In Conversation
Staying put
WHEN CISTERNAS COBO’S UK PARTNERS WENT INTO ADMINISTRATION EARLIER THIS YEAR, RATHER THAN WALK AWAY ITS
SPANISH PARENT COMPANY, TALLERES COBO HERMANOS, CHOSE TO SET UP COBO TANKERS AND SERVICES. WHOLLY-OWNED
BY THE PARENT COMPANY WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN 1955, ALL PRODUCTS SOLD TO CUSTOMERS IN THE UK AND IRELAND
REMAIN FULLY SUPPORTED
“Over the past 20 years, the UK and Ireland
has been a market which we very much value,”
explained Fernando Gomis Garcia, when Fuel
Oil News visited the company’s manufacturing
base in the Cantabrian city of Santander.
“To ensure continuity of support, it
was very important for us to establish our
own subsidiary company which could meet
the demands of both our existing and new
customers well into the future.”
The new business
Moving to the UK four months ago Fernando
is heading up the new business, with Terry
Morgan remaining in the business for a
period of time to help smooth the transition.
Joby Clark will be the primary contact for
customers, whilst George Kennedy is ready
to assist with sales, parts, spares, repairs and
documents.
“We’re here to stay and looking to expand
sales in both the semi-trailer and rigid markets,”
said Fernando.
The company has supplied semi-
trailers to big fl eets such as ASDA, BP,
Hoyer, Sainsbury’s, Suckling Transport and
Wincanton. Relaunching the Cobo/HDE 26
tonne rigid at FPS EXPO 2016, the vehicle has
gained popularity in the waste oil sector with
companies such as Oil Monster and Slicker
Recycling, and over the next few months rigids
will be delivered to several UK & Ireland-based
fuel distributors.
“For our UK and Irish rigid customers –
once your chassis has been delivered to us,
the fi nished tanker can be back within 6 weeks
and we’re certainly looking forward to giving
a great service to some of the smaller guys
working in fuel distribution,” added Fernando.
With respect to repairs and maintenance
the company’s established network of centres
across the UK & Ireland remains in place. All
manner of work, including hot works, can be
carried out at these centres, with big accident
repair work undertaken in Spain.
“From the customers’ point of view, they
have the backing of the Cobo Group which
operates several companies employing 300
staff with a turnover of between 80-100 million
euros per annum,” added Fernando.
Joby Clark and Fernando Gomis Garcia beside some recently manufactured CEPSA tankers. Next month Cobo,
which also operates a fuel distribution and a retail business in Spain, expects to have achieved ISO 9001 2017
“We have had a good overall experience
with Cobo from quotation to delivery. We had
no previous experience of the company but
any initial reservations we had were quickly
dispelled by their professional approach to the
whole process.
“We were very impressed by the build
quality of the trailers and recently had a visit
to the manufacturing facility in Santander and
from that it’s easy to see why the product they
turn out is so good.” Stuart Hardy, operations
manager, Par Petroleum
Building tankers
The company has been building tankers for
worldwide distribution on its present site since
2000 – 30% of tankers stay in Spain, 30% go
to the UK & Ireland with the remainder sent to
countries across the world. An average of 250
tankers are built each year, with the capacity to
do more as and when required.
Petrol tankers are a speciality with Spanish
brand CEPSA a big customer; an order for
25 semi-trailers and 15 rigids is currently in
production.The company also builds chemical
and bitumen tankers.
“Cobo has never been shy of developing
to be more competitive and to help build a
better product,” said Joby Clark, a mechanical
engineering graduate from the University of
Leeds. “I wouldn’t be working for Cobo if I
didn’t believe in their product.”
“Our factory is certainly our best sales
person,” said Fernando.
“Competition drives innovation and we
not only produce some of the most up to date
tankers in the market, we also continually look
to make improvements.”
Many of Cobo’s current customers already
know Fernando with several having visited the
Santander factory.
“We encourage customers to visit the
factory to see the welding fi rst hand and to
check all the component parts of the tanker–
when a business visits our premises, 99% like
what they see,” said Fernando.
“Experiencing the factory fi rst hand
enables a customer to see that we operate a
modern factory in a business that has never
stopped investing.”
Touring the factory in late August,
Fuel Oil News was able to see stages of the
manufacturing process from start to fi nish.
Production involves up to 100 fi tters working an
8-hour shift from 7am to 3pm, backed up to by
25 people in administration.
Engineering more solutions
Cobo is well known for its SKD – semi
knockdown delivery – tanker build which proved
popular in Spanish, Russian and Middle Eastern
markets when it was introduced six years ago;
Continued on page 22
Fuel Oil News | October 2018 21