Steve Bullman

Perplexed as to why reliability issues were reoccurring in their fleet of two-stroke disc cutters, Plant and Fleet Manager at Certus Construction James Kite made it his mission to identify the source of the failures. With incorrect fuel mix pinpointed as the problem, the solution came in the form of pre-mixed Aspen Alkylate Petrol which has not only eliminated costly repairs and downtime, its improved the overall environment for their vast team of operators. Certus Construction have recently celebrated over 10 years in the sector, working on major groundwork projects spanning commercial, retails, leisure, education, healthcare and more across South Wales and the South West of England. Often working to tight deadlines, the repeated failures of their disc cutters were not only causing costly delays to the schedule, it was hitting the firm hard in the pocket. “Operators would have to down tools after finding that pots and pistons had seized” explains James, “sometimes these could be repaired, but often the damage was so severe we had no choice but to write the kit off.” “In looking for an alternative to operators mixing their own fuel and 2-stroke oil, we stumbled across Aspen’s pre-mixed alkylate alternative. Discovering how well it worked after just a couple of cans, we fully switched over a couple of years ago and we’ve not had a single mechanical issue since.” Aspen 2 is an alkylate petrol, pre-mixed at a 50:1 ratio with a fully-synthetic biodegradable 2-stroke oil. Virtually free from hazardous hydrocarbons, the cleaner formula significantly reduces carbon build-up and deposits in the engine chamber enhancing performance and extending service life. In addition, being ethanol-free also means Aspen can be stored for a long time without any deterioration in quality, making your engine easier to start even after long standstill periods. “We order Aspen by the pallet, making use of the smaller, portable cans which has simplified operations for our site teams.” James continues, “Workers can easily and safely carry only the fuel they need, avoiding trips to the forecourt which also helps to save time and keep projects on schedule.” Beyond the operational benefits, James also notes the environmental and health advantages of using Aspen. “We’re increasingly under pressure to demonstrate cleaner practices to our clients. Aspen helps us meet that expectation, keeping our team safer and reducing the impact our work has on the wider environment.”