A familiar face at AF, Patrick shares his priorities for ensuring your fuel supply and 3 things he wants all Members to know about your AF Fuels team.
I’m in my first month as AF Fuels Procurement Manager at AF. But I’ve worked at AF before when I was a fuel executive in the AF Affinity Ltd team for about two years.
I began my career with a fuel distributor in Norwich in about 2012 and then since then I've worked in fuels, including for Mole Valley Farmers and other fuel distributors.
I get real satisfaction speaking to Members or customers, understanding their fuel requirements for their business. They tell me what they need, and I work with them and suppliers to make sure I get fuel to them when they need it, and at the best possible price.
With Harvest 2025 starting soon, my immediate priority is to make sure we keep Members’ tanks filled through harvest. I want to make sure that if someone needs a delivery as soon as soon as possible to keep their business running, we can sort it for them. I’m talking to all our suppliers to ensure we've got good service level agreements in place ready for harvest and beyond.
Meeting Members face to face to discuss how we can work with them to grow the business we do together. Whether that’s liquid fuels, bulk gas or fuel cards, I want to make sure every Member is getting the most out of their membership when it comes to buying fuels.
The fuel market isn’t something we can control, but giving you and other Members information about what’s happening means you can make informed decisions about how much fuel to purchase and when.
Starting this week in AF News (our email exclusively for Members) you’ll see updates on what's happened in the last three months and what I think is going to happen in the next three months.
When the price is right, I want to talk to Members about forward fix contracts – so you can buy a proportion of the fuel you need for the year (or part of it) at the best possible price.
A two-way flow of data and information is key. Tell us about your business and your fuel use, and we’ll keep you informed about pricing and good opportunities to buy.
HVO is really interesting right now. It's a product that isn't always readily available – a limited number of suppliers offer it, but we're slowly seeing the price become more competitive. And as the price becomes more competitive, more people will want to use what’s considered to be a ‘green’ fuel. Although even that’s been a controversial subject in the headlines recently!
FAME-free gas oil is another option we can procure. Its popularity has increased a lot in recent years since the filter blocking issues it had in the early days have been sorted. It’s definitely another one to watch.
AF prices are competitive. We order over 80 million litres of fuel a year for our Members, which gives us strong purchasing power to make sure the price is good.
I’m confident the AF price is a consistently competitive option But if you get a cheaper quote, give me a call for a chat about it.
On time deliveries. Our agreements with suppliers are robust. If they don’t deliver in agreed timescales, we have a robust policy to tackle this and hold them to account.
Personal service. You can order online, by email or by phone. Speak with any of us in your AF Fuels team. Tell us about your business, what you need and we will help. And my mobile is always on.
I’m looking forward to speaking with, and meeting, many of you over the next few months.
Want to know more about how your AF Fuels team could help you? See what we can do for your business. Or to discuss the fuels you need get in touch:
