iq8 revolutionising the vietnamese retail fuel market · 2017. 12. 20. · q8sailswiner t 2018 3...

The Corporate Magazine of Kuwait Petroleum International#42 Winter 2018

IQ8 revolutionising the Vietnamese retail fuel market

2 Q8SAILS Winter 2018

Message from the President

Editor:

Shamael Al-Sharikh

[email protected]

Manar Al-Murad

[email protected]

Copy Editor:

Debbie Valentine

[email protected] © Copyright 2018

Kuwait Petroleum International

Winter 2018

Contributors:

Katia Van Bouwel, Q8NWE

Rossella Izzo, Q8Italy

Carlos Chousa, Q8Spain

Adri de Ven, Q8Research

Jesse Claessens, Q8Oils

Lisa Ohrqvist, OKQ8 Scandinavia

2

Dear Colleagues,

To many of us, the winter season is a festive one. It is a time where we reflect on the achievements of the past year and count our blessings for the all positive changes that have happened to us, as a team and as individuals. I myself have recently gone through one such change. The State of Kuwait has appointed me Minister of Oil and Electricity & Water, which means that, this is my last message to you as President of Kuwait Petroleum International.

Through my years leading Q8, I have worked with many of you and the one consistent aspect that has struck me in every operating unit is your dedication to the company and your determination to succeed against the odds. The markets have not been kind to us and competition from other sources of energy has been fierce, but through it all, you stayed the course and eased the journey for our customers and stakeholders. For all your hard work and dedication, I thank you.

I leave you in the capable hands of the current leadership team, and I am sure that with your continued dedication and their steady hand, you will both steer our Company positively towards achieving our goals. We have achieved many milestones in our

Mohammed Ali, IDS

Omar Al-Khlaifi, Q8Europe

John Briggs, KPI SSHE

projects, but the best is yet to come, and I am sure that we will see major successes in Kuwaiti oil assets locally and abroad.

It has been a pleasure working with Q8 and I wish you many years of prosperity and success.

Bakheet S. Al-Rashidi

3Q8SAILS Winter 2018

ContentsQ8Sails Winter 2018 Issue: 42

Meet The Team: Magnus Kamryd, MD & CEO OKQ8 Scandinavia

Aruba Board Visit Highlights Bright Future for Q8Spain

HEADLINE NEWS

Page 4-5 IQ8 revolutionising the Vietnamese retail fuel market

CORPORATE

Page 6-7 Spectacular event in Málaga Celebrates ERA winners

Page 8-9 Delegation visits successful projects in Vietnam

NEWS

Page 10 Aruba Board visit highlights bright future for Q8Spain

Page 11 Second milestone for KPI Business Management System

Page 12 -13 Q8North West Europe comes together to define its future business

Page 14 Meet the Team: Magnus Kamryd, Managing Director and CEO, OKQ8 Scandinavia

Page 15 Meet the Team: Tango, The Netherlands

Page 16 Sakar Pradhan wins UKLA Young Employee of the Year

Page 17 Blending plant Antwerp triumphs with a major award

Page 18 Leading the way with solar panel power in Sweden

Page 19 New initiative strengthens sustainability in Italy

Page 20 Future operations at Trieste sea terminal successfully secured

Page 21 IDS site expansion in Austria strengthens customer service

Page 22

Page 23

Expert perspective on the future at prestigious conference

Sharing knowledge on Q8Research training programmes

Sakar Pradhan Wins UKLA Young Employee of The Year

4 Q8SAILS Winter 2018 4 Q8SAILS Winter 2018

revolutionising the vietnamese retail fuel market:

First IQ8 service station opensA high-profile ceremony in Hanoi on 5th October marked the exciting official opening of the first IQ8 service station. This important milestone is the first step in IQ8’s objective to revolutionise the retail fuel market in Vietnam with safe and environmentally-friendly service stations that offer the highest stand-ards of service.

IQ8 is a 50/50 joint venture between Q8 and Japanese oil company Idemitsu Kosan; the two companies are also partners in the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemi-cal (NSRP) joint venture, Vietnam’s largest oil refinery.

The new IQ8 service station is strategically sited in the Thang Long Industrial Park on a highway linking the centre of Hanoi with Noi Bai International Airport. Celebrating the opening was a high-level delegation including Adnan Al-Ahmad, His Excellency the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Vietnam; Ghanim Al-Otaibi, vice presi-dent Asia; Imad Al-Hadlaq, group manager business development and acting manager JV marketing (Asia) and Adnan Al-Qallaf, group manager stakeholder management.

Ghanim Al-Otaibi commented: “We anticipate strong growth in demand for petroleum products in Vietnam and are confident that our provision of top-quality ser-vice stations with excellent customer service will make

an important contribution to the country’s economic development. We are pleased to work in partnership with Idemitsu Kosan, which reinforces our strategy of entering high-growth markets with an international partner that complements and adds value to Q8.”

