Fill' er up - Have you ever wondered what propels a racing car, a rally car, or dirt bike to insanely high speeds? Courage? Skill? A strong engine? A lead foot? Yes, to all, plus, on racing circuits around the world, Hiperflo.

You cannot pump Hiperflo at your local station, but you can see its results in action at FIA motorcar and FIM motorcycle races including international events like the World Rally Championship.

Hiperflo is a range of advanced, high-performance racing fuels produced by the Performance Fuels unit at Petrochem Carless Ltd. (PCL). Performance Fuels is one of PCL's five business lines that were acquired in April 2013 by HCS Group. The acquisition put PCL and Haltermann under common management.

"Our highest expectations were exceeded," said Henrik Kruepper, member of the management board at HCS Group. "There is an excellent fit between the Performance Fuels activities at PCL and at Haltermann, bringing together two long-standing and strong brands."

Road Testing and Race Testing Renewable Bio Fuels

In January 2014, Haltermann joined forces with Clariant and Mercedes-Benz to road test Clariant's Sunliquid process that converts wheat straw into cellulosic ethanol virtually CO₂-neutral. Haltermann then blends the ethanol with conventional fuel components and produces high-octane fuel with optimal efficiency, and without competing with food production or agricultural acreage.

"This straw-based fuel is compatible with existing engines," said Dr. Uwe Nickel, CEO of the HCS Group. "Germany is a leader in research and development for sustainable special fuels." The practical road testing of the fuel for a year using Mercedes-Benz cars is aimed at demonstrating that the 20% ethanol fuel is ready for market and technically compatible with a variety of vehicles.

Both PCL and Haltermann produce a full range of bio-gasoline and biodiesel fuels. "We are working with blue-chip partners to supply second-generation biofuels in a number of applications including racing fuels," said Dr. Peter McKenna, technical services manager for performance fuels at PCL. In addition to Hiperflo, PCL also produces Carcal, a range of high-quality reference and calibration fuels used in research and development in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Sustainability Spoken Here

Haltermann sees a significant role for itself in supporting the industry in developing more and more sustainable, clean, low-emission fuels. The cooperative arrangement with Clariant and Mercedes-Benz for the Sunliquid project is just the beginning. "Sustainability is a priority for HCS Group," said Dr. Nickel. "We see Haltermann increasingly becoming the link between industries to advance sustainable solutions and bringing them to market, forming the interface between the petrochemical and specialty chemical industries."

In addition to test and reference fuels, both Haltermann and PCL provide first fill fuels to OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers. First fill fuels must be especially clean and meet very specific, high-performance criteria. Both of the HCS Group companies manufacture fuels tailored to customer specifications.

European Union Fuel Performance Requirements Take the Lead

Constantly increasing demands worldwide for higher-performing and more efficient automobile engines, coupled with ever more stringent environmental and emission standards, are making the European Union an important influence in future automotive fuel standards.

"We see EU standards being copied or adapted as blueprints for fuel standards worldwide," Henrik Kruepper, who heads HCS Group's Performance Hydrocarbons business segment, said.

"The increasing number of different fuel grades and sources and the changing political environment requires constant test work to keep engine technology fit for the future," said Lutz Reichenbaecher, product manager for performance fuels at Haltermann.

Both PCL and Haltermann produce fuels to exacting specifications. State-of-the-art blending equipment assures outstanding batch-to-batch repeatability. Storage facilities maintain fuels to identical specifications for up to eighteen months, providing the stability required by high-end testing and applications.

Fuel for Growth

Between the motorsport and reference fuels at PCL and the engine testing and reference fuels at Haltermann, "We see an increasing demand for our specialized fuels business, making it one of the strategic pillars of the performance hydrocarbons business segment at HCS Group," Mr. Kruepper said. "Our name stands for reliability, quality and flexibility."

"We are bringing the petrochemical and specialty chemicals industries together, making the benefits of both industries accessible to our customers. This works well because the specialty chemicals industry is not familiar with petrochemicals and vice versa," said Dr. Nickel, the HCS Group CEO.

The growing number of automobiles, particularly in markets such as China and India create a demand for enormous technical innovations. Test cycles for engines and fuels are becoming much shorter. HCS Group has the resources to meet the market requirements, both for today and in the future.

Mr. Kruepper added, "The key is not just the product but the technical expertise behind it. The combination of Haltermann and PCL gives the HCS Group a big competitive advantage because the products and expertise of the two companies complement each other."