There is no denying that recent times have given us many challenges. If we look at the last two years, we have had to contend with Covid-19 but now we have come out the other side and 2022 has been a year to remember.
The year has brought us the Ukraine conflict with Russia, the cost of living crisis and an energy crisis. We even lost our longest reigning Monarch in Queen Elizabeth II but there has been much to enjoy and celebrate too. Earlier in the year, we had the opportunity to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee as a country. We also saw sporting success in the football with the Lionesses taking home the trophy at the Euros and an admirable performance from England’s men’s team at the World Cup in Qatar. So, 2022 might have come with many challenges but there has also been lots to embrace, and the story was no different for us at IFC Inflow.
Goodbye COVID-19
2020 and 2021 were both two challenging years for businesses as they grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic. We were very happy to see things return to normal in 2022 as we welcomed back old faces and embraced new faces. It was great to finally see our customers again, whether it was on site visits, at conferences or on the expo circuit, we’re very happy to have left “Virtual Meets” in 2021!
A Big Anniversary!
This year, we have reached a big milestone – 35 years in business! So we spent 2022 reflecting on how far we have come as a business, what we’ve learnt, what we’ve achieved, the challenges we have overcome and planning for the next 35 years and beyond. We also explored our successes by sitting down with Fuel Oil News magazine to share our secrets and to discuss the future of the industry.
Of course, it was the perfect opportunity to get out and celebrate as a team, so we took a trip GoKarting at TeamSport Indoor Go Karting which conveniently saw our director Kiran Shaw come out on top!
Event After Event
It was also a busy year when it came to events and we love nothing more than to attend exhibitions where we get to showcase our products, meet industry experts and connect with new customers.
This year, we attended the UKIFDA exhibition in Liverpool and made our second appearance at ChemUK held at the NEC in Birmingham. We also attended the TSA Conference in Coventry for the first time as members of the association in 2022. All were extremely enjoyable, especially after spending several years away for obvious reasons! They enabled us to explore new projects, discuss industry developments and of course, showcase our expertise in workplace safety and fall prevention.
IFC Inflow Associated
We are not ones to sit still and are always looking at new ways in which we can learn from others, improve safe tanker loading and become even more recognised in our industry. 2022 was a year for forming new connections as we found new ways to engage with our peers.
We became members of the Solvents Industry Association this year, with the aim of improving tanker loading safety in the solvents industry. We got things off to a great start at the associates day in Cheshire and are extremely excited to work with the SIA and its members more in the New Year.
That wasn’t all as we also became members of the Tank Storage Association, with the aim of working with members to enhance safety through our expertise and our products. It was great to meet the TSA team and the other members when we attended our first Associates day with the TSA just last month!
The Business Grew
After operating in the industry for almost four decades, we understand what is required to grow and establish ourselves as experts. 2022 saw us reach more people than ever, as well as diversifying our offerings and expanding our expertise into new industries.
For example, 2022 saw us establish the IFC Inflow Breweries & Distilleries Division. This new division aims to improve site safety and efficiency in beer and spirit loading operations across Breweries and Distilleries in the UK. We have been able to get involved in some really exciting projects in this industry this year and have been able to grow our expertise, ready to take on even more in 2023.
Looking Ahead
Our industry is always developing and the industries that we support have a dynamic, fast-moving landscape. The future of the fuelling industry is extremely interesting given the shift in where we are going with fuels. So, to keep ourselves up to speed with how the future might look we attended conferences in London and Loughborough. These events enabled us to listen to industry experts and meet them to discover what they thought about the future. We believe that this level of engagement is vital to our business and how the future will shape what we do.
We have continued to stay up to date with new developments to ensure we have all the information necessary to best support our customers adapt to the changing landscape. To further support our desire to explore new solutions that future-proof ours and our customers’ businesses, we started our future fuels series of articles. The aim is to create engaging topics that are informative and provide readers with professional insights into the future of fuels.
Overall, 2022 has been extremely enjoyable with lots of positive changes and developments. If 2022 has anything to go by, we believe that 2023 is going to be even better.