The rapidly-growing demand for motor fuel in Vietnam is the result of people upgrading from bicycles and motorbikes to cars. The country already has around 14,000 petrol stations, but few offer facilities such as shops and a car wash, and customer service is poor. There is weak brand awareness and service stations are badly constructed with inadequate security and low environmental standards.

IQ8 aims to radically change the customer experience by building and managing a network of modern service stations across Vietnam in strategic locations. Drawing on the joint expertise of European and Japanese op-erations, the partners are raising service standards to a level never seen before in Vietnam. IQ8 service stations will offer new facilities such as a restaurant/café, car wash and ATM machines. They will also benefit from the highest environmental standards and state-of-the-art technologies, including safe eco-friendly under-ground tanks and pipelines.

The new IQ8 service station in Hanoi sells diesel, gaso-


CORPORATE

line 92, 95 and the sustainable gasoline E5. It is the first service station in Vietnam to offer customers the convenience of payment terminals at point of sale.

Vietnamese motorists currently pay for their fuel in cash and the option to use a card greatly enhances security and convenience, particularly for truck drivers who will no longer need to carry large sums of cash to pay for fuel.

Behind the opening of the new service station is an enormous amount of hard work by a team of local and international experts, headed by Imad Al-Hadlaq, who have been working on the project with their counterparts in Idemistu Kosan since the earliest days of the NSRP joint venture. The team includes Khaled Al-Bader, mar-keting manager Vietnam, based in Hanoi; Nouf Al-Najdi, senior analyst - JV mar-keting (Asia) in Kuwait; Harry Buyle, sen-ior project engineering advisor Q8North West Europe, based in Belgium, who pro-vides technical advice on construction of the service stations, and Marcello Alessi, core network coordinator, in Q8Italy in Rome, who acts as financial advisor to IQ8.

Imad Al-Hadlaq comments: “IQ8 is the first 100% foreign-owned company to build and operate service stations in Vietnam and entering this market has been extremely challenging. It is very gratifying to see the opening of the first service station, which reflects the great efforts of the team.”

“IQ8 is raising service standards to a level never

seen before in Vietnam”

Challenges included the sensitivities of cross-cultural communication and working across different countries and time zones. Acquiring operating licences from gov-ernmental bodies was a long and complex process. To meet the standards required by the partnership, equip-ment such as point of sale card systems had to be im-ported into Vietnam, as well as double-layer fuel tanks to meet the highest environmental standards.

IQ8 has been warmly welcomed as the new entrant to Vietnam’s retail fuel mar-ket. Thanks to extensive media coverage of the opening ceremony, many customers are trying out the new service station and this resulted in unprecedented volume fuel sales during the first month of operation.

The new fuelling experience offered by IQ8 has caused a buzz on social media with a stream of positive reviews about the high-quality service. People have commented on the friendliness of IQ8 staff, who bow to customers as they arrive and leave the service station, and are impressed by the

thoughtful touches, such as free windscreen cleaning for waiting motorists. The accurate amount of fuel supplied at IQ8 is also appreciated, as quantity fraud is common in Vietnamese-owned service stations.

Over the next six months, IQ8 plans to open more service stations at strategic locations across northern Vietnam, including National Highway No. 5; Haiphong, Vietnam’s largest port, and Hanoi. The enthusiasm of motorists and excellent sales results bode well for the future as IQ8 focuses on expanding its retail network.


A celebration was held in Málaga, southern Spain, on 23/24 October to mark the achievements of the win-ners of the second Excellence Recognition Awards (ERA).

The winning teams each chose four of their members to represent them during the two-day event, which was held in the luxurious surroundings of the Gran Hotel Miramar.

The highlight of the visit was the award presentation and gala dinner which was formally opened by KPI President Bakheet Al-Rashidi, who said: “ERA recog-nises the highest achievements of our employees and joint venture partners and it is my personal goal to ensure that everyone knows how much we value their hard work and efforts. I warmly congratulate all the winners. You have earned this award for your hard work and dedication, which are delivering great benefits to our company.”

Khaled Al-Mushaileh, VP Europe and sponsor of the ERA, described his team’s hard work in setting up and running the awards scheme. He concluded by saying: “It’s clear how much this programme is motivating people to achieve excellence. I was very impressed with the quality of the projects and am sure that the judg-ing panel had a hard time selecting the winners.” He especially highlighted the teams that had won for the

second year running, with the promise of a special prize if they win for a third time in 2018.

Special Achievement awards for the operating units were introduced for the first time this year. These in-cluded an overall Best Performer, which was awarded to Q8Aviation, and a Project of the Year, which was won by Project Oryx, the exciting joint venture with Oman Oil Company that is creating a new refinery in south Oman.

Winners were invited to the stage to receive their ERA award from Bakheet Al-Rashidi; Khaled Al-Mushaileh; Ahmad Behbehani, chairman of the Aruba Board; the Operating Unit managing director and category head of the ERA judging panel, who briefly described each winning project.

