to
reduce dependence on Russia, has been reluctant
to let Russian firms into its energy sector. Ceska
Rafinerska’s majority shareholder is the PKN
Orlen-owned petrochemical group Unipetrol,
which holds 51.23 percent. Eni International BV
follows with 32.44 percent and Shell Overseas
Investment BV owns a 16.33 percent stake.

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NEws
9

NEws
Malaysians are now
paying petrol tax
Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Consumer
Affairs Minister, Datuk shahrir
samad, has revealed that the government
has stopped subsidising
petrol since November 1st and has
been effectively collecting taxes instead,
on petrol consumption
Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he
explained that even after the 15-sen drop,
which saw RON 97 petrol dropping to
RM 2 per litre and RON 92 and diesel
down to RM 1.90, the government was
no longer subsidising petrol at the pumps.
But he also said that subsidies for diesel
and natural gas are still in place.
rIl may reopen petrol
pumps as crude
price falls
reliance Industries (rIl), India’s
largest private firm, is evaluating
options to reopen most of its closed
petrol pumps, thanks to a 50 percent
drop in crude oil prices
RIL, which had closed down its retail
fuel operations in March in the wake of
spiralling crude oil prices, will restart the
retail fuel business as soon as its rivals,
state-owned oil marketing companies,
drop prices of petrol and diesel, said
sources close to the development. The
idea of reopening the retail business is
getting momentum at RIL ever since the
government hinted a price cut in October,
they added.
A RIL’s spokesperson said: “RIL closed
over 1 400 petroleum retail outlets across
the country on March 15, 2008, owing to
the differential between the company’s
prices and the subsidised prices offered
by the public sector oil firms. We are not
aware of any move to offer a level playing
field for us to review our decision.”
Fuel stations in Jamaica urged to prepare for
E10 transition
The President of the Jamaica Gasolene retailers Association, Trevor Barnes, is urging
petrol stations to put in place the necessary facilities and systems to cope with
the transition to E10, ethanol blended fuel.
This he says in the long run, will be to their
advantage. “The service stations that will not
be ready should encourage their marketing
companies to get on board. What it will involve
is for the marketing company to get their
stations up to grade, by cleaning their tanks,
fixing any necessary valves or seals, that need
10 lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
to be fixed and so on,” he said in an interview.
“I know it will incur some cost but if that is not
done, those dealers will be at a disadvantage
because E10 will be introduced at a slightly
lower price, at US $ 2 per litre, so those stations
that are not onto E10 will certainly be
at a disadvantage,” he continued.
Private Indian retailer comes out of its shell
The fall in oil prices could bring private sector fuel retailers back in the game in
the Indian market. Multinational company shell, which was forced to close several
fuel pumps six months ago, is now hitting back by selling its upmarket brand
of petrol at 1 rupee lower than public sector companies
Being a private company, Shell is not subject
to the price controls the government imposes
on fuel and also does not get the benefit of
any subsidy. Its prices move dynamically
with the input costs and any fall is quick to
reach the consumer. “We are observing the
situation. Our future will depend on the
crude oil price, the exchange rate and the
Indian government’s pricing mechanism,”
said Surinderdeep Singh, Managing Director
of Shell India Marketing. The new strategy
has come as a breather for Shell, whose tiny
network of 36 outlets could not compete with
the 36 000-strong network of public sector
oil companies that sell fuel at official prices
and get part of those losses covered by the
government. At the peak of the oil market,
Shell’s prices were much above the public
sector prices, rendering the private retailer’s
outlets unviable.
Kevin rudd to abandons Australia’s fuel watch plan
The rudd Government has walked away from its controversial Fuelwatch scheme
after it was defeated in the Australian senate
Motoring groups immediately stepped up
calls for the Government to push ahead with
a revamped scheme to honour its promise to
deliver price relief at the bowser. Kevin Rudd
campaigned heavily prior to the election on
easing the cost-of-living pressures on working
families and increasing competition in the
petrol and grocery sectors. Both FuelWatch
and GroceryChoice – a similar scheme for
monitoring supermarket prices - have drawn
fire, with critics saying the initiatives did not
put downward pressure on prices.
Opposition competition spokesman Luke
Hartsuyker ridiculed the defeated FuelWatch,
describing it as a fraudulent scheme designed
to get the Prime Minister off the hook for
leading Australians to believe he could deliver
lower fuel prices. He said it was bad for
struggling families. “There is a mountain of
evidence which clearly showed FuelWatch
would have flattened out the fuel price cycle
and prevented motorists from purchasing
fuel when it was being discounted,” Mr
Hartsuyker said.
Touchstar form joint marketing agreement with Kenit
Kenit, who represent a number of companies in the Greek fuel market, are
pleased to announce the formation of a strategic marketing alliance with Touchstar
Technologies, leading specialists in the provision of On-Board Computing
technology for Fuel Distribution
The partnership will integrate TouchStar’s
leading On-Board System with Kenit’s knowledge
and contacts within the Greek fuel
market. The alliance will see both companies
significantly develop their share within the
LPG cylinder market and will also involve
a number of proactive and targeted joint
marketing initiatives to further promote
the solution. The first of these can be seen
on the TouchStar website. A new Greek
section has been added under the International
banner.

