WCF North East roll out Touchstar Android fuel delivery solution  

WCF was originally established as an agricultural co-operative in 1911. WCF is an employee-owned business that operates in niche retail and specialist distribution through a number of autonomous businesses. Each is run independently meaning the company can react to local market conditions and competitive forces.

All WCF businesses are connected by a common set of values and employee-owned status which delivers consistently excellent customer service through their high levels of employee engagement.

WCF North East is one of four WCF Fuel Distributors and operates across the North of England. From its main depot in Peterlee, County Durham the company operates a number of tankers that supply a range of fuels to domestic, agricultural and commercial businesses.

WCF Fuels North East have a long-standing relationship with TouchStar. Beginning in 2015, the two companies collaborated to streamline operations and continuously improve WCF’s high levels of customer service.  

TouchStar is known for practical and effective business solutions, using mobile computing technology to eliminate paperwork and streamline the flow of information between drivers and the back-office teams. When WCF North East were confronted with various business challenges and looking for a suitable supplier Touchstar were a natural fit.

Business challenges

As the business continued to grow and become more diversified, WCF North East were looking to introduce a technology-based solution that would replace the ever-increasing amount of paperwork. Efficient and effective operations are fundamental to delivering a first-class service, so WCF needed to significantly reduce or completely eradicate paperwork which was both time-consuming and prone to human error.

Any new technology introduced to the company’s operations needed to reorganise and improve existing processes and enable the drivers and back office to communicate more effectively.

The Solution  

To tackle the challenge of reducing paperwork and streamlining processes, TouchStar began by using their comprehensive API integration and worked with the existing CODAS back office system to integrate processes seamlessly. As a result, the trucks and back-office systems seamlessly communicate with one other, providing a greater level of automation and reducing paperwork. Another significant benefit is the GPS technology which supports truck routing and scheduling teams, as well as receiving data directly from the devices in real-time. All of this provides a consistent and high level of customer service and reduces unnecessary mileage for WCF drivers.

The integration and the attachment of the signature to the invoice has proved invaluable to the company. The fact that WCF can obtain live data directly from the devices is invaluable and the range of different meter types TouchStar accommodates fully met the WCF brief. Since implementing the system, WCF have seen a number of benefits including better visibility on what, when and where fuel has been delivered. Delivery processes have become more efficient and automated including back-office stock reconciliation, driver paperwork and safety checks. WCF have been able to plan better and improve their service to the customer with a greater degree of accuracy and compliance.

Android Implementation

Since the initial set-up and training, TouchStar has continued to work closely with WCF to provide ongoing support to both office staff and drivers. TouchStar has now been commissioned to upgrade the entire WCF North East fleet from a Windows operating system to Android.

The advent of Android has dramatically improved the functionality of mobile devices.  It is an open system and has now been adopted on a large scale.  The system is continually evolving, and a new Android Operating System is released every year. As a widely used and accepted Operating System, Android also issues monthly security patches which are tested, implemented, and rolled out to the devices. Touchstar has invested heavily in the development of a range of mobile and in-cab devices that operate under the Android platform.

The transition will commence in September 2022.