During the awards ceremony, the guests enjoyed a superb dinner and were entertained by a spectacular Spanish horse show.

The winners took time to enjoy the stunning surround-ings of the historic hotel and to explore the city during their stay. They also joined the management team in a sailing competition along Málaga’s beautiful coast-line, which was contested by teams of eight.

As well as recognising the highest standards of perfor-mance, ERA provides a platform to share best practice

Spectacular event in Málaga Celebrates ERA winners



CORPORATE

and learn from others’ experiences. Operating units nominate their most successful and innovative projects in the categories of innovation, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, SSHE/corporate social responsibility and cor-porate projects. A judging panel for each category decides the winner. The number of projects nominated was almost double last year: 72 projects involving 251 team members were put forward, compared with 40 projects and 167 people in 2016.

Motivating and rewarding, the Excellence Recognition Awards are set to become a regular annual event and the many outstanding projects in progress mean that it will be more hotly contested than ever.

Spectacular event in Málaga Celebrates ERA winners

Q8SAILS Winter 2018 7

2017 ERA Winners

InnovationQ8Oils/Q8 Research – Q8 Mahler (new gas engine oil)OKQ8 – Qvik offer (digital promotion)Q8 Italy – remote-assisted fuel delivery

Customer SatisfactionQ8 North West Europe – Project 24/7 (site opening times)Global Cards – EFR cross card acceptanceOKQ8 – double up offer

Operational EfficiencyQ8 Italy – LVN oxygenates (refineryimprovements) OKQ8 – Quick To Go SwedenGlobal Cards – Brenner (onlinemanagement tool for resellers)

SSHE/Corporate ResponsibilityOKQ8 – Future Pure WaterQ8 North West Europe – Road Safety CampaignRAM – Pact for Safety

Corporate ProjectsKPI – Green team (protecting aquatic life and environment)Q8 Europe – Q8Middle Management CSR Project

Special Achievement Awards

Record Breaking ProfitsIDSOKQ8Q8OilsQ8Aviation

Best PerformerQ8Aviation

Highest HSSE PerformerRAM (Milazzo Refinery)

Project of the YearKPI Head Office – Oryx (Oman refinery project)


A high-level delegation from KPC and KPI, led by KPC CEO Nizar Al-Adsani and KPI President Bakheet Al-Rashidi, visited Vietnam in November to review progress of the Nhgi Son Refinery project.

This is an exciting stage of the $7.5 billion refinery and petrochemical complex. Mechanical testing and final

works are underway, in preparation for the start of commercial operations in mid-2018.

Nizar Al-Adsani praised KPI’s efforts in delivering vital projects and partnerships that support KPC’s strategy. He pointed out that the Nghi Son refinery is an example of KPI’s objective to invest in economically-viable

Delegation visits successful projects in Vietnam

Left to right: Erwin Helwig, Adnan Al-Qallaf, Faisal Salem


CORPORATE

“The Nghi Son refinery is an example of investing in

economically-viable projects

with international partners.”

projects with international partners and to focus on high-growth markets in Asia.

Sustainability is an integral part of all KPI’s operations and Bakheet Al-Rashidi stressed KPI’s commitment to delivering the highest standards of sustainability in the construction, operation and management of the refinery.

Located 200 kilometers south of Hanoi, the Nghi Son refinery is Vietnam’s second largest refinery and will refine 200,000 barrels of Kuwaiti crude per day, primarily for the domestic market. It is a joint venture between KPI and Idemitsu Kosan, which each hold a 35.1% share, together with PetroVietnam (25.1% share) and Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals (4.7%).

The delegation also visited the first IQ8 service station in Hanoi. This joint venture between KPI and Idemitsu Kosan is pioneering Vietnam’s first network of foreign fuel stations. Since opening in October, IQ8 has sold more than 10m litres of products, including diesel, petrol 92, gasoline 95 and sustainable gasoline E5. Its world-class safety and environmental standards,

and high level of customer service, are revolutionising the fuel market in Vietnam.

The visit gave delegation members the opportunity to meet employees of the refinery and IQ8 and to hear first-hand about their experiences. Nizar Al-Adsani expressed his appreciation of the efforts made by everyone to strengthen KPI’s presence in the critically-important Vietnamese market.

Left to right: Bakheet Al-Rashidi, Sami Al-Rushaid, Nizar Al-Adsani

Left to right: Ghanim Al-Otaibi and Abdulgaffar Al-Awadhi


On 23rd October, Q8Spain hosted a visit by the Aruba Board, led by Chairman Ahmad Behbehani, together with KPI President Bakheet Al-Rashidi, VP Europe Khaled Al-Mushaileh and other senior management representatives.

Welcomed by Azzam Al-Mutawa, managing director Q8Spain, and other members of the management team, the delegation spent the day at the new head office in Madrid, before leaving to attend the second Excellence Recognition Awards in Malaga.