March 31 st – April 2 nd , 2009
3 days of business ‘worth talking about’
Grand Hotel Dino – Lago Maggiore, Baveno, Italy
A centrally located European location on the banks of Lago Maggiore
Event Programme
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
ADvErTIsMENT
Lets taLk Business
the meeting pLace for europe’s major
oil companies and retail petroleum Leaders
31 st March Arrival of delegates, conference & Welcome Dinner
1 st April One on One appointments, Team Sports & Gala Dinner
2 nd April One on One appointments, Trip to Stresa & Farewell Dinner
Reservation
Oil Companies, Petrol Retailers and Suppliers are invited to book
delegate places from August 1st 2008
Register online at www.erpec.com or
call +44 1483 810670 UK
+49 7721 983041 Germany
for more information
11

TUrKEY /OPET AND PETrOl OFIsI
12
Turkey – One of the fastest growing energy markets in Europe
Istanbul and the Bosphorus
As reported in a recent issue of Enerji Petrol
& Gaz, Turkeys leading magazine for the retail
petroleum sector, Turkey is currently in the
middle of an economic energy boom and has
an above average growth rate in Europe of
petroleum and LPG products, putting it in
the top 10. Increases in population, vehicle
registrations, GDP and some significant industrial
investments are all major contributing
factors to the growth of fuel markets in this
part of the world.
Diesel and LPG is particularly is on the up
with increases in diesel products of between
8 and 9 percent in 2007. In the auto LPG sector,
Turkey is the second largest consumer in
Europe and its share has grown by 3 percent
in 2008. During January – May this year, new
car registrations were up 21.4 percent from
the previous year and the trends are likely to
continue. In contrast to these sharp increases
in fuel products generally, the consumption
of benzene 95 and 98 products has dropped
significantly by 9.7 percent, due to the phasing
out of cars with older technology.
By all accounts Turkey is coping admirably
to supply its 71 million citizens with the fuel
needed to power its trucks, cars, pick up’s
and tractors. Tractors surprisingly enough are
responsible for 10 percent of vehicle registrations
in Turkey. 13 million vehicles means 1.3
million tractors in Turkey, a real eye opener
as to the importance of agriculture and the
small farmer in this developing country. For
reference, apart from tractors, 49.6 percent
of registrations are cars, 15.5 percent are
motorcycles, 14.8 percent are pick up’s, 5.5
percent are trucks and the balance is made
up of busses and special purpose vehicles.
There are just under 15 000 petrol stations
in Turkey, a network which is growing at a
rate of about 500 sites per year. The market
is entirely DODO (Dealer owned & dealer
operated) and it is supplied by 47 fuel distributers
or oil companies as more often they
are known. The largest distributer with 3 040
branded sites is former state company Petrol
Ofisi, which has an additional 226 sites
branded as ERK. In terms of site numbers
OPET are second largest with 1 357, including
those branded with Sunpet and then come
Shell & Turcas Petrol with 1 239, Akpet, just
acquired by LUKOIL, with 684, BP with
624, Total with 517 and Alpet which has 430.
Then there is an extensive list of distributers,
numbering at least 10, which have between
200 and 400 sites, which is not something
you would see in a mature market today, in
Europe anyway.
Gurdal Orak, OPET
Engineering and HSSE Manager
Based on all the above facts it should come
as no surprise that the claim for the largest
forecourt in Europe comes from OPET, who
are at the forefront of the developing retail petroleum
market in Turkey. I met up in Istanbul
recently with Gürdal Orak, Engineering and
HSSE Manager for OPET, who was pleased to
share his vision with me of what appears to be
an amazing feat of planning and construction.
Gürdal, who was formerly with BP explains
“In Turkey there are not even requirements to
impose Stage 1 or Stage 11 vapour recovery, but
we wanted to create a site which could make a
big statement about the environment, to show
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
the giant opEt site in Maslak.
by Nick Needs
our customers a petrol station which really was
environmentally friendly, to coin a phrase.”
“In the beginning we involved many suppliers
in the project and asked each of them to come
up with ideas on what technology they feel
should be implemented. The three R’s criteria
applied in everything we talked about. Reduce,
Recycle, Reuse. In all US $ 3.8 million was
spent on the site.”
The service station, situated at Maslak, Istanbul,
uses state-of-the-art technology and incorporates
the most advanced HSSE requirements.
Primary objectives in building this extremely
large site was to minimize the potential effects
of harmful petroleum products and to provide
protective procedures for the environment.
OPET signed up specialized contractors and
utilized the latest ideas for achieving environmental
protection for the site which they claim
offers the best in cutting edge technologies,
both for products and services. In keeping with
its green image, a total of 5 734 plants have
been planted in the station, including a collection
of sycamore trees which were removed
and replanted during construction.
Surely a contender for the largest service
station in Turkey, with a canopy spanning
2 080 meters squared, the “TSK Mehmetçik
Foundation Maslak Station” was constructed
in 90 days. Situated in an overall area of 10 500
square meters, the site has 20 pump islands,
5 of which are LPG, accounting for 170 hoses,
enabling 50 vehicles to fuel up at the same

