Oryx Energies is one of Africa's largest and longest-established independent suppliers of energy products and services. It has positioned itself as the benchmark challenger to the two global giants present on the market.
Oryx Energies commissioned the architecture firm Minale Design Strategy to completely overhaul the image of its service stations and motivate employees in all countries around an ambitious project. The major challenge is to develop a brand and a service station concept that combine international standards with a distinctive local identity.
Oryx Energies represents a modern African way of life and high quality standards. Its values are generosity, modernity and service. Oryx service stations aim to transform themselves into a brand that is both more contemporary and imbued with local culture.
The Oasis shop: a warm, friendly meeting place
Stations are becoming places where the notions of service and comfort have been put back at the heart of the user experience. In Africa, customers like to come to service station shops to buy basic foodstuffs, regardless of the petrol involved. For Minale Design, it was therefore essential to create a warm and welcoming environment to differentiate itself from the competition in this respect.
WEO® cladding is the obvious choice for facade cladding
Wood is the material of choice for its warm appearance. It was naturally the agency's number 1 choice. But in the end, given the climatic conditions in Africa – alternating humidity and drought, sandy winds – and above all Oryx's desire to opt for durable, low-maintenance materials, the choice had to be reoriented towards another cladding material.
The WEO® 35 Fiberdeck® wood composite cladding board more than met all these criteria, as did its price, which was well within Oryx's budget. The original color choice was teak, but following the completion of a first pilot station in Tanzania, Fiberdeck® ® developed a new lighter color, close to the sandy "Cedar" color, to better integrate the shops into the natural setting.
WEO® by Fiberdeck® in line with Oryx® values
WEO® cladding boards offer a unique design. The vertical tongue-and-groove lamellas provide the modern touch you're looking for, while giving a warm, welcoming appearance. Their matte appearance and multi-chromatic grain imitate wood to a fault.
Made from a majority of FSC®-certified wood waste and recycled plastics, WEO® planks contribute to caring for the environment by recycling our waste. They are durable and can withstand the most extreme climates. They require very little maintenance.
Rapid, large-scale deployment
The first pilot station was validated in Tanzania at the end of 2020. The new network concept was then rolled out in over 15 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) over the past 2 years. The ambitious changeover to the new visual identity was completed in 2024.
In conclusion,
We particularly appreciated the collaboration with the Oryx Energies teams during the testing and validation phase. This enabled us, given the scope of the project, to develop a new color, which we later named "Cedar", brighter and meeting their needs.
In the end, our WEO® cladding, selected by the Minale Design agency, brought the desired touch of modernity. The values of recycling and sustainability match those of ORYX Energie. Finally, the product's long service life, ease of installation and very low maintenance, even in hostile climates, confirmed our choice.