Revolutionising
the service station
By
Driselle Ramjohn
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworld.com
09 17 06
UNITED
Independent Petroleum Marketing Company (UNIPET),
after years of research, development and the over
coming of numerous obstacles, is now poised to revolutionise
the fuel distribution business.
This
from Company chairman Dr Afraz Ali speaking to the
Business Express at Hilton Trinidad last week.
Ali
said the UNIPET name, already slightly familiar
to some especially with their most famous service
station, Peake's at Cocorite, is set to be a household
name just as popular as former monopoly holder National
Petroleum (NP) as the company embarks on an active
branding campaign to familiarize the public with
the new name in unbeatable customer service.
For
those less familiar with UNIPET, before the company's
formation, Trinidad and Tobago's gas station business
was conducted first by foreign firms, then exclusively
by the State. From 1977 until the creation of UNIPET,
NP was the monopoly wholesaler of transportation
fuels and was the sole supplier of the fuel, owned
the brand, and the gas station equipment, sometimes
the whole property, and dictated terms and conditions.
The
Minister of Energy issues licences, sets prices,
margins, and decides policies. The private sector's
role was limited to being owner-dealers and lessee-operators
of gas stations. Ali explained that the State decided
to relinquish some control of the sector in the
1990's, with various policy papers recommending
"the entry of new operators in the distribution
business". This started with the 1992 Ministry
of Energy (MOE) Green paper which referred to "the
entry of new operators in the distribution business".
Eventually in 1998, the Government invited bids
for a "wholesale marketing licence for liquid
petroleum fuels" open only to local entities,
Ali added.
UNIPET
is the first and, so far, the only, indisputably
indigenous private sector effort at participation
in the industry. In the 90's Allen and Fidel Gonzales,
later joined by Winston Romany, lobbied owner dealers
who were interested in a private thrust into the
industry. UNIPET is therefore the brainchild of
a group of entrepreneurs, all with decades of experience
in the gas station business.
"In
1996 the Government-appointed Petroleum Retail Committee
recommended phased de-monopolisation, partial divestment
of NP and a fully liberalized market. UNIPET was
registered in 1997. We applied for, and in July
1999 received a 10-year license for the wholesale
marketing of liquid petroleum fuels," Ali added.
In
a recent speech honouring Winston Romany, former
chairman of UNIPET, and Fidel Gonzales, a director
of the company, who passed away in 2005, Ali said,
"Even though we had been granted a license
to operate, our own shareholders, owner-dealer gas
stations, could not buy from us".
"NP
simply denied UNIPET access to the gas station equipment
which they owned. Well, we refused to give up and
began trading in lubricants and car care products,"
he added.
It
was not until January 2000 that the company was
able to make its first delivery of fuel to a gas
station and that station is (as mentioned before)
the most recognisable UNIPET station to date, Peake's
in Cocorite.
"We
were able to make that delivery only because Peake's
was a brand new owner-dealer and did not have a
supply contract with NP. We owe a great debt of
gratitude to Paul Peake," he added.
With
now nine service stations from the deep South in
Moruga to the North West Port of Spain, in operation
and 10 per cent market share UNIPET is now a force
to be reckoned with.
The
company hopes to increase its market share to 20
per cent, Ali said.
The
company also hopes to have 25 service stations by
the end of next year.
"Our
vision today remains the same as it was in 1993,
we want to transform the prospectus of the petroleum
fuels business and our benchmark is international,"
Ali said.
"When
local consumers visit a gas station, they have every
right to expect the highest levels of service, offered
in a professional and safe environment. This should
not be a hope nor even an expectation, it is their
right and this is what UNIPET intends to deliver,"
Ali added.
The
company chairman said that the difference between
UNIPET and any other type of service station will
be customer service.
He
explained that personalised, professional service,
second to none, is the main focus of the organisation.
"We
will persist in the pursuit of our ultimate goal
of establishing a strategically located network
of retail outlets that becomes the preferred choice
of customers," Ali concluded.
Trinidad
Express
Friday, September 15th 2006
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©2006 Trinidad Express . All Rights Reserved.
