After a thorough selection process, the company chose Manchester-based Touchstar Technologies as its preferred supplier and we find out why the Fuelstar system fitted the bill for the distributor’s mobile digital solutions.
Background
Carr’s Billington Agriculture is a subsidiary company of The Billington Group, which is also the proud owner of Criddle & Co., English Provender Company and Billington Foods.
Divisions within Carr’s Billington include retail, feed, machinery, fuel and central support and are located across the country from Brecon in Wales to Oban in Scotland.
With regards to the fuel division, Carr’s Billington meets a diverse set of needs including agricultural fuel, lubricants, commercial fuel and home heating oil. With the latter, an extensive depot network allows Carr’s Billington Fuels to distribute heating oil quickly and efficiently to farms, commercial business and households throughout the served region.
The company also offers an automatic top-up service so that Carr’s Billington customers don’t have to remember to check their fuel levels as the distributor calculates the number of times a year heating oil will be needed and organises deliveries to suit this personalised demand.
With the aim of further optimising its delivery service, Carr’s Billington recently began investigating the potential benefits of investing in a new platform of mobile hardware and software to guide drivers throughout their working day and to replace the legacy paper- based systems. After an exhaustive selection process, the company chose the ‘FuelStar’ system from Manchester-based TouchStar Technologies.
The requirements
- After detailed consultation with senior Carr’s Billington operational personnel, several key system requirements were identified:
- Real-time transmission of e-PODs to enable same / next day invoicing
- The ability to control driver workflow to a standardised level, resulting in operational improvements and enhanced safety and service
- Automated, electronic, start-of-day vehicle checks
- Single data entry – either on a tablet device or directly at the meter
- A compatible back-office system to receive orders and facilitate route planning, scheduling and real-time monitoring
- Single Sign On capability
Identified benefits
Carefully considering available options, Carr’s Billington identified a number of benefits of digitising its systems, with FuelStar seen as the product delivering the broadest range, most notably:
- Future-proofing delivery operations
- New and advanced functionality from the FuelStar driver application and the FuelStar back-office system for office staff; including two-way and broadcast messaging from planning offices as well as satnav capability, live updates and 3D mapping
- Additional in-cab capabilities such as phone function, multiple business applications and digital information repository
- Wireless connectivity to meters, printers and in-cab sound systems
- A mapping console showing real-time fleet locations, LOB, searchable trip compliance, and much more
Developed in conjunction with the fuel industry, the FuelStar solution facilitates a live connection between drivers, transport staff, accounts teams and customers. Sharing live data regarding vehicle position, on-board stock, delivery volumes and pricing, enables both better operational decision-making and a reduction in administration.
The solutions are device agnostic, enabling clients to select the hardware option that best suits them and, with many of the devices conforming to ATEX specification, they are a natural choice for operation within hazardous fuel environments.
Importantly, Fuelstar is able to integrate with all leading back-end ERP, accounting and fuel management software packages, which is another factor in making the switch to digital delivery solutions as seamless as possible.
The outcome
Philip Sharman, Director of Fuels, Carr’s Billington, is delighted by their choice of the FuelStar system: “We were very impressed with TouchStar’s overall professionalism in the pre- sale consultation phase.
“It was very clear that TouchStar solutions are specifically designed for the fuel distribution industry, based on their wealth of experience, and we are very confident FuelStar will streamline and improve our end-to-end delivery processes.
“We’re extremely excited to commence active use of the hardware and software, and to start to accrue the numerous operational benefits.”
Image credit: Carr’s Billington, Touchstar Technologies
