Independent oil distribution company Oil 4 Wales has formed a strategic alliance with a leading manufacturer of oil-fired boilers to expand the range of services it can offer customers in Wales.
The Nantycaws based company that recently reported a turnover of £40m in its first year, has teamed up with Firebird Group, a UK manufacturer of heating products, to become one of its contractors in Wales.
The partnership will mean that Oil 4 Wales can satisfy all of the boiler needs of customers across Wales including installation, maintenance, warranty service calls and repairs as it continues with its ambitions of becoming the oil brand for Wales. Through an agreement with Bluefin insurance, Oil 4 Wales can also offer competitively priced insurance cover for oil-fired central heating systems underwritten by Aviva.
Like Oil 4 Wales, Firebird Group has witnessed significant growth since it was established in 1980 and offers an extensive range of high efficiency condensing oil boilers and biomass and solar renewable energy products.
Over the past thirty years, the company has grown from 20 staff in 1988 to just over 150 today and its products are now sold in the UK, Ireland and a number of international markets including France, Denmark and New Zealand. The company’s reputation has been built on quality and a reliable and efficient technical service network which will be further enhanced by the association with Oil 4 Wales.
Colin Owens, managing director of Oil 4 Wales, said: “We are delighted to have teamed up with Firebird. Firebird is an extremely reliable and trusted brand in the marketplace and so fits in well with our company ethos. This is an important move for us as we continue with our plans of becoming the oil brand for Wales and a ‘one stop shop’ for all of our customers’ oil needs.”
Gary Davis, regional sales manager for Firebird in Wales, said: “As a manufacturer we applaud the emphasis that Oil 4 Wales are putting on customer service to expand their business interests and are delighted to play a part in their plans to become a major oil brand in Wales.”
To drive forward this side of the business, Oil 4 Wales has recruited Tom Leavitt as Group Engineering Manager. Having worked for Colin Owens at Owen Fuels, OFTEC qualified Tom, from Maenclochog, has for the past three years run his own heating and plumbing business. He will now manage a team of engineers that will work across the whole of Wales, as well as developing a Boiler Maintenance Contract Plan allowing customers the opportunity to avoid costly repair bills.
Mr Owens continued: “I am delighted to be working alongside Tom once again. He has a wealth of experience in the industry and will lead a team of OFTEC registered engineers to provide a professional, yet personal service to our growing customer base.”
Tom Leavitt, added: “I am looking forward to working for Colin and the Oil 4 Wales team to grow this side of the business. Regular boiler maintenance is extremely important for a number of reasons. When a boiler is serviced it is set to the highest efficiency so that the oil burns cleaner. This will result in the boiler operating at maximum performance, helping customers reduce heating bills and minimise their carbon footprint. Dirty boilers can mean a 25 per cent drop in efficiency and result in higher fuel costs, increase maintenance and a reduced boiler life.”
This expansion comes at the start of the company’s second year of trading where it is targeting to double its turnover to £80m. The company, which was founded by entrepreneur Colin Owens, formerly of Owen Fuels, has been well supported by those keen to see the success of a truly Welsh oil brand and now supplies the homes, businesses and agricultural premises of over 11,500 customers in Wales.