MANX PETROLEUM SELECT TOUCHSTAR ‘FUELSTAR’

Established nearly 100 years ago in 1926, Manx Petroleum is a privately owned Company operating in the Isle of Man. The Company continues to invest for the long term future of being a leading supplier of fuel products to a unique and diverse island.

Manx Petroleum import oil products into their Douglas Terminal, from there they serve all markets within the Isle of Man community. These include grades of heating oils for home, business and industry, fully supported by the in-house team of OFTEC registered heating service engineers.

The Company supplies fuels and a comprehensive range of lubricants to the construction, agricultural and marine industries; plus the network of branded filling stations and the aviation terminal at Ronaldsway Airport.

When evaluating any third party solution, the Manx Petroleum management are focused on systems that can complement and further enhance their existing business practices. A thorough evaluation of the Fuelstar software and Touchstar’s integration & support capabilities convinced the management team that the Manchester-based organisation were the natural choice.

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 presented with bulk fuel handling.

More specifically, the key system requirements were identified as:

• Real time transmission of ePOD’s, to enable same / next day invoicing.
• Control driver workflow to a standardised level, for improvements to efficiencies, 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
• Remove the reliance on pre-printed tickets for drivers, thus reducing the admin burden for each order processed and delivery reconciled.    

Anticipated benefits

For Manx Petroleum the benefits of system adoption will be far-reaching and include;

• Future-proofing their operations. A planned stream of new and advanced software functionality arising from Touchstar’s significant on-going investment in R&D.
• To tackle the challenge of reducing paperwork and streamlining processes, TouchStar will be using their comprehensive API integration and working with the existing CODAS back office system to integrate processes seamlessly and allow Manx Petroleum to leverage their existing investment. As a result, the trucks and back-office systems will communicate with one another 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.

Manx Petroleum’s customers will benefit from the following points: · 

• POD’s can be printed and left with customer at time of delivery.
• POD’s can be emailed immediately after delivery is complete (including captured signature).
• Increased accuracy and compliance to delivery windows (with notification of arrival). Thus, better managing customer expectations.
• Improved efficiencies, accurate and timely deliveries, with potential for fewer mistakes and greater visibility.
• No requirement to pre-print delivery tickets, nor to re-input data from completed delivery tickets. This is all handled automatically

Client reaction

Jim Kaighin (Operations Manager, Manx Petroleum) is delighted by their 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.”