NU 12 #6 by Sugar Scalpel - Euro 4 diesel

NU 12: New Products/Product Improvements: Euro Diesel IV from Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc.

Sugar Scalpel

Entrep AGSB MBAH 10B

"Go Green Future", the campaign slogan of Unioil is very timely and urgent in our generation not only because we are more aware of the effects of climate change brought about by air pollution but more importantly we can help reduce it by being conscious about what we use in our everyday life. Our motor vehicle is a major source of air pollution in our country, not to mention the coal fired power plants which is the major source of global warming, and it is but prudent that we be made aware that we have choices with regards to the fuels we use to power our motor vehicles especially diesel fuel. Our current fuel regulations as mandated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR) only require diesel fuel to pass Euro II level. This means our Euro II diesel contains 500 parts per million of sulfur. The target year that the national government mandates our fuel to be Euro IV diesel will be 2016, a good 3 years away. 

Enter Unioil's Euro IV diesel now, containing only 50 parts per million of sulfur, offered since February 2012 but only recently promoted last December 2012. That is a reduction of 90% compared to the current 500 parts per million of sulfur offered by most of the fuel companies in the Philippines. Not only was sulfur content in emissions lower but most of the noxious gases and particulates were also reduced by approximately 83%.  Exhaust emissions are also far less dark, and since the diesel fuel has lower sulfur content, the engine will last longer because sulfur is highly corrosive to an engine's internals as well as its pollution control devices such as catalytic converter and particulate filter. Diesel engines will be far more fuel-efficient, quieter and with less vibration and offer better cold-start performance. So what is keeping the majority of the Filipinos from taking advantage of this "clean" product from Unioil. First, Unioil is a relatively small player in the oil industry, as such, they have very few retail outlets in the country, all in Luzon. Solution: encourage them to open up more retail outlets and open their company to investors so they have more capital to expand their operations throughout the country. Second, Unioil lacks marketing drive to make most of us aware of the availability of this new product now and its advantages so that more Filipinos will realize the benefits of the Euro IV Diesel.

 Solution: advertise on newspaper, tabloids, radio and television for more exposure of their excellent product. The government should also encourage and promote the use of Euro IV diesel now if it is really serious about improving our air pollution level, not bend to the lobbying power of the big oil players in the country(the big 3)who are still producing the dirty Euro II Diesel. It really puzzles me why a small oil industry player can afford to sell Euro IV diesel while the big 3 multinational and richer companies are still stuck with the Euro II "dirty" diesel.    4