Azzam Al-Mutawa said: “We are very honoured by

this visit; it is very motivating for our employees and heightens our awareness of being part of the wider Q8 family.”

The occasion gave an opportunity to outline Q8Spain’s current activities, achievements and future goals to the guests.

Presentations highlighted the strong progress that Q8 Spain is achieving across all parts of its business. The 50 IDS sites across Spain now represent 20% of total IDS sales in Europe; its direct business has a network of 25 branded stations across Spain and Portugal; an extensive range of high-quality Q8Oils products are offered to customers and Q8Aviation provides a jet fuel service at five of Spain’s largest airports.

In addition to this growth, the next major development will be to launch a new Q8-branded network in the coming months. Khaled Al-Mushaileh commented: “We are determined to pursue swift retail growth to enhance our competitive position in this high potential market.”

Addressing the Q8Spain team, Bakheet Al-Rashidi, said: “We have great trust in the bright future for Q8Spain and this is the main motivation behind our ambition to expand our presence in this market.”

He added: “The impressive new head office signifies a fresh start for our Spanish operations. I have no doubt that you will continue to identify the best growth opportunities and that these will enable Q8 to become a pivotal player in the Spanish oil industry very soon.”

Aruba Board visit highlights brightfuture for Q8Spain


NEWS

Second milestone for KPI Business Management System

More success has been achieved with the new integrated KPI Business Management System, which is standardising and simplifying business processes across the company.

Following an audit in October, the system was recommended for certification to the ISO9001:2015 Quality Management System standard. This follows the first important milestone in March this year, when the system was certified to the latest Responsible Care and Environmental standards.

The certifying body LRQA carried out the ‘re-certification and transition’ audit over two days at Q8Europe’s head office in The Hague. The corporate BMS team had made minor adjustments to the documentation in response to non-conformances highlighted during the audit in March and, as a result, the improved integrated documents were successfully audited against the ISO9001:2015 standard in October. Zero non-conformances were raised, which was an excellent achievement by the Q8Europe team.

KPI Regional BMS Manager Johan Embregts said: “I am happy to report that the auditor has confirmed that

our Business Management System fully complies with the new ISO9001:2015 standard and

that the implementation of the new BMS system at corporate level

has been very successful. I would personally like to thank everyone involved for their cooperation and the very successful conclusion of this audit.”

KPI holds a corporate multi-site certificate for ISO9001, which

means that all the operating units within the scope of the certificate will also be certified to the new

standard.

John Briggs, KPI Regional BMS Manager, adds: “We are very pleased with how the BMS system is working and how it is being implemented in our operating units. Feedback from users is very positive and we’ll continue to incorporate suggestions for improvements to ensure the system is as effective and as easy to use as possible.”


Q8North West Europe is making great strides in re-defining its long-term strategy, in line with KPI’s 2040 strategy, and is involving and engaging all its employees in the process.

Fadel Al Faraj, managing director Q8North West Europe, says: “We are building a robust strategy and vision from the bottom up and are keen to include as many employees as possible. We work in an industry full of uncertainty, with pressure from increasing competition and decreasing demand, and rapid evolution in technology, legislation and mobility. This means we must constantly re-evaluate and adapt our business model to meet these challenges.”

Analysing the future business

Working in partnership with strategic innovation consultant TomorrowLab, Q8North West Europe is considering what its future business world might look like. It has defined four alternative scenarios and seeks to create a long-term strategy that will

secure Q8’s future in any of these worlds.

Several teams, with clearly defined roles, are involved in this complex work. They are generating ideas and rigorously analysing and challenging them, while keeping a close watch on how the future worlds are evolving.

To provide a tangible starting point, four projects have been launched to look at future business activities. For example, one team is considering a ‘pop up’ Q8 service station which could respond swiftly and flexibly as demand changes. Another is looking at the possibility of offering customers energy-related services, including maintenance, audits and insurance.

An update on the projects will be shared at the upcoming Talks to Staff meetings.

Building a networked organisation

Key to Q8North West Europe’s success is continuing

Q8North West Europe comes together to define its future business

Left to right: Ton Versteeg, Aman Elarbi, Fadel Al-Faraj


NEWS

“We are building a robust strategy from the bottom

up and are keen to include as many

employees as possible.”

an open and interactive atmosphere where everyone, at all levels, can share ideas and work closely together. HR Director Joachim Decock explains: “We must seize each opportunity to bring people together across functions, roles and departments to create a networked organisation. This will be the strong foundation we need to face the upcoming changes in our marketplace. We want to continue strengthening the interaction, trust and commitment that are key to our working environment.”

An example of how employees are coming together is Q8North West Europe’s ‘Talks to Staff.’

Led by the management team, these are held two to three times a year in Antwerp, The Hague and, from now on, in the Luxembourg office in Bertrange. The gatherings are used to discuss today’s business and to look to the future.

