How Fuel Environmental Compliance Managers Can Benefit From Increased Automation
SIGMA.ORG, IGM Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2023
Go Mart, a major tri-state c-store retailer, selects Warren Rogers for fuel system compliance, wet-stock management, and forecourt diagnostic services
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tony Caputo
Warren Rogers Associates
800-972-7472, ext. 853 tcaputo@warrenrogers.com
Media Contact: Lynn Butler RDW Group
401-521-2700 lbutler@rdwgroup.com
Go Mart, a major tri-state c-store retailer, selects Warren Rogers for fuel system compliance, wet-stock management, and forecourt diagnostic services
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — (August 22, 2023) Go Mart, a major regional convenience store retailer, with 122 locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio, and Virginia, has selected Warren Rogers Precision Fuel System Diagnostics as their provider of fuel system compliance, wet-stock management, and forecourt diagnostics.
“We chose Warren Rogers for our fuel management needs because they are a leader in the industry and their comprehensive services are just what we needed,” said Phil Shuman, President of Go Mart, Gassaway, West Virginia. “The fuelWRAp real-time system was particularly attractive to us since it can help us monitor activity —such as delivery shortages and potential theft, inaccurate meter calibration, environmental compliance, and poor flow rates. It also allows us to share insightful data with our internal departments, across all our sites, ultimately improving efficiency. The support of the Warren Rogers analysts is another plus.”
Go Mart will utilize the Warren Rogers fuelWRAp system, which uses real-time data and leverages the flexibility and smart analytics of the cloud to help fuel retailers continuously track every drop of precious fuel inventory — as it makes its way to their sites, enters the tank, flows through each fuel line, and reaches the meter — even at the most complex, high-throughput sites. In addition, Warren Rogers will provide customized auditing and operational reports along with the compliance documentation required to meet all state and federal regulations.
Using fuelWRAp, travel center and conventional convenience store support staff can minimize their time spent each day identifying and addressing issues such as dormant […]
Simplify and Improve Fuel Inventory Control with Today’s Technology
Fuel operators fully-realize the costs of maintaining fuel inventories at their retail locations. At $3+ cost per gallon, an average retail c-store can have over $50,000 of inventory on-hand at any time. At a travel center, this inventory can exceed $200,000 or more!
Much mystery still surrounds what happens to fuel products as they are received from the terminal, dropped into the underground tanks by the hauler, rests underground in the tanks and lines, and how accurately the fuel is being dispensed.
Many operators may still rely on tank gauge testing and statistical inventory and delivery accounting to track their fuel purchases, sales, and underground inventories. Traditionally, this has been a fine practice, but may not give you the immediate notice that you need when shortages, theft, leaks, or losses occur. Oftentimes, it can be as long as 30 days before large variances or shortages are detected. But, if an operator is below the 1%+130 gallon variance allowed by most states, then that may be considered good enough.
Fortunately, growing technology does exist to better-automate inventory reconciliation and add addition depth and metrics to the equation. As companies grow and advance into the future, investment in data analytics and increased technology can pay off handsomely.
For example, with automated continuous inventory reconciliation, you can obtain the most accurate and complete picture of your fuel operation — from every underground tank