Shell’s Newest quality control effort

With news of service stations failing to live up to quality fuel standards set by the Department of Energy making the headlines recently, it was with a sigh of relief and a sense of hope that The Philippine STAR attended the launch of a product — or more specifically a peripheral service for a product — to ensure that consumers and motorists get the quality that they pay for when it comes to fuels.

In simple yet very significant ceremonies held last February 28, Pilipinas Shell stressed its commitment to quality by launching its Quality and Quantity Inspection Program. The program, which outgoing Energy Secretary Vince Perez hailed as a breakthrough for the energy industry, aims to ensure customers of quality fuels wherever in the country they may be.

Essentially, what the program ensures is a constant self-regulating initiative that Shell will conduct through four brand new vans that are equipped with instruments to measure the octane rating, sulfur content, water content, appearance and density as well as adulteration levels of their more than a thousand service stations’ fuels. The inspection vans, which are converted Mitsubishi L300s, are actually laboratories-on-wheels fitted with enough technology that necessitated the limiting of their number. Bobby Kanapi, Shell’s general manager for external affairs, however, assured us that in time, more vans would be converted and subsequently sent to cover the entire Shell network spread throughout the country. Kanapi, however, stressed that despite the limited number of vans, each and every Shell service station will be subjected to rigid tests at least once every quarter. While initial tests are scheduled within Shell retail stations in Metro Manila, North and South Luzon are scheduled to follow soon. By June, service stations in the Visayas and Mindanao will also be subjected to quality control tests.

Similarly-equipped vans are used by the Department of Energy whenever they conduct surprise check-ups in service stations throughout the country. A visibly-pleased Perez said that it would take self-regulating programs such as this to ensure the long-term viability and upgrading of the standard of quality for the entire energy industry. "Now, since you’ve made this commitment to regulate yourselves, at least I won’t have to come in and surprise you as Captain Octane anymore," joked Perez, who is known to make surprise visits to conduct tests in service stations in and around Metro Manila — hence the moniker.

Shell’s newest initiative is indeed a commendable one. Quality is, after all, the least consumers can expect in exchange for the hard-earned money we regularly send the oil companies’ way. Now, if there was only more we could do to put a lid on the continuously rising international fuel prices…