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As an executive of a fuel, lubricant, or propane distribution company, one of your biggest challenges is efficiently meeting and managing your customers’ fuel demands. You need to ensure that they get the product they need when they need it, while keeping your own costs in check. To protect your bottom line in this time of ultra-tight margins, you must make the most of your fleet, drivers, and fuel. To do that, you need the right tools and information.
Consider these four questions when evaluating tank level monitoring tools and information:
- Do you know the amount of fuel in your bulk and customer tanks right now?
- Do you know which tanks have to be restocked?
- Do your employees have to visit or climb onto your tanks to try to gauge the amount of fuel remaining?
- How many emergency calls have you had from customers whose tanks were at risk of running out or had run out completely?
Your answers to these questions will vary based on your own understanding of the current state of your tanks. Any uncertainty can cost you in terms of efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction — however, you can put an end to the guessing game. A wireless remote tank monitoring system can eliminate the need for manual and paper-based tracking, reporting, and routing. Furthermore, it can make your operations safer, more proactive, and less costly.
Real-life efficiency example with wireless remote tank monitoring
Howell Oil Company, for example, has used Schneider Electric’s wireless tank level monitors for over 3 years now and has been able to expand their delivery region and monitor inventories from great distances, doubling their delivery radius.
- How it started: Howell Oil decided the best way they could serve customers was find a way to monitor the tanks remotely. To do so they partnered with Schneider Electric and deployed its wireless tank monitoring solution.
- How it’s going: Howell Oil now utilizes an IIoT solution from Schneider Electric’s WebView to see the fill rate percentage remotely and schedule deliveries in such a way as to maximize their efficiency. Because they embraced a digitalized strategy, Howell estimates deliveries are now close to 80% more efficient.
By studying how each customer uses fuel, Howell Oil ensures drivers are delivering new stock at optimum times—when levels are low enough to justify making the run, but not so low as they are in danger of running out. It’s a win-win, because it removes measuring tank levels from the customers’ to do list, and allows Howell Oil to schedule deliveries based on business sense, not geography.
This level of operational efficiency has allowed Howell Oil to increase the scope of their operation significantly—they have added over a million dollars in equipment since they began to use Schneider Electric’s wireless remote tank monitoring system. “I estimate we’ve grown by at least 50%,” said Jared Howell, Business Development Manager.
Transform your operational efficiency with wireless tank monitoring
With Schneider’s wireless portfolio of tank level monitoring products, you too can confidently transform your operation into an efficient profitable organization.
The tank monitoring system utilizes a combination of wireless LTE technology hardware like cellular radar, float, propane and pressure monitors, and software such as WebView, a web based data portal, customized to meet the requirements of your organization. Log-in and access the data that will allow you to address performance issues and optimize efficiencies. Learn more about Schneider’s wireless tank level monitoring system by visiting our website.