Expensive fuel prices. at 2.67 turkish Lira, this equates to 1.33
euros for a litre of diesel. unleaded 95 sells at 1.46 euros.
time. The station uses 8 double-walled tanks to
fully secure liquid fuel. Double-walled piping
has also been incorporated to maximize safety
against leaks. An average day’s fuel output is
120 000 litres.
OPW incorporated a full vapour recovery
system both as Stage I and Stage II. The payat-the-pump
facility is designed by Mepsan,
accepting a variety of credit and loyalty cards.
The tank automation solution is provided by
Veeder-Root, containing continuous inventory
monitoring, in-tank leak detection, the ability for
continuous 24 hour USA EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) approved leak detection, as
well as groundwater monitoring.
The giant canopy has 6 transparent skylights
to maximize the utilization of daylight and
contributes at the same time to the effectiveness
of energy consumption on the site. Water
saving is enabled by the use of a fully automatic
watering systems, which also stores rain water.
Having clean toilets was very much on the
agenda when OPET designed this site and the
use of sector-leading materials and equipment,
they say guarantees an extremely high degree
of cleanliness. Furthermore they point out that
special baby and child-specific units have been
installed for greater comfort to mothers wishing
to provide care to their children.
The safety features of the site boast a fire
extinguishing systems, located under the fuel
dispensers, which will be automatically enabled
in the case of fire through heat sensors. The
fire resistant electrical cabling used in the
infrastructure of the site does not conduct
heat and will continue to offer an electrical
supply to the emergency services for up to 3
hours. Double walled tanks and piping, intelligent
electrical panels, heat detectors in the
electrical panels, safety cameras and external
tank alarms all contribute to making this one
of the safest sites in existence and certainly it
offers other companies a model on which to
base future designs. Gürdal went on to talk
about the OPET network generally “Most of
the OPET sites are new as we have only been
going for 16 years and our standards are much
higher than those set by governmental departments,
for example, all our stations have flexible
piping which should be standard everywhere
today. In Europe everyone says the profit
comes from the shop, but here, our main focus
one of the many cups of tea i drank during
my meetings in istanbul.
is selling fuel through high quality attended
service stations and getting our customers to
leave as quickly as possible. Dispensing fuel,
washing the windscreen, offering promotions
and taking the money to the shop ensuring a
high degree of customers satisfaction at the
same time is the attendant’s job and there
are over 20 attendants usually on duty at the
Maslak site.”
With the fuel price at the pump in Turkey being
the highest in Europe and set to a great extent
by the government, it is easy to see why, except
to say that Turkish labour is cheap and attendants
cost as little as 300 euros per month.
Mertkan Unsal, Petrol Ofisi
Network Planning & Engineering Manager
The big battle amongst distributers / oil companies
in Turkey is for customers and dealers through
promotional campaigns. A box of tissues, a free
set of glasses, a mobile phone or maybe even
a television set is what the customers expect
to see on offer at their local site, in exchange
for their regular business. If clients opt for a
loyalty card then it could be a holiday in the
Caribbean or a new car, if they stay alive long
enough, but whether they do or not, the incentives
are as much a part of the Turkish retail
petroleum market as the fuel itself.
Istanbul is a fascinating place. Where East
meets West, is the age old label Istanbul has
for introducing itself to first time visitors. It’s
also where old meets new, the best way I can
describe the difference between the downtown
historic areas of Taksim Square and the new
financial areas of the city, which boasts multiple
sky rise buildings not dissimilar to Frankfurt
or London. Still on the European side there
are other areas, so evident on my drive out to
Maslak, that are witnessing enormous change
as new commercial developments are put on
the map at seemingly regularintervals. Whilst
the offices of OPET are in the Asian side of
TUrKEY / OPET AND PETrOl OFIsI
Modern, stylish branding at a local petrol ofisi site, one of 3 300 petrol
stations in turkey operated by turkey’s leading oil company.
Istanbul, separated by two bridges and the
Bosphorus, the offices of Turkey’s leading oil
major Petrol Ofisi are on the European side
and I could not visit Istanbul without going to
visit Mertkan Ünsal, Petrol Ofisi’s Network
Planning & Engineering Manager, who like
Gürdal Orak had previously been working with
one of the International majors, but in this
case it was with Shell not BP. Petrol Ofisi was
established in 1941 to purchase the petroleum
and petroleum products needed by public and
private enterprise. Becoming a joint stock
company in 1983, Petrol Ofisi has 3 300 fuel
sites, 10 fuel terminals, 2 LPG terminals and
it employs 160 000 people.
Key initiatives at the moment are a new generation
of high performance products V / MAX
unleaded 95 V / MAX unleaded 97 and V / MAX
diesel, offering Petrol Ofisi customers high fuel
economy and performance. Also PO customer
loyalty programmes are continuingly being
developed. Through PO’s loyalty card ‘Positive
Card’ Petrol Ofisi has been conducting the most
pervasive customer loyalty programme in Turkey,
targeting more than 2 million people since the
beginning of 2008. Customers collect points
and earn high quality and stylish awards in
many different categories raging from kitchen
appliances to auto accessories. Asked in a recent
Enerji Petrol & Gaz interview to outline
Petrol Ofisi’s medium and long term objectives,
Petrol Ofisi stated that its first objective is to
strengthen and continue its leadership in the
traditional distribution market in Turkey, with
the main principle being one of profitability. At
the same time they wish to offer the innovative
and technologically advanced products
and services in line with the demands of their
customers. Mertkan added that Petrol Ofisi also
has ambitions outside Turkey with neighbouring
countries such as Georgia, where it already has
a presence. I shared a cup of Turkish coffee with
Mertkan, which was different to the many cups
of tea I had at OPET, grown and produced in
Turkeys own tea plantations I might add and
served up in a strangely shaped glass cup with
no handle and I took my leave to the airport.
Both companies have confirmed they will be
attending erpec 09 and I for one look forward
very much to renewing my new found acquaintances
with them in Italy. I also can’t wait to go
back to Istanbul. It was most excellent.
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM 13