New ideas are being tried out at these meetings to achieve a relaxed, informal ambience that encourages interaction. At the last meetings in late October, an interactive voting tool was introduced for the first time. Presenters asked wide-ranging questions about Q8’s successes, failures and vision for the future. The audience responded by voting on their mobile and the results flashed up on the screen in real time, leading to lively discussions. Everyone was invited to post their own question during the event and these were answered at the end of the session. Colleagues joining the livestream session could also take part in the voting.

This initiative was very popular. One of the

participants commented: “I enjoyed the voting very much. It made me feel involved and that my view counted. It was also good to see what others thought and to discuss the results together.”

Idea Generation Platform

Another way of involving employees and harnessing ideas is through Q8North West Europe’s Idea Generation Platform. Since its launch in May 2017, almost 100 business improvement ideas have been submitted. Good ideas are being implemented quickly and the progress of every proposal is carefully monitored.

Prizes are awarded every six months for the best ideas and the first winners were announced at the Talks to Staff events in October.

The first winners are Aman Elarbi, general safety co-ordinator, and Ton Versteeg, system administration analyst. Aman suggested introducing bread vending machines at unmanned service stations and this is being investigated. Ton’s brainwave was to hold an Idea Exchange Day to

generate more ideas. The first of these events has been held; it focused on the customer experience at service stations and resulted in the trial of a salad bar.

Fadel Al Faraj concludes: “I’m very pleased with our progress in developing our strategy and involving everyone. We want to harness the expertise, enthusiasm and great ideas of our colleagues, and the response to this is very positive.”


Meet the Team

Magnus KamrydManaging Director

and CEO, OKQ8 Scandinavia

Magnus Kamryd has been appointed as managing director and CEO for OKQ8 Scandinavia from 1st January

2018.

He takes over the role from Steffen Pedersen, who will retire at the end of December after almost 30 years with the company.

Göran Lindblå, chairman of the OKQ8 Scandinavia board, says: “We would like to express our highest appreciation to Steffen Pedersen for the successful development

of our Scandinavian company.”

He adds: “From the board’s perspective, we are very pleased with the appointment of Magnus Kamryd, who has the right background and experience to accelerate our business

and meet future challenges.”

Magnus will take on responsibility for OKQ8 Scandinavia’s business in Denmark and Sweden. OKQ8 Scandinavia has a network of more than 900 service stations across the two countries and provides

private and professional consumers with a full range of products and services, including banking and insurance.

He says: “I am looking forward to taking on this new role. It’s an exciting time for the industry which is evolving rapidly, including the introduction of new fuels to the market to meet the growing demand for

sustainable mobility. The role is a challenge with many interesting possibilities.”

Magnus, 48, has wide and in-depth experience of the retail and fuel sectors. His former role was CEO and founder of Trimb Healthcare. Prior to that, he was CEO at pharmaceutical company

Meda OTC; CEO Antula Healthcare; country director Unilever; CEO at retail chain 7-Eleven and director of Shell Retail. Magnus holds a BSc in economics from the University

of Stockholm.

“Magnus has the right background and experience

to accelerate our business.”



FUEL PERFORMANCE

FUEL PERFORMANCE

FUEL PERFORMANCE

FUEL PERFORMANCE FUEL PERFORMANCE

FUEL PERFORMANCE

ENGINEERINGENGINEERING

KORIEN OLSTHOORNFUEL PERFORMANCE

MICHAEL ROMIJN

ANNEMIEK MEIJER

CHARLES VAN SWIETEN KIRSTEN LOK

KOOS VAN LEEUWEN

SARAH PILLEN

PATRICIA ERWIG

SANDER GROENENENGINEERING

KOEN BINST

ENGINEERING

AUDREY HANSSENS

ENGINEERING

GEERT MATTON

ENGINEERINGKRIS VAN BALLAER

ENGINEERINGROELAND HAAS

GENERALEDWIN VAN WALSUM

GENERAL

BERT GILLIS

OPERATIONSNATHALIE TOURNIER

OPERATIONS

ANDRESS DE VRIESOPERATIONS

JOHN ZIJLMANS

MARKETINGFILIP WILLEMS

MARKETINGANDRÉ OP DE WEEGH

NETWORK DEVELOPMENT

MARTIN ROG

NETWORK DEVELOPMENT

ANTHONY VANDENHECKE

NETWORK DEVELOPMENT

GERJAN MEBOER

NETWORK DEVELOPMENTJEROEN HOGENBOOM

OPERATIONS

MARCO VAN AS ENGINEERING

ARIE VERDUIJN

Meet the Team

Tango, The Netherlands

NEWS

A team of 27 people are involved in running Tango (Tank and Go), Q8North West Europe’s brand of unmanned service stations in The Netherlands.

Launched in 2000 and acquired by Q8 in 2004, the Tango network has expanded steadily to around 190 sites and continues to grow.

