Caparo AP Braking short-listed for Lord Stafford Awards
Oct 19 2009 by John Cranage, Birmingham Post
A device to prevent motorists from accidentally refuelling their diesel vehicle with petrol has landed a Warwickshire firm a place in the finals of the Lord Stafford Awards.
Leamington Spa-based Caparo AP Braking, which developed the RightFuel device in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, has been shortlisted in the Achievement Through Innovation category of this year’s awards.
The Lord Stafford Awards aim to showcase and celebrate the very best in innovation and collaboration between universities and business.
Caparo RightFuel is a “retrofit” product which is installed as a direct replacement for a vehicle’s existing fuel filler cap.
When a diesel pump nozzle is inserted into the vehicle’s fuel tank, a physical barrier swings out of the way allowing diesel to be added. The product can distinguish between petrol and diesel-fuelling nozzles and will not open when the smaller-diameter petrol nozzle is inserted.
It was originally invented by Martin White, who collaborated with the Caparo Innovation Centre at the university to develop and license the patented rights for the device. The intellectual property rights were licensed to Caparo AP Braking in 2008 and the firm went on to invest £100,000 in the production and marketing of the device under the brand name RightFuel.
The device, which has already won recognition at the British Invention of the Year Awards, has aroused interest from fleet buyers including British Gas and Dynarod, the emergency services and private motorists.
Henry Sarel-Cooke, Caparo AP Braking’s sales and marketing director, said: “Winning such a prestigious award would considerably raise the company’s profile and acknowledge innovation in UK manufacturing.
“Around 150,000 drivers a year in the UK accidentally fill their diesel vehicles with petrol and the cost to the vehicle owner can range between £150 and £10,000.
“This means the total cost of misfuelling per annum is around £750 million and the cost is normally borne by the driver of the vehicle as insurers rarely accept liability.
“RightFuel is therefore a relatively low-cost solution to a potentially expensive mistake and is quickly being accepted as the most effective means of safeguarding against misfuelling.”
Lord Stafford, patron of the Awards and chairman of the judging panel, said: “This is an excellent example of a relatively straightforward innovation which could have a big impact very quickly on everyday life.
“In addition to the £750 million cost each year, misfuelling causes significant problems in terms of blockages at forecourts at service stations and inconvenience for those who misfuel.
“This is an excellent entry which has been made possible as a result of an excellent collaboration between the company and the University of Wolverhampton which is exactly what the Lord Stafford Awards seeks to showcase.”
Caparo AP Braking, which employs 140 people and has an annual turnover of about £11 million, is now focused on maximising sales growth and is continuing to collaborate with the university on product development.
The Caparo Innovation Centre was established at the beginning of 2003 as a collaboration between Caparo and Wolverhampton University. It is based at Wolverhampton Science Park.
The winners of the Lord Stafford Awards will be announced on November 12.