INTErvIEw – BY NICK NEEDs
MEPSAN –
14
Situated on the Asian side of Istanbul, is the
HQ of Mepsan, a company is manufacturing
and marketing the most dynamic and modern
state of the art retail petroleum systems available,
but at the same it is an operation which
is getting known for using more traditional
sales and marketing methods to achieve its
objectives. In less than fifteen years Mepsan
came from nowhere to take 64 percent of the
domestic market for fuel dispensers in Turkey
and more recently they have pushed forward
into a number of other countries with their
retail solutions. How did they achieve their
success in Turkey? Can we all learn something
from their methods? I think so.
On my recent trip to Istanbul I went to visit
Mepsan’s offices and spent a day with their
Business Development Manager, Batuhan
Kiroğlu who was pleased to tell me a little
more about the Mepsan story. Mepsan started
life as a service operation for fuel stations in
Konya, Turkey, but in 1992 the company moved
into manufacturing, led by a creative, young,
dynamic management team, with a passion
for service and a hunger to succeed. Their
products include fuel dispensers, LPG dispensers,
underground submersible applications,
forecourt automation, lubricant dispensers, full
tank to bank retail solutions, air compressors
and as it might say in any brochure, much
much more. Mepsan’s dispensing products
on thousands of forecourts in Turkey today,
“service stations are not considered by us as just
buildings. They are retail solutions in every aspect”
boast state of the art technology, stylish looks
and offer petroleun retailers innovative ways
to interact with their customers through, on
screen promotion facilities.
But it is not so much the products I want this
article to focus on, but more the solutions
Mepsan offer their clients and the way the
company as a whole conducts itself in this
fast moving industry sector. Whilst everything
west of Turkey remains a key hunting ground
Batuhan Kiro lu – Marketing & Business development
director at Mepsan.
for new business, a recent example being that
Mepsan are currently tendering for a large
deal with one of Europe’s major’s to supply
pumps to parts of the European and African
markets, it is their sights on everything east
that I find most interesting. Countries like
Kosovo, Iraq, Jordan, Azarbajan, Uzbekstan
and some places I have never even heard of,
are showing huge potential to Mepsan. And
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
Batuhan with Melih ozparlak,
international Sales & operations
Manager and Mine Guler, Foreign
Marketing assistant.
then there are the North African countries
of Morrocco, Tunisia Libya, Algeria, Egypt
and Sudan.
When I met up with Batuhan, he had just
arrived back from the Philippines, another
successful trip he said, so I asked him to
explain why these less familiar countries are
so important to them and in a competitive
world, ask him how they can possibly compete
with the major dispenser manufactures
who have far greater resources worldwide at
their disposal.
Batuhan acknowledged the world is changing.
He said “From China to Turkey and specifically
in the former USSR market, the car parc is up,
transportation is on the move, the dynamics
of the oil market in this region is coming into
play and independent economies are being
created which rely far less on the US, Europe
and China. These countries are looking for
suppliers to work with who are truly integrated
into their community. Regional expertise is
vital, particularly in the areas of POS for
example where European requirements are
totally different to those of Asia.”
“We consider ourselves to be a middle range
supplier and as such we have to offer A – Z
solutions. In one country we are maybe working
directly with the government concerned
supplying hundreds of dispensers over many

years. Somewhere else we may be supplying
only 10 pumps, but we will probably have got
the order by being at the end of the phone 24
hours a day and by being prepared to solve
any problem that may arise in the sphere of
the clients retail petroleum operation. The
service we offer is the difference between
us getting the business or losing out in most
cases. Our products are as technologically
advanced as those being offered by any of
the major dispenser manufacturers but it the
‘Yes of course we can do that for you’ attitude
which is winning us friends.”
Batuhan asks me “How many dispenser
manufactures do you know who would offer
to help their customers make their buildings
more environmentally friendly and show them
how they can save energy by introducing more
efficient heating and lighting systems? This
is something we are doing more and more,
not because it is our core business, it is just
because we want to support our clients as
much as we can.” I suggested that this approach
has almost a classic jobber mentality
about it and Batuhan did not disagree.
“Very often, in these more remote countries,
all the people need is a little bit of help and
we are happy to provide it in the knowledge
that they may need products from us in
the future. At the other end of the scale it
is almost heart warming to talk to people
about technology that some people we meet
are not even aware is in existence. An oil
company I dealt with last week was trying
to keep tabs on 48 fuel trucks manually, not
being aware that a satellite system and a bit
of software could do the job for him much
better. I made the arrangements for him and
I can safely say I have made a new friend for
life. In another case I demonstrated how the
fuel price can simply be changed on a totem
through a Blackberry and again I think I can
count on this person calling me up when he
needs some product.”
“We have three simple stages of operation
which we stick by. Manufacture, simple product
delivery and effective maintenance, with
on-line information available at all times. In
Turkey we have 35 service points around the
country, all which are exclusive to Mepsan.”
It is just another example of how the life
blood of this company is through a service
mentality which any company I have spoken
to would be proud of. Let’s do this interview
again in 5 years time when you might have
joined the big guys, or not as hopefully the
case may be.
More info www.mepsan.com.tr
INTErvIEw– BY NICK NEEDs
Increase the flow at your station!
Phone +46-8-22 40 00 Box 24066, 104 50 Stockholm, Sweden www.fuelmatics.com
one of the 20 Mepsan pumps located at the giant opEt
site in Maslak.
Drive-Thru refueling - increases capacity - attracts more customers
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM 15