Known for its low prices, fun personality and cutting-edge marketing, Tango aims to make fuelling easier, faster and more convenient for motorists. Low prices, an efficient operation and clever initiatives keep Tango ahead of the game.

Fadel Al-Faraj, managing director Q8NorthWest Europe, says: “Tango is a very successful brand and my thanks go to the Tango team for their superb efforts in keeping us at the forefront of the highly competitive unmanned market.”

The Tango Team

Bert Gillis, retail and IT director, oversees the five groups that make up the Tango team.

Operations

Responsible for: ensuring the service stations operate smoothly and are kept clean.

Engineering

Responsible for: constructing sites, investing in improvements, maintenance, legal and tank checks.

Fuel Performance

Responsible for: customer service, local marketing,

pricing, national sales campaigns, turnover and cost analysis and reporting.

Marketing

Responsible for: developing the marketing and communications strategy, and creating point of sale and online campaigns to build the brand, customer experience and sales.

Network development

Responsible for: identifying growth opportunities through acquisitions or organic growth and renewing contracts at existing sites.

What the team says

“It is very rewarding to see how Tango has grown into a leading brand over the years and to play my part within such a fantastic team.”

Annemiek Meijer, senior fuel performance assistant, joined 1999.

“It’s never dull working for Tango and every day brings a new challenge, which is what makes this work so enjoyable.”

Koos van Leeuwen, senior engineering advisor, joined 1999.

“I really like working for Tango, because it’s both fun as well as challenging. There is amazing team spirit!”

Charles Van Swieten, fuel performance assistant, joined 2015.


Sakar Pradhan wins UKLA Young Employee of the Year

It’s been a great month for awards at Q8Oils! In the UK, one of its employees has also scooped an important accolade.

Sakar Pradhan, 25, marketing co-ordinator at Q8Oils in Leeds, has been named Young Employee of the Year at the annual UKLA (United Kingdom Lubricants Association) Awards, held in London in November. The award recognises a young employee who has demonstrated outstanding talent and commitment to the lubricants sector.

Sakar joined Q8Oils in 2015 after graduating and now leads Q8Oils’ marketing activities in the UK. Alongside

his full-time role, he is studying for a Masters in digital marketing leadership.

Neil Grieve, country manager UK for Q8Oils, commented: “We are delighted that Sakar has won. He is very committed and always willing to go the extra mile. As well as launching a social platform for Q8Oils UK, he has developed lead generation activities that directly contribute to our high volume of sales.”

Sakar added: “I’ve received fantastic support from my team at Q8Oils, which has helped me grow and develop in my short time in the industry.”


NEWS

Blending plant Antwerp triumphs with a major awardQ8Oils’ blending plant in Antwerp has achieved an outstanding success by winning Project of the Year at the 2017 Petroleum Economist Awards. This is one of the industry’s most prestigious award schemes, which celebrates the people, companies and projects that epitomise the best of the energy sector.

Adnan Al-Qallaf, stakeholder management group manager, received the award on behalf of Q8Oils at a ceremony at One George Street in London on 21st November.

KPI President Bakheet Al-Rashidi, said: “This important international prize reflects our employees’ commitment to carrying out major projects that support our strategic goals. We will continue to enhance our operations and systems at blending plant Antwerp in line with Q8’s objective to be a major player in the oil and gas industry.”

Frank Rouwens, general manager Q8Oils, praised the efforts of everyone involved, saying: “We are very proud to win this award. It is well-deserved recognition for everyone in Q8Oils and especially our team at Antwerp blending plant who have worked so hard to bring us to this point. It is further external confirmation of the great work being done by many people to further the growth of Q8Oils’ business.”

Antwerp blending plant has been transformed into one of the largest and most advanced lubricant production facilities in Europe, following a five-year $100 million renovation programme. This mega plant has an annual production of 125 million litres and efficiently delivers the widest range of finished lubricants of any blending plant in Europe. It is largely automated and

has world-class standards of sustainability with safety and quality control procedures that meet the latest ISO standards.

Always seeking innovation, the team at Antwerp blending plant recently launched new laboratory software to enhance the consistency and efficiency of its production and quality management systems.

Its exceptional achievements make it a worthy winner of the Project of The Year Award.

Adnan Al-Qallaf receives the award from BBC’sStephen Sackur


OKQ8 Scandinavia has again proved its outstanding green credentials by unveiling the largest solar panel system ever installed at a service station in Sweden.

OKQ8 Västberga, outside Stockholm, has been fitted with 232 solar PV modules, each with an output of 300 watts. Together they are expected to provide about 10 per cent of the site’s electricity use. It is

one of eight sustainable OKQ8 service stations in Sweden. Each aims to power itself with the least possible impact on the environment and uses up to 50 per cent less energy than a traditional service station.

Anette Hansen, head of SSHE, says: “Our vision is for service stations to help contribute to a sustainable future and an

attractive cityscape, while being a meeting point for people in motion.”

