Taiwan United Petroleum Co (
Taiwan United, which was formed by members of the Taiwan Provincial Association of Gas Stations (台灣省加油站公會), maintains 200 stations mainly through the nation's central and southern regions.
PHOTO COURTESY T-UP
The move to boost its image will come just weeks ahead of a switch in major suppliers from state-run Chinese Petroleum Corp (中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) to an unnamed foreign importer.
Formosa supplies almost 500 stations which bear its logo but are independently run. It only directly operates five stations nationwide.
The other major private player in the market is National Petroleum Corp (全國加油站), which operates almost 60 stations around Taiwan and switched suppliers from Chinese Petroleum to Formosa.
Formosa has taken 25 percent of the previous domestic monopoly of Chinese Petroleum since entering the market last year.
According to assistant manager of Taiwan United Chang Lun-cheng (張倫振), the firm will launch its newly designed corporate identity system next month and switch suppliers in January. Taiwan United was established in December 1999.
"The foreign oil company will become our major supplier, but we will still purchase some oil from both Chinese Petroleum and Formosa," Chang said.
Chang refused to identify which oil company the firm will be buying from, saying only that Taichung will be its major port of entry.
That foreign firm is expected to be ExxonMobil, which has partnered with Pan Overseas Corp (匯僑實業) to sell oil in Taiwan out of its seven-tank storage facility at Taichung Port.
It is also the only major foreign player to have cemented a presence in Taiwan by partnering with a local firm -- as is required by Taiwan law -- and has said it is hoping to supply around 200 stations by early next year.
From January next year foreign oil companies will be permitted to sell oil directly into Taiwan's market. Chang declined to say whether a switch to cheaper foreign suppliers would mean a drop in prices at the pump.
Observers say while a drop in prices at the pumps may be possible after foreign firms enter the market, it is more likely gas stations will keep prices stable and pocket the benefits offered by new oil suppliers trying to break into Taiwan.
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