ErPEC UPDATE
16
+ + + PIPES AND TANKS UPDATE + + +
Every month from now until March next year we will be inviting erpec delegates to update us with any news, product
developments or even industry gossip that they would like to share with the rest of us and this month we have asked the
pipes and tanks sector to submit something suitable. This section is not a review of the activities surrounding the companies
mentioned, nor is it a comphrensive listing of all the companies at erpec.
4tech AS is a Norwegian company, developing
and manufacturing high class tank gauging
solutions, based on innovative employees using
leading edge technology. In order to achieve
environment friendly and efficient downstream
operations, surveillance systems are crucial.
For complete wet stock control, distribution
planning and optimized flexibility 4tech offers
complete solutions, integrated with the ERPsystems.
4tech guarantees a high performance
gauging solution for almost any purpose, with
unique installation flexibility and low cost of
ownership. We promise to continue our joyful,
determined and important work to fulfil our
common goals in close cooperation with our
clients all over the world. www.4tech.no
BRUGG Pipesystems As one of the market
leaders we have been manufacturing, consulting
and distributing flexible single-walled and
double-walled pipe systems for over 40 years.
Our pipes consist of a primary and an outer pipe
made of stainless steel and a PE-jacket for outer
corrosion protection. The helically corrugated
pipes can be delivered as coils or on drums
– up to 500 m in one piece. The double-walled
pipes can be monitored by a leak detection, if
necessary. Used in petrol stations or industry
construction applications, our pipe systems
are approved for alternative fuels. Applications
include filling, pressure, suction and gas pipe
(Stage I+II). www.brugg.de
Durapipe UK A leading manufacturer of high
performance, thermoplastic pipework systems.
With over fifty years of experience, our portfolio
of products are widely used around the World
for many different applications. Whether it be
pressure pipework for the conveyance of different
media such as water, fuel or more aggressive
fluids or specialist drainage pipework, the solution
will be found within the Durapipe range.
Through an international distribution network
we have a substantial presence in all corners of
the World. With an increasing product portfolio,
dedicated to the fuel industry, Durapipe
continues to shine through innovation within
this market sector. www.durapipe.co.uk
EUROTANK ENVIRONMENTAL
LTD, specialist contractor to the petroleum
industry, is delighted to announce that it has been
awarded the APEA (Association of Petroleum
and Explosive Administrators) Health, Safety and
Environment award and Quality award for the
second year in a row. EUROTANK specialises
in fuel quality and tank maintenance solutions
using the latest endoscope technology and mobile
laboratories. Oil companies, supermarkets
and independent retailers throughout Europe
face a difficult challenge in maintaining fuel
quality and fuel systems operability with the
introduction of ethanol and FAME into EN 1241
and EN 590 respectively. EUROTANK provides
the solutions. www.eurotank.eu.com
FAFNIR GmbH has been developing and
manufacturing sensors and systems for the
Oil Industry for 45 years. With their scientific
knowledge of various sensor technologies and
their highly motivated and innovative Team
FAFNIR are the preferred system and solution
supplier to the Oil Retail Industry throughout
the globe. Our philosophy to provide precise
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
and maintenance-free high quality measuring
instruments paired with intelligent system
solutions and software, have been chosen by
Retailers in more than 70 countries. Integrating
our reliable wet stock and environmental
control into individual network requirements
is our great strength. We are able to monitor
stock, discover and prevent possible leaks, avoid
over fillings and measure and analyse vapour
management data. www.fafnir.com
Fairbanks Environmental – pioneers
of remote wetstock management services in
the UK’s service station sector is again leading
the way in implementing its ‘ibank’, real-time
wetstock analysis service. The ibank interfaces
with all established POS and ATG systems,
independently of service station staff. Real
time ‘visibility’ enables Fairbanks’ analysts to
deliver world class leak detection, equipment
diagnostics, pump flow rate and meter drift
monitoring, as well as in-tank alarm reporting
and loss investigation escalation, automated
fuel replenishment facilities and environmental
compliance monitoring. For further
information on any of our services please go to
www.fairbanks.co.uk
FLEX-ING, headquartered in Sherman, Texas,
is a leading solutions provider for the petroleum
and service station equipment industries. FLEX-
ING has recently expanded its product line to
include RHINO composite fiberglass manhole
covers. The RHINO is a durable, light weight,
solid core lid that exceeds H 20, HS 20 and the
European EN 1124:1994 standards and offers
both the necessary strength and increased
safety of a light weight design. The RHINO
is available in standard 38” and 42” sizes with
custom sizes, colors and rain tight lids available.
In support of this expansion, FLEX-ING has
increased their manufacturing facility footprint
by 15 000 square feet. www.flex-ing.com
Gilbarco Veeder-Root represents the
leading brands of solutions and technologies
that provide convenience, control, and environmental
integrity for retail fuelling and adjacent
markets. Providing to convenience stores, hypermarkets
and service stations, products and
services include petrol dispensers, tank gauges,
submersible pumps, point of sale solutions,
back office & service monitoring and service
& installation. Veeder-Root is a global leader

