25 years of the Merridale pump

Since 1994, Merridale have been producing quality and robust products using only the best tried and tested components. During the first few years, Merridale’s units were often sold with Avery Berkel commercial fuel pumps. After an attempt to incorporate the Merridale fuel management system inside the existing Avery Berkel pump proved unsuccessful, Merridale designed a new frame in 1996 to permit the construction of both pumps and integrals. This was soon adopted by Avery Berkel for their new pump design.

When Avery Berkel Forecourt services were incorporated within Gilbarco in 1999, the units were re-engineered to incorporate an all-new Gilbarco Hydraulic package on both the commercial pump and the integral version with built-in Merridale fuel management. These packages proved to be successful, with over 400 integrals sold and approximately 2000 commercial pumps until production ceased by Gilbarco in 2008.

It was also in the late nineties that Merridale felt it needed to create its own brand identity for fuel pumps. Having designed a Merridale electronic package for commercial pump displays the need was to find a suitable hydraulic package that would make the product a market beater for serviceability and reliability. Following trials with several providers, Merridale chose the Bennett hydraulic package from the USA. With Bennett hydraulics still being used today, they have proved to be one of the most reliable and long-lasting options.

With Merridale’s pump range available, as well as still supplying Gilbarco with fuel management units, the marketplace had the choice of buying either a totally Merridale built version or a Gilbarco built version of the integral. However, over the decades that followed, Merridale enhanced its product range by introducing true twin units, dual hose multispeed options, and a full range of options for dispenser application for use with remote or submersible pumps. These soon supplanted the Gilbarco range and became a benchmark for fuel pump design.

A further change occurred in 2016 when the reclassification of diesel meant that fuel pumps now needed to be certificated to ATEX standards.  Following simple design modifications and third-party testing, Merridale was able to adapt all their existing products to meet and be certified to this standard.

With decades of experience behind them, Merridale launched the newest versions of their fuel pumps in 2018. Known as the MX series, the complete range has been developed to utilise stainless steel frames and panels and includes a redesign of the pump display. The MX range can also be used to pump or dispense DEF, known as AdBlue, and is available in single, twin, and two product twin versions, and versions with built-in fuel management.

Merridale is now one of the market leaders for fuel management manufacturing and is at the forefront for quality and design, with systems installed at over 4,000 sites across the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, The Falklands and Europe. They offer the best in complete fuel management systems which can be configured to suit the needs of any business and are trusted by some of the UK’s biggest fleet operators, some of which have continued to use Merridale for over 20 years. Their products include storage tanks, tank management and pump systems, and a range of software.

To find out how a Merridale fuel management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.