As the world observes World Quality Day today, bp Southern Africa employees got a first glimpse of the company’s newly revamped, state-of-the-art Global Fuels Technology (GFT) centre in Kyalami, north of Johannesburg.
The bp GFT centre is an innovative testing laboratory, which provides quality assurance and differentiated fuel products. It is one of only four globally belonging to bp and the first in Africa.
About GFT Centre
The facility conducts quality assurance analyses of petroleum, diesel, paraffin and aviation fuel products as well as treated effluent water. The cutting-edge laboratory is ISO 17025 compliant and accredited. Random testing of fuel from bp’s terminals and retail sites across the country takes place on a monthly basis, to ensure compliance to SANS specifications and to ensure that good housekeeping is maintained at retail sites. (monitoring tanks ensuring that there is no ingress for any foreign material like water and other contaminants)
The recent upgrade makes the facility a state-of-the-art exhibition centre, digitalized, and world class laboratory. The GFT laboratory team has in excess of a cumulative 40 years’ experience amongst them.
The new Exhibition Centre
The upgraded exhibition centre boasts modern, digitally enabled features that are in line with bp’s global standards. Its virtual interactive and virtual reality technology gives visitors a ‘real’ experience of the entire fuels value chain, from the well to the nozzle, also highlighting mobilization, electrification, carbon neutral and alternative energy.
The centre is also used for internal & external engagements to also showcase bp’s position on modernization and next generation focus. Every year, students who are part the bp supported Wits Targeting Talent Programme (TTP) visit the GFT centre to learn about different types of bp fuel, how crude oil is refined and fuel quality testing protocols.
The programme serves as a gateway to quality tertiary education and prepares them to pursue science, and maths and engineering oriented disciplines.
Building on its long-standing reputation for fuel quality, bp introduced its flagship fuel product, bp Ultimate fuels in 2016, which was well received by the South African market. Being named “Product of the Year” 2017, hardly a year into its launch further reinforced bp’s status as a trusted market leader in fuels technology and innovation.
Additionally, in 2019, bp Ultimate Fuels won the Ask Afrika Icon Brands, which “surveys and “measures brand relevance across all segments of the South African demographic” as well as the Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands, which “measures preferences and brand loyalty amongst township consumers.” We also achieved the coveted Platinum Iconic Brand status in the fuel category.
Having won Platinum in the coveted Ask Afrika Brands awards, bp Ultimate Fuels have lived up to its quality promise of enhancing engine performance and becoming the preferred fuel product amongst many South African consumers.
Fast facts about bp Ultimate Fuels
Keeping critical fuel system components clean helps to prevent dirt forming in other key areas of your engine. bp Ultimate fuels are specially formulated to prevent this happening.
bp Ultimate fuels start working from the first fill to fight the harmful effects of dirt.
With continuous use bp Ultimate Fuels help reduce the risk on unscheduled maintenance.
bp Ultimate’s unique formulation fights dirt in two ways:
Its active molecules attach themselves to dirt and drag it away from critical engine components (and into the combustion chamber where it is burnt away).
Its active molecules attach themselves to the metal surfaces of clean engines, forming a protective layer which stops dirt binding onto the metal.
Issued by: bp Communications Departments
Contact: Nelisiwe Masina, bp Press Office, South Africa, +2787 357 9374/
+2763 196 2289, nelisiwe.masina@bp.com