ErPEC UPDATE
+ + + PIPES AND TANKS UPDATE + + +
in wet stock and environmental risk management.
Veeder-Root’s TLS product group is the
automatic tank gauge of choice for the worlds
leading retail oil companies with over 500 000
tanks monitored across every continent and a
commercial and technical support footprint to
match. www.gilbarco.com
Hamer Installatietechniek B.V. With
more than 70 years experience, almost 400 motivated
employees and all required quality and
safety certificates, Hamer Installatietechniek
handles small and large projects in a professional
and exact manner from design to completion.
The Tank Installations & Workshop Equipment
unit focuses on everything involving fuel
and oil supply. Hamer ensures that the entire
process, from design, application for licenses,
decontamination, development, installation
and furnishing is taken care of. Hamer is also
operational in the water sector, development
of workshops and the industrial sector. Other
activities include fuel provision for marinas, as
well as the provision of aboveground storage
installations. www.hamer.net
KPS Petrol Pipe System TM are a marketleading
suppliers of petrol pipes and for more
than 50 years we have been developing the
most extensive know-how and experience in the
market. Thanks to our high-quality products
and genuine dedication to customer service,
we are the preferred partner and piping supplier
in the petrol industry. In our ambition to
be the most preferred piping supplier to the
petrol industry, we give our full dedication
to making fuel flow safely. And as supplier of
the first and only ATEX compliant conductive
plastic pipe system ever, we deliver what we
promise! www.kssg.com
Labkotec The Labkotec product range covers
solutions for petrol stations, oil terminals,
environmental protection, hazardous waste
treatment and wet stock control. Labkotec has
40 employees and all functions are ISO 9001
and ISO 14001 certified. Head office is located
at Kangasala and sales offices at Oulu, Helsink,
Manchesteri and Stockholm. Labkotec product
range consists of: Tank level gauges for petrol,
diesel and LPG (tanks up to 15 meters), local
monitoring systems, Internet-enabled LabkoNet
remote monitoring system, SET-alarm units for
oil separators and grease traps, leak detectors and
water bottom sensors. Labkotec is a member of
the Indutrade group. www.labkonet.com
NUPIGECO manufactures the Smartflex
system, a complete range of pipes, fittings and
tools for the conveyance of automotive fuels and
hazardous fluids. This system is already used
and approved by major international petroleum
companies, for whom it was conceived and
developed. NUPIGECO’s R&D department
constantly improves the existing range and
develops new products to meet new requests
arising from the market. The Smartflex range
includes single and double wall lines, electroweldable
and mechanical fittings, entry boots,
leak monitoring system, welding unit, tank and
dispenser sumps, etc. All products are available
in various diameters and configurations,
while making the system suitable for all kinds
of installations. www.nupigeco.com
PetroTechnik Strategic Manufacturing
– PetroTechnik is proud to announce the opening
of its new manufacturing facility in Mumbai,
India. We have chosen a manufacturing partner
in India because the strong economic growth
and construction programs there are already
providing further opportunities for the expansion
of UPP. PetroTechnik’s investment in the
production of its world class product, currently
around US $ 1.5 million, continues with the
November opening of a manufacturing facility in
China and the forthcoming facility in the USA.
The Indian plant, together with our plants in
Europe, China, USA and Brazil, gives us the
flexibility to achieve a unique global operating
model matching capacity to regional demand.
www.upp.co.uk
SGB leak detection technology for 100
percent continuous monitoring of double
walled tanks and pipes. Leaks are detected
and indicated before any product can enter
the environment. SGB has more than 46
years experience and our technology realizes
the highest environmental protection level
in accordance to Class I, EN 13160. Today
more than 300 000 systems are in use and
nearly all international operating mineral oil
companies belong to our satisfied customers.
www.sgb.de
Tanknology, a leading provider of UST
compliance solutions in the world, continues
its international expansion, having recently
added licensees serving the Philippines, Nigeria,
Pakistan and Panama, (the latter through the
joint efforts of partners in Guatemala and
Colombia), to its team of licensees operating
in more than 20 countries around the world.
With crews providing testing and related
services at more than 37 000 sites each year,
Tanknology is uniquely positioned as a fullservice
compliance services provider anywhere,
having tested more than 1 million UST’s for
companies ranging from major oil companies
to smaller independent and corporate operators.
www.tanknology.com
Wolftank Systems in 2008 celebrates its
20th anniversary. The core business, which
is a patented method to transform single-wall
tanks to certified double-wall tanks (DOPA
6i), is offered along with a broad range of environmental
safety technology products used
for petrol stations and refineries. All products
are installed in compliance with the highest
industry standards and certified by the national
governmental authorities. Following a clear vision
and an advanced safety standard, Wolftank
Systems has today successfully restored more
than 8 000 tanks for the major oil companies.
More than 150 highly skilled employees and
subcontractors are striving for a constant improvement
of the product portfolio, including
risk management, accident avoidance and new
safety training methods (see also www.iccsrl.eu).
www.wolftank.com
lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM 1

