As a leading supplier of fuel products to a unique and diverse island, the company continually invests in its long-term future, working with carefully selected third-parties to enhance its already successful operations.
Importing oil products into its Douglas Terminal, from which it serves all markets within the Isle of Man community, Manx Petroleum supplies grades of heating oils for home, business and industry. The operation is fully supported by an in-house team of OFTEC registered heating service engineers.
The company also supplies fuels and a comprehensive range of lubricants to the construction, agricultural and marine industries as well as to its network of branded filling stations and the aviation terminal at Ronaldsway Airport.
When evaluating any third-party solution, the Manx Petroleum management team is focused on systems that can complement and further enhance existing business practices. A thorough evaluation of the Fuelstar software, along with Touchstar’s integration & support capabilities, convinced the team that the Manchester-based organisation was the natural choice to achieve these aims.
The business challenge
The key internal drivers for Manx Petroleum related to enhancement of process and efficiency improvement, control and visibility and, importantly, compliance to all relevant legislation and applicable industry standards for the complex environment and challenges that bulk fuel handling presents.
More specifically, the key system requirements were identified as:
- Real time transmission of ePODs, to enable same / next day invoicing.
- Control of driver workflow to a standardised level, for improvements to efficiency, safety and service.
- Automated, electronic, start-of-day vehicle checks.
- Single data entry – either on the tablet device or directly at the meter.
- Full, real-time integration with the existing back-office system.
- Removal of the reliance on pre-printed tickets for drivers, in order to reduce the admin burden for each order processed and delivery reconciled.
Anticipated benefits
For Manx Petroleum the benefits of adopting this system will be far-reaching and include:
- Future-proofing operations. Through a planned stream of new and advanced software functionality arising from Touchstar’s significant ongoing investment in R&D.
- Reduction in paperwork and streamlining of processes. TouchStar will be delivering comprehensive API integration and working with the existing CODAS back-office system to seamlessly integrate processes allowing Manx Petroleum to leverage their existing investment. As a result, the trucks and back-office systems will communicate with each other in real time, providing a greater level of automation and reducing paperwork.
- Two-way and broadcast messaging to planning offices.
- Sat nav with live updates & 3D mapping.
- Additional in-cab capabilities, such as in-cab phone, other business applications and digital information repository.
- Wireless connectivity to meters, printers and in-cab sound systems.
- A mapping console, available anywhere, showing real-time fleet locations, LOB, searchable trip compliance.
There are also benefits for Manx Petroleum’s customers:
- PODs can be printed and left with customer at time of delivery.
- PODs can be emailed immediately after delivery is complete (including captured signature).
- Increased accuracy of, and compliance to, delivery windows along with arrival notification resulting in better management of customer expectations.
- Improved efficiency and accurate, timely deliveries, with greater visibility and less potential for mistakes.
- No requirement to pre-print delivery tickets, nor to re-input data from completed delivery tickets since it is all handled automatically.
Streamlined delivery processes
Jim Kaighin, operations manager for Manx Petroleum is delighted by the choice of the Fuelstar system: “We are scheduling implementation of the system for spring, to avoid our busy winter period. We’re extremely excited to commence active use of the hardware and software. Touchstar solutions are specifically designed for the fuel distribution industry, and we are very confident Fuelstar will streamline and improve our end-to-end delivery processes.”