National Petroleum News (NPN) has been the independent voice of the petroleum industry since 1909 as the opposition to Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. So, motor fuels marketing and retail is not just a sideline for us, it’s our core competency.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/49532
TOP OF THE NEWS NPRA and API filed their petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court on July 22, 2011. INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS n Shell's Conference & Trade Show Shell recently held its US Fuels Wholesaler Conference & Trade Show—the first such event in three years. The theme of the conference was "No.1 & Beyond" and it enjoyed record attendance compared to previous events. Elen Phillips, Shell North America retail V.P. and Rick Altizer, Shell North America marketing delivery manager, shared with the wholesalers that Shell intend to "go beyond No.1" through two major initiatives: Next Generation Shell Nitrogen Enriched (SNE) Gasolines and Fuel Rewards Network at Shell. The Next Generation of SNE contains a new and improved formula designed to deliver 20 percent more active clean- ing agents than before. It was developed in response to consumer needs because research showed Americans are keeping their cars longer. Next Generation SNE is also designed for most modern engines as it is thermally more stable than conven- tional technologies and holds up better under high operating temperatures. The Next Generation SNE launch will be in March 2012. It will be supported by a strong, multi channel national campaign. The campaign will include radio, TV, online advertising, outdoor signage and site POP. Shell's second major announcement was the new Fuel Rewards Network (FRN) at Shell, which can help con- sumers save on all three grades of Shell gasolines and diesel by making everyday purchases such as groceries, dining out, clothing, even Shell c-store products and services. FRN will let consumers decide how—and how much—they want to save. All they will have to do is pick up a free FRN Card at any participat- ing Shell station and register online at www.npnweb.com n NPN Magazine fuelrewards.com Then, they'll be able to add and combine their purchases at FRN grocers, FRN e-Coupons, FRN Dining or the FRN Online Mall with over 700 participating brand name merchants like Home Depot, Macy's, Nike, JC Penney, Barnes & Noble, etc. Rewards may be redeemed at par- ticipating Shell locations with a maxi- mum of 20 gallons per fuel purchase. FRN members will be able to track and manage their rewards online. FRN was designed to complement the existing Shell grocer rewards programs. The Fuel Rewards Network will help Shell-branded wholesalers and retailers by providing the opportunity to attract new customers and grow their exist- ing loyalty base, boost non-fuels sales and leverage manufacturer funding of discounts. Just like the existing grocer programs, the rewards are funded by the issuing partner (i.e. grocer, res- taurant, etc.) The Shell dealer pays the same fee (3.5cpg) regardless of the size of the redemption. And if a dealer wants to issue their own site rewards, there is an option for this as well. The investment in this industry- changing program is minimal. Sites already participating in grocery rewards programs have little to do to participate. The co-op program will support this program, as with others in the past. FRN will launch at Shell in phases during 2012. We are confident that as with the grocer programs, which we will continue to roll out, FRN will resonate with consumers. As of today, 3.5 mil- lion Shell consumers use their grocer loyalty card to redeem discounts. Of these consumers, 2.5 million were new to Shell. These new-to-Shell consumers purchased an average of 21 gallons per month. The 1.0 million existing Shell consumers who have begun redeeming their grocer rewards are now purchas- ing 6 gallons more per month. n Tanknology names Cord Lomauro as sales manager, Southeast Tanknology Inc. (Austin, Texas), has announced that Cord Lomauro has joined Tanknology as sales manager for the company's southeast region. Based in Tanknology's Atlanta-area office, Lomauro will oversee customer relationships in the Southeastern U.S., from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Louisiana. Lomauro brings more than 20 years of experience in the petroleum storage tank market, in roles encompassing petroleum equipment sales, storage system testing, site assessments, reme- diation and site compliance. Most recently, Lomauro was an envi- ronmental consultant specializing in the UST arena. He was previously an operations manager for preferred test- ing and compliance of Austell, GA, as well as a regional sales manager for ANS Distributing, a petroleum equipment dis- tributor covering many parts of the US. n Yara opens new Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) terminal in Houston, TX Yara North America Inc. (Tampa, Fla.), a leading international Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) producer has announced the opening of its new storage terminal in Houston with the arrival of its first shipment of Air1® DEF from the com- pany's plant in Sluskil, Netherlands. The storage facility will provide fleets and retail outlets throughout Texas as well as its bordering states with increased access to Air1 DEF, an operating fluid which America's diesel-powered vehicles equipped with selective catalytic reduc- tion (SCR) technology rely upon to meet the EPA's 2010 heavy-duty engine and vehicle emissions standards to keep their engines running. DEF demand in North America is expected to increase 30-fold by 2015 and DEF consumption in Texas alone is expected to reach 24.3 mil- lion gallons in the next three years, according to research and consult- ing firm, Integer Research, which specializes in DEF market analy- sis. Yara's Air1 Houston terminal is the latest addition to the company's global supply chain infrastructure. At capacity, the fully operational storage facility will hold one million gallons of Air1 DEF. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 9