CAsE sTUDY
a case studyBever Innovations B.v.
Bever Innovations is based in the south-west of The Netherlands, a
medium sized company with a very clear market focus: ‘LED displays’
for Price Signs. Having attended erpec for the first time in 2005, staged
in a slightly chilly, but very bright Budapest for those who can recall,
Bever had entered the International market only twelve months earlier.
In less than 4 years they are now present in more than 25 countries, a
quite remarkable achievement considering the facilities they had available
to them at the time.
In the first case study we have conducted, Remko Delfgaauw, one of
two founder members and currently Managing Director of Bever takes
us through the ideas, the ambitions, the highs, the lows and ultimately
the business objectives that led Bever to where they are today.
Bever innovation HQ in Zierikzee nL. a great improvement on the garden shed.
In 2004 Bever Innovations was completely unknown outside of The
Netherlands. We asked Remko to share with us what it was like in the
early days. He replays:
To answer this question I have to go back to 1996, which I suppose is when
myself and my business partner really started out, experimenting with
electronic display systems for price signs. In those days we were just two
young guys with a burning desire to develop our own products, but had
zero capital to do so. Our ‘head office’ was a wooden shack in the garden
and to make a living and supplement our ambitious plans, we started to
service display systems in the Benelux region for third parties. I remember
thinking at the time what it might be like to one day have a display line
of our own in the future. Back in the late nineties, price signs could only
be connected to the POS via a data cable, but at most existing sites this
cable was not in place and digging a new one in was far too expensive.
This practical field problem lead to the development of our first product
which was a modem which could communicate via the mains cable, called
a ‘powerline modem’. In the daytime we serviced display systems, in the
evenings we burnt the midnight oil and developed this mains cable modem
concept. The idea worked and it was this innovation that first opened doors
for us with the major oil companies in The Netherlands like Shell, Total
and BP. Our service base became bigger, we started to employ people and
we could even afford to create a small R&D department.
As we entered the new millennium, we slowly but surely began to look over
our borders for further growth. It became clear that the most obvious step
was to create our own product line of LED displays and by 2003 we had
gained enough momentum to do exactly that. We were convinced that
we could develop a superior product and one which could cope with all
climate extremes from the Polar circle to the Equator. We gave the project
a name which we still use to this day called ‘LEDS DO IT’
Once we had our own product range which was received incredibly well
by the general market, we began to develop an LED display family, totally
dedicated to the retail petroleum sector called the I-Catcher series, which
we launched in 2004, one year before our first erpec in 2005. Another
delegate Alexander Kubald was one of the first people to recognize the
quality of our products and in fact Kubald became our first customer.
We were certainly ready to venture out into international waters by the
time erpec came around which in short gave us a fantastic opportunity
to establish an international network of oil companies and third party
suppliers who were out there at the time. Since then things moved so fast
as our customer base grew rapidly. Currently we have ca. 23 000 displays
in operation worldwide.
18
lATEsT NEws, AlTErNATIvE EvENTs, FUEl JOBs NEws ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
– www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
What do you feel is at the heart of your success?
For me dedication is at the core of our growth. All of us at Bever Innovations
are very committed to our products and our customers and this dedication
forms the foundation for several other factors we see as important, such as
innovation-power and a pro active attitude towards service and product
improvements. When performance problems arise, which unfortunately
happen in every day life, we stand by our customer even if the problem is
not directly related to a fault with one of our products, as we are keen to
work out solutions to all areas which may influence the performance of our
applications. This pro active attitude is typical for our company.
With any rapidly developing company, holding on to the people who work
there in is very important. How do you assess your team?
We invest a lot in the quality of our personnel. We believe in people who
have a hands on mentality, a learning attitude and of course they must be
equipped with enough brainpower to think on their feet. Because we are a
relatively young company, we work with a young management team which
professionally, has benefited enormously by the ongoing success of the company.
This group has stayed together by enlarge and has grown in experience
over the last few years to such a degree that it has meant we have not had
to bring in lots of new people. At the same time, we have been able to boost
productivity dramatically. Today, we are able to quickly implement and
restructure processes to improve or adapt, production planning systems.
remko delfgaauw – Managing director Bever innovations posing with Bever’s i-Catcher series.
How do you foresee the future for your products and the market generally?
I think we operate in a market that matures rapidly. It grows on the demand
side, but also it grows as much if not more on the supplier side. You only
have to look at the November issue erpecnews. I spotted the names of 6
competitors. It seems like a new name pops up every month. So far they
are all European based companies, but the Eastern companies will also
enter the market as well I think. With more competition, the market needs
to become more creative. To maintain our position in the market and to
continue to grow, Bever Innovations will stay committed to its pro active
and innovative culture, which will keep us in good shape, even when times
may get a bit rough. More info www.beverinnovations.com

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lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
19

Leak detection systems for petrol stations
SGB leak detection systems offer the highest safety and environmental protection by
monitoring tanks and pipes storing or conveying water polluting products.
By using pressure or vacuum in the interstitial space they will give an audible and visual
alarm indication before product can enter the environment.
SGB GmbH
Hofstrasse 10
D-57076 Siegen
Tel.: ++49/(0)271/48964-0
Fax: ++49/(0)271/48964-6
Germany
http://www.sgb.de
e-mail: sgb@sgb.de
20 lATEsT NEws, EvENTs, JOBs ONlINE – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM

ALTERNATIVEFUEL NEws
shell signs biofuel research agreements with
academic institutions
royal Dutch shell has announced six new biofuel research agreements with experts
in academic institutions across the world. They are part of a growing programme
of agreements designed to complement shell’s own biofuels research
and development and to accelerate results
The research program investigates new raw
materials and new biofuels production processes,
with a focus on improving efficiencies
and lowering costs. The research agreements
will last between two and five years. This
announcement builds on Shell’s heritage in
biomass R&D, with continuous investment
over 30 years. The dedicated biofuels research
and technology team now works out of centers
in Thornton in Chester, UK; Westhollow in
Caltex supports Australia‘s alternative transport
fuels policy
Petroleum products distributor and marketer Caltex has announced its support
for the Australian government’s alternative transport fuels policy as part of an
integrated policy framework
Des King, Managing Director and CEO of
Caltex, said that it is not realistic to formulate
an alternative transport fuels policy that is
independent of major policy initiatives. Mr
King said that the country should aim for a
framework that is integrated with major policy
initiatives and one that seeks to ensure alternative
transport fuels are properly considered
through some kind of separate action plan.
He added “Most of the emission reduction
will come from changes to vehicle technology
and fuel supply and from non-price measures
such as improved public transport, transport
infrastructure and design.”
ConocoPhillips and CleanFUEl UsA launch
programme to increase propane fueling sites
CleanFUEL USA and ConocoPhillips have
signed a three-year agreement to advance
propane infrastructure for the U.S. transportation
fuel industry. Under the agreement,
the two companies will provide resources to
install and supply propane fuel pumps for
commercial fleet fuel users. Propane fueling
stations will be installed not only at fleet
owner sites, but may also be made available
nationwide at select ConocoPhillips’ branded
stations, which include Conoco, Phillips 66
and 76 stations. ConocoPhillips will supply
Houston, US; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and
Bangalore, India.
Graeme Sweeney, Shell’s executive vice president
for future fuels and CO2, said: “Shell’s
in-house biofuels R&D is longstanding, leading
and globally co-ordinated. However, we know
that adding to our knowledge through genuine
and nimble partnerships with top experts
worldwide will be critical to speed and success
in the fast-moving area of biofuels.”
propane to the fueling stations through regional
propane marketers.
Propane is an alternative fuel with lower
greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline or
diesel. Reliable propane engine performance
and maintenance has been proven by
utilizing new technology developed from
both Ford / Roush and General Motors (GM),
which uses the CleanFUEL’s liquid propane
injection (LPI) system. Both Ford / Roush and
GM are developing additional propane engine
platforms in 2009.
Biofuels soon to become
mandatory in
Indonesia
The Indonesian government is imposing
a new regulation demanding
manufacturing companies use at least
2.5 percent biofuel in their fuel consumption
to reduce their dependency
on fossil fuel
“The regulation was issued in October and
will come into effect one month after that,”
said the national team for biofuel development
head, Al Hilal Hamdi, in a hearing with law
makers in Jakarta. Implementation of the
regulation, he said, would be carried out in
two phases. In the first phase, the law will
apply to Java and Sumatra. It will apply to
the rest of the islands across the country in
the second phase.
Al Hilal said the upcoming regulation would
also give a degree of certainty for biofuel
producers through the creation of demand
for their products such as biodiesel and
bioethanol.
New Target for Biofuels
in Ireland
The Irish Government has published its
proposed Biofuels Obligation scheme.
This scheme will set a percentage target
of transport fuels used in the country
which must consist of biofuels and
sets certain conditions regarding the
type of biofuels which can be counted
towards that target
The obligation will apply to fuel companies,
placing no burden on the taxpayer. It will be
a key component in achieving the EU target
of 10 percent penetration of renewable energy
in transport by 2020. The consultation
document proposes a target of 4 percent by
volume of transport fuel by 2010, equating to
3 percent by energy. It attaches an important
condition – the biofuels must come from
sustainable sources.
Final word
Just recently, the U.S. was reminded why
we need to kick the fossil fuel habit. The
hurricanes in the Southwest shut down oil
refineries and made all types of fuel hard
to get and expensive. Watch this space!
NEws
lATEsT lATEsT NEws, AlTErNATIvE EvENTs, JOBs FUEl ONlINE NEws – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM 21

DIArY DATEs
Important diary dates 2009
2009 – FEBrUArY
16-02-2009 – 19-02-2009
london, United Kingdom
2009 – MArCH / APrIl
01-03-2009 – 03-03-2009
Birmingham, United Kingdom
10-03-2009 – 14-03-2009
Madrid, spain
16-03-2009 – 18-03-2009
Brussels, Belgium
31-03-2009 – 02-04-2009
Baveno, lago Maggiore, Italy
16-04-2009 – 19-04-2009
Istanbul, Turkey
2009 – MAY
06-05-2009 – 0 -005-2009
Münster, Germany
20-05-2009 – 24-05-2009
Bologna, Italy
IFFE‘09 – Intl. Forecourt & Fuel Equipment show
Domestic UK service station exhibition with convenience retailing show.
Details at www.forecourtshow.com
Motortec 2009
International Equipment and Components trade Fair for Vehicles. Details at www.ifema.es
The international meeting forum held every two years for oil companies and global suppliers
serving the European retail petroleum industry. Details at www.erpec.com
22 lATEsT EvENTs – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
09
Isola di Pescatori, Baveno,
lago Maggiore, Italy
IP week 2009
4-day programme of events focusing on the very latest developments in international energy.
Details at www.ipweek.com
world Biofuels Markets 2009
With over 1300 participants from 58 countries, and 100+ exhibitors last year, the 2009 event is
the 4th annual World Biofuels Markets congress. Details at greenpowerconferences.com
Petroleum Istanbul
The 9th trade fair for oil, natural gas, LPG and CNG services, equipment and technologies.
Details at www.petroleumistanbul.com.tr
Tankstelle & Mittelstand
A trade fair for German Independent filling stations. All aspects of business are represented,
specially goods, investment goods, services to the retailer and services to the consumer relating
to fuel business, shop retailing, car repair, car wash and business management.
Details at www.ono.de
autopromotec 2009
Italy‘s largest exhibition of products and support services for the automotive industry taking
place at the Bologna Trade Fair Center. Details at www.autopromotec.it

®
I-Catcher Series
LEDS
DO IT
BEVER
INNOVATIONS
The Pro Active P ro!
Industrieweg 32 • 4301 RS Zierikzee • The Netherlands
tel. +31(0)111 45 32 32 • fax. +31(0)111 45 32 33
Beverinnovations.com
Well spotted.
lATEsT EvENTs – www.PETrOlPlAzA.COM
Leading supplier for price signs & profitboards
Merry Christmas. see you
in the New Year!
DIArY DATEs
23

24
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