Oil&nonoil 2010 - Snapshot of a Changing Industry
The Modena-based show, now at its fourth edition, is becoming more of a focal point for insiders from the fuel industry and providers of services and solutions for cars and drivers. Growth continues in the car care and alternative fuel areas of the market and the fair as a whole will occupy three pavilions hosting a number of seminars and workshops, while some important names have already signed up to take part in the associated event S&TC dedicated to fuel storage and transportation operators.
The fourth edition of "Oil&nonoil - Carwash, Alternative fuels, Downstream and Service Stations - " (ModenaFiere, 9-11 May 2010) is gearing up to act as a catalyst for innovative energy saving products and eco-friendly solutions as well as for a myriad of other issues that have the sector in an uproar: the spread of non oil activities, greater interest in alternative fuels, modernisation projects to update service stations creating car service "points", and the presence of large retail chains. It will take some time to achieve all this but nevertheless each successive edition of Oil&nonoil, presents us with changes and a window on all the latest trends thanks to the many lectures and workshops it offers.
Non-oil developments and new names
"We must give service station owners the opportunity to branch out into non oil products," commented Stefano Saglia, Italy's state secretary for economic development when speaking about the measures being taken to modernise fuel retail network and service stations. Over the past few months this seems to have moved from being an idea into a fully-fledged program and the development of non oil activities has increasingly been pinpointed as the way forward by "promoting" service station owners to authentic businessmen.
There is a strong movement across the board for radical change regarding current legislation and the relationships and checks and balances that exist in the industry. The news is that 42% of sales outlets in the fuel retail network are now owned by independent operators who in the past eight years have bought almost 2,000 service stations from the petrol companies while in the past five years about 2,000 new stations have been built.
An estimated 600 of the investors who have been involved in making these new projects a reality are newcomers to this market.
The energy and drive of these network operators has gone hand in hand with the arrival of the Russian company Lukoil, whose president Mr Suleymanov, was a very welcome guest at the Oil&nonoil Sud convention.
Lukoil makes no bones about its ambitions to become a major player in both the fuel retail network, planning to reach 1,000 stations, and in the non-fuel and refinery industries.
The company has its own ideas about what a service station should offer and is planning to introduce some innovative new concepts.
Hardly surprising when we consider that the development of new activities and the ability to provide new services are among the various possible answers to the growing presence of large retail chains in the fuel network.
Confirmation and growth
In 2008 Oil&nonoil was located in two pavilions and occupied 12,000 sq.m of floor space hosting 140 stands and welcoming over 5,000 visitors from the industry. The fourth edition will take over three pavilions and is well set to improve on the numbers of its last outing.
Nor is this a question of being overly optimistic: at a time when the recession is hitting the trade fair sector particularly hard, this event continues to grow and has recorded an 11% increase in the number of exhibitors confirming their return.
The car care industry makes up the bulk of these (almost all carwash equipment manufacturers have already confirmed they will be taking part) but the show will also provide a panorama of a multi-faceted production sector including alternative fuels, petrol pumps, tanks, service stations, health and safety devices and vending machines.
New solutions for S&TC (fuel storage and transportation)
The fuel storage and transportation fair (S&TC) will take place alongside Oil&nonoil. This is the first Italian trade fair designed exclusively for enterprises engaged in this business field and the technology and systems that ensure fuel and inflammable liquids arrive safely and efficiently at their destination; from the refinery to the service station storage tanks via storage depots, tanker loading bays and delivery.
Each link in this chain has its own special functions each using hi-tech systems and devices to ensure safety, efficiency, precision and respect for the laws prevailing within the industry.
Many leading firms have signed up for the event and a full calendar of meetings to discuss issue of importance for the industry has already been scheduled.
Workshops, seminars and conventions
The staff at Tandem Comunicazione, the company that handles the events are particularly intent on organising the workshops, seminars and conventions for the forthcoming fair on given the successful outcome of their work at Oil&nonoil Sud and the healthy number of visitors that attended the 2008 conventions: 800 industry insiders took part in 18 "information and training" seminars.
Special attention will be paid at the fourth edition of Oil&nonoil to the workshops being organised by the companies taking part. Three halls are being prepared to welcome convention organizers, which will be equipped to handle a series of seminars contemporarily.
There will be many different areas available at the show and the addition of S&TC will only extend the scope of the event even further. Insiders from each of the various industries involved will showcase the important issues of today in terms of policy and legislation and Oil&nonoil offers the best possible opportunity available in Italy to explore them constructively and in depth.
 |
 |
 |
