EUROTANK SERVICE GROUP
KEEPING THE FUEL FLOWING
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EUROTANK SERVICE GROUP
I PROFILE
The Eurotank Service Group portfolio offers a broad package of fuel system services. Group Managing Director Edward Wheeler described the range of services and growth philosophy within the group. Report by Phil Nicholls.
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Wh eel er
which together have the capabilities to provide all the fuel system services
up ro G
Installations and Europump Maintenance,
Direct
or Edward
of Eurotank Environmental, Eurotank
ing
(Eurotank) is the parent company
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urotank Service Group
a fuelling facility needs. This is in addition to Specialist Lining Services, which Eurotank purchased in 2020. “Our purpose is ‘keeping your fuel flowing’,” Group Managing Director Edward Wheeler
achievement is also thanks to some large-scale tank lining projects and new capabilities.
explained. “With our depots in Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent and East Kilbride, plus new
Investment in growth
depots in Lincoln and Sudbury, our specialist
The Eurotank Group strategy has
vehicles can reach almost anywhere in the
always been to reinvest all profit back
UK within four hours.”
into the business.
Eurotank Environmental handles all
“For example, in 2021 Eurotank made
tank-related works; Eurotank Installations
a major investment in specialist tankers,
undertakes any forecourt or fuel system
worth approximately £400,000 each,”
construction projects; and Europump
Mr Wheeler said. “This was as well as
Maintenance is the service division.
a consultant, new operations manager
Meanwhile, Specialist Lining Services
and drivers for our new interceptor and
carries out linings for bulk storage tanks,
drainage cleaning division. This division
bunds and wastewater tanks.
is growing rapidly, with our key point of
The helpdesk in Halifax, West Yorkshire,
difference being the specifications
ties all four companies together, using the
of our tankers in comparison to those of
latest cloud and mobile technology as part
the competitors. Once a customer has
of a real-time system to manage all the
witnessed a demonstration at a trial site,
field engineering operations. Eurotank has
we have an extremely high conversion rate.”
a nationwide workforce of 145 employees,
In the same year, Eurotank also invested
with office teams predominantly in Halifax
in Zone 0 remote-operated robots to pro-
and Marchwood, plus two smaller teams in
vide a thorough clean without the need
Stoke and East Kilbride.
to put an engineer inside the tank. This
This broad portfolio of services
method is perfect for companies that do
has enabled Eurotank to quadruple its
not allow people to enter underground
turnover over the past five years. The
fuel storage units on their sites.
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EUROTANK SERVICE GROUP
I PROFILE
Each robot is controlled from a skidmounted control unit, which is the size
“
camera on the front and is monitored by the Eurotank operative throughout the process to ensure a quality, in-depth clean. “UK health and safety law states that people should only enter confined spaces to carry out work if there is no suitable alternative,” Mr Wheeler continued. “Robots provide that alternative, so this market is going to continue to grow as the capabilities of this technology increase.”
A lifeline for clients
“
WE ARE A BUSINESS BUILT ON FINDING AND INTRODUCING PRODUCTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. EUROTANK WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY INTO FINDING INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS
of a compressor. The robot has a CCTV
Despite offering a wide package of services, Mr Wheeler was able to select a project to highlight: “In 2018, one of Eurotank’s key clients embarked on a programme to upgrade single-skin glass reinforced plastic (GRP) tanks that were suffering from integrity issues caused by ethanol and methanol blended into petrol. The project saw us upgrade
144 Inside oil & gas
GRP tanks at 100 sites for this one cus-
said Mr Wheeler. “The introduction of
tomer using our Lifeliner innovation.”
EV has made retailers change strategy
The Lifeliner is a tank-in-a-tank lining
in terms of their willingness to dig up
solution, and the only upgrading system
existing sites and replace the tanks.
on the market that can be monitored
Even oil companies, who have had the
using a Class 1 pressure system. Lifeliner
most capital to invest in new infrastruc-
is a retrofit double-skin lining system that
ture, are changing direction.”
uses the same thickness and construction
Focusing on oil companies, Eurotank
specification as a double-wall GRP/FRP
has recently sourced, from the USA, a new
(composite) alternative.
product called Dri-sump. This system is
This solution provides owners of under-
a new way of testing the integrity of under-
ground fuel storage tanks with the ability
ground containment tanks. Dri-sump is the
to upgrade their units to the same condi-
ideal solution for oil companies who have
tion as new tanks, with minimal disruption. In 2021, another key Eurotank customer started a programme of tank lining, using Fastliner. This bladder liner solution from Eurotank is installed without physical entry into the tanks. Such a project typically runs alongside replacing the pipework and pumps using Eurotank Installations’ services. “Tank lining has become a major area of growth for Eurotank Environmental,”
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EUROTANK SERVICE GROUP
I PROFILE
the highest standards at their stations and take a global view of environmental issues. “After 21 years in business, Eurotank’s approach remains the same,” Mr Wheeler explained. “We invest in the best equipment and do things that other companies don’t like to do, such as carrying out major fuel system works on live sites.” When addressing these problems, Eurotank has always tried to lead the industry in health and safety. It introduced several processes into the sector, such as the use of gas monitors for all field personnel. The Eurotank lining systems also save a lot of carbon from redevelopment projects, because the existing steel tanks remain in place and no new steel tanks are required.
Strong communication Video plays an important role in Eurotank’s communications strategy – clearly communicating its products and services,
146 Inside oil & gas
according to Mr Wheeler: “For example, we
many people in the industry share feed-
use a promotional video of one of our ADR
back,” said Mr Wheeler. “Attending industry
tankers in action to generate interest in our
events is also vital to building long-term
interceptor and drainage cleaning service,
relationships with our customers and
then follow up with a free site clean.
supply partners.”
“We want our customers to be armed
Looking to the future, Eurotank is in the
with enough knowledge to make informed
process of building a training centre at its
decisions, whether that knowledge be
East Kilbride depot. The central feature is
presented directly or via our newsletters,
a 40,000-litre tank with five manholes, each
video or social media.”
one fitted with a different configuration
Informed choices are crucial in this
of chamber and pipework to represent
complex sector. Upgrading underground
various types of fuel installations in the
fuel tanks on live petrol stations is chal-
UK. Nothing like this currently exists in the
lenging work, but Eurotank was founded
country and this cutting-edge training site
on solving challenging problems. One
will be operational in 2024.
of the company’s core values is ‘finding
Mr Wheeler concluded by underlining
a way’, and Eurotank always works with
Eurotank’s growth philosophy: “We are
customers to find bespoke technical
a business built on finding and introducing
solutions when required.
products from around the world. Eurotank
“Word of mouth and testimonials have also helped to drive new business, as
will continue to invest a lot of time and energy into finding innovative products.” n
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