She adds: “We believe that solar panels will play an important role in the sustainable energy system of the future. OKQ8 Västberga is perfectly suited to solar panels. It has a flat roof and its electricity use during

the day matches the movement of the sun.”

OKQ8 Scandinavia takes sustainability very seriously, especially in relation to the environment and society. Its proactive approach to reducing climate change includes offering environmentally-friendly fuels at its service stations, as well as installing solar panels.

It also plans to introduce 30 quick chargers for electric cars in Sweden and Denmark to contribute to the European Union’s GREAT (Green Regions with Alternative Fuels for Transport) project along the 1,500-kilometre green corridor linking Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Hamburg. The 50 kW quick chargers can charge most batteries in 20 to 30 minutes, making long journeys in electric cars a reality.

In common with every business, OKQ8 Scandinavia’s operations inevitably impact the environment. As its main product is fuel, it finds alternative ways to reduce its carbon footprint. Its goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent per m3 of product sold, compared with 2014/ 15.

For four years in a row, OKQ8 Scandinavia has won the accolade of the most sustainable fuel company in Sweden on the Sustainable Brand Index, a brand survey that involves more than 30,000 consumer interviews. OKQ8 Scandinavia’s outstanding sustainability is widely recognised and it is committed to continue leading the industry in this area.

“Solar panels will play an important role in the

sustainable energy

system of the future.”

Martin Garmstedt, Sales Manager, at OKQ8 Västberga

Leading the way

with solar panel

power in Sweden


Q8Italy has furthered its sustainability strategy by signing an important agreement with the Lombardy administration to promote greener fuels and sustainable mobility at its service stations in the region. This is the first agreement of its type between an oil company and public administration in Italy.

Under the agreement, Q8Italy will install charging stations for electric vehicles and new pumps for environmentally-friendly fuels, such as CNG and LNG, at its high-throughput service stations in the Milan area and on major motorways in Lombardy.

The agreement was signed on 9th November in Milan, the capital of Lombardy, by Azzam Al-Mutawa, managing

director Q8Italy and Lombardy’s regional ministers: Mauro Parolini, minister for economic development, and Claudia Terzi, minister for environment, energy and sustainable development. The public event was hosted on the top floor of the prestigious Lombardy region headquarters. It attracted a very large audience of stakeholders and journalists, and resulted in widespread positive media coverage.

The two ministers present praised Q8Italy’s initiative in furthering sustainability objectives that benefit the entire community and remarked that Q8 is a strong and reliable partner in committing to these eco-friendly measures in Lombardy, far ahead of the December 2020 deadline for complying with the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulations.

Lombardy is one of Italy’s largest and richest regions, and is very significant in demographic and economic terms. Around one-sixth of Italy’s population live in the region and it accounts for approximately one-fifth of Italy’s gross national product.

Azzam Al-Mutawa comments: “This agreement reinforces the excellent collaboration between Q8 and the Lombardy region and demonstrates our shareholders’

commitment to the Italian market.” He adds: “Q8Italy has made huge investments over the years to increase the sustainability of our

business and we are pleased to offer our customers greater choice in response to the growing demand for

sustainable mobility.”

NEWS

“This agreement

demonstrates our

shareholders’ commitment to the Italian

market.”

New initiative strengthenssustainability in Italy

The press conference

Azzam Al-Mutawa, MD Q8Italy (right), with the Lombardy

regional ministers


Last October, Q8Italy obtained a new ten-year concession from Trieste Port Authority for its sea terminal, which will allow operations to continue up to 2027.

The sea terminal is sited in the heart of the Port of Trieste, which is Italy’s leading port in terms of total cargo volumes. It is part of Q8Italy’s logistics assets in north-east Italy, called SILONE (North East Logistics System), which include an inland depot at Visco and

pipeline.

Roberto Zaccaro, logistics & operations director at Q8Italy, comments: “Our team has achieved an outstanding success for the sustainability of our SILONE business. Our request to extend operations was submitted in August 2016 and securing this concession has been a complex process. The outcome also signifies our

strengthening relationship with the local authorities, which is very important and could facilitate our future development projects at the port.”

Daniele Secli, north Italy logistics manager, adds: “This is a primary and essential milestone for our Visco and Trieste development project. A detailed evaluation of business development options is underway and will be presented to KPI management for approval.”

“Our team has achieved an outstanding

success for the sustainability of our SILONE

business.”

Future operationsat Trieste sea terminal successfully secured


International Diesel Service has doubled the capacity of its strategically-located company-owned site on the motorway in Suben, Austria, close to the border with Germany. This is a big step forward in improving its service to truck drivers, future-proofing the site and strengthening the network.

Four new lanes have been added, increasing the number of lanes to eight; each lane provides double-sided Ad Blue dispensers. The capacity of the underground tank has also been expanded. In common with all IDS sites, Suben offers the highest technical and security standards.

Frank Herzberg, network development manager central & north for Global Cards Business, comments: “The expansion of Suben proves that IDS is committed to giving our customers the high-quality, pan-European

service they need. I am very pleased that we completed the project on time and within budget, and this success is thanks to the efforts of the entire team.”

Suben is an important part of the IDS network as Austria is a main logistics hub for the commercial road transport business in Central Europe. An impressive number of around 270,000 trucks travel across Austria each month, 7% more than the previous year. As commercial road traffic continues to grow, the Suben site expansion is expected to be a great success.

NEWS

IDS site expansionin Austria strengthens customer service

“IDS is committed

to giving our customers the high-quality,

pan-European service they

need.”


Dr. Ahmad Al-Qattan, Team Leader of quality manage-ment and special studies in the Kuwait head office, rep-resented Q8 as a speaker at the prestigious 38th Oil and Money Conference in London, in October.

This annual three-day conference, which is co-hosted by The New York Times and Energy Intelligence, sets the standard for high-level discussion and debates on critical issues facing the oil and gas industry. It was at-tended by over 500 opinion leaders and ex-perts, representing 180 companies across 43 countries

Dr. Ahmad was invited to speak on a panel considering the ‘Strategies for Surviving Slow Demand and Rising Refining Capac-ity’, which looked at how the global refining sector is wrestling with shifting markets and evolving regulations.

In his speech, Dr. Ahmad described dynamic changes that are likely to have long-term im-pacts. These include the introduction of strin-gent legislation from 2020 to improve the quality of bunker fuel, which could make production uneconomic for refineries. Another important change is the selec-tive diesel ban from 2030.

He also highlighted the expected growth in electric

cars which is driven by the falling cost of these vehicles and growing support for zero emissions. Electric cars currently represent just 0.1% of all vehicles globally, which does not affect fuel consumption; however, this is changing and by 2035 it is anticipated that around 6% of global oil demand could be displaced by electric vehicles.

With high business and engineering qualifications, and more than two decades experience across different disciplines, Dr. Ahmad is well quali-fied to discuss such issues, and is a regular speaker at leading oil and gas conferences in Kuwait and abroad.

In November he also delivered an interactive seminar at Kuwait University to an audience of academics, government and private sec-tor representatives and students on ‘Cur-rent Challenges and Future Prospects for the Global Oil Industry.’ This was the first in a series of lectures at Kuwait University by experts, under the Memorandum of Under-

standing set up between KPI and the university.

These talks play an important part in reinforcing Q8’s reputation as a leading player in the industry and sup-porting the next generation who will become the ex-perts of the future.

Expert perspective on the future at prestigious conference

“These talks play an

important part in

reinforcing Q8’s

reputation”


Q8Research has run a series of successful training courses to share its knowledge and expertise with oth-ers.

It delivered its first course on refinery economics to colleagues in sister company KNPC (Kuwait National Petroleum Company). Held at the Petroleum Training Centre in Ahmadi, Kuwait, the course was led by Albert de Bont, director Q8Research; Simon Speets, group manager supply and Xander de Jong, principal process engineer Q8Research. The three-day programme cov-ered key aspects of refinery economics including pricing mechanism, crude selection, modelling with linear pro-gramming, refinery cost breakdown and performance management.

VP Europe Khaled Al-Mushaileh visited the training ses-sions, accompanied by Hamad Al-Subaie, KPC deputy managing director for training and Khaled Al-Munayekh, training manager. In view of the many projects in the pipeline, Khaled Al-Mushaileh stressed the impor-tance of close co-operation and knowledge sharing between Q8 and KPC/KNPC.

Another programme, Insight Aviation Training, was hosted by Q8Research at Europoort for participants from Q8 and KAFCO (Kuwait Aviation Fuelling company). This intensive in-depth course was organised by the Q8Research team of Henk Hovius, principal research scientist; Liesbeth Jansen, industry liaison officer and Kurt Schuermans, coordinator training programmes, supported by John Buxton, technical director at Q8Aviation. It covered

a wide range of aviation topics, including legislation, jet fuel, jet engine design, misfuelling issues and much more. Lessons from the training were brought to life by laboratory workshops and a visit to Aircraft Fuel Supply at Schiphol airport.

Two further training courses have recently been held in Kuwait for KNPC: Introduction to Refining and Refinery Corrosion and In-spection.

Albert de Bont commented: “We are very pleased with these courses. They are being well received thanks to the enthusiasm of the trainers and willing involvement of the participants.”

He adds: “Feedback is excellent. One par-ticipant said it was the best training course he had ever attended, and another said he was proud to work for Q8 and proud that many experts in our company hold key po-

sitions in industry organisations. We look forward to re-peating this success at future courses.”

Sharing knowledge on Q8Research

“The courses are well received

thanks to the enthusiasm

of the trainers and willing

involvement of the

participants.”

Participants on the Insight Aviation Training programme

training programmes

Delegates on the refinery economics course in Kuwait

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