FuelActive look to scale up globally

Investment, technology and people set to drive forward company’s worldwide growth ambitions

WALES-based clean diesel technology developers FuelActive have received financial backing to drive forward growth in a wide variety of diesel engine applications.

The company, which produces a range of clean diesel pick-up systems, benefits from recent equity investment from the Development Bank of Wales, along with the private equity syndicate Adjuvo. The business has also been awarded an Innovate UK Smart Grant, as it looks to broaden its digital capabilities.

FuelActive have invested in their leadership team, as new chief executive officer Nick Massey looks to drive growth and appoint distribution partners in key markets around the world. New additions include former JCB directors Max Lytle and Matthew Hyde, along with former JCB engine programme director Alan Tolley, who will play an advisory role. Additional sector experts are being recruited to drive sales.

‘We’ve boosted the team with respected, world-class, contributors to power growth,’ said Mr Massey. ‘We will continue to engage OEMs and operators directly and are now expanding the business through distribution networks, initially targeting the Middle East, India and the US. We are actively looking for local distribution partners for those territories.’

The company’s patented FuelActive unit replaces a standard fuel pick-up pipe, to ensure that only the cleanest fuel in the tank is used by an engine’s fuel-injection system. A floating pick-up pipe is used to draw fuel from the upper level in the tank, leaving any water and sediment at the bottom.

The pick-up unit can normally be installed without removing the tank from the machine, usually taking less than 60 minutes. Burning only the cleanest fuel available, ensures the engine operates closest to the manufacturer’s design specification and is more reliable, with improved fuel consumption and reduced emissions.

Developed by company founder and chief engineer Mike James, FuelActive has been proven to work in –20°C in the Andes mountains and at +50°C in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Manufactured from high-quality stainless steel and plastic components that are resistant to hydrocarbon fuels, the unit is offered in various sizes to suit all machine types. It can also be engineered to meet bespoke requirements. Independently tested by a TS16949 filter company, the FuelActive pick-up can handle up to 4,000 litres of diesel per hour.

Significantly, no maintenance is required after installation, with accumulated contamination in the tank drained during planned service intervals in the normal way. FuelActive offer a five-year warranty on the product, but say they have yet to see a customer make a claim. Primarily designed for diesel tanks, to protect expensive high-pressure fuel-injection systems, the FuelActive unit can also be used for petrol and kerosene, or for AdBlue and diesel exhaust fluids.

So far, the system has proven beneficial in the mining and construction sectors, where fuel supplies can easily become contaminated. It has also been successful in marine, transportation and power-generation markets, and is now a factory-fit option on equipment supplied by welfare unit manufacturers Genquip Groundhog and by global submersible pump specialists Hydrainer Pumps.

‘We can provide a solution for any machine,’ commented Mr Massey. ‘FuelActive ensures our customers’ equipment performs in the presence of contaminated fuel, which is a key product differentiator in the market.’

FuelActive are looking to work with OEM manufacturers in a wide range of industry sectors, with equipment distributors and with individual customers. The system can be installed at the factory or retro-fitted to existing machinery in the field. The company is also working on next-generation digital technologies, to provide customers with increased connectivity, further ensuring maximum uptime for the end user.

‘FuelActive is perhaps one of the industry’s best-kept secrets,’ added Mr Massey. ‘Now we want to scale up the operation and grow the volume base. With the confidence and increased financial backing of our partners, I think that we now have hired the world-class team to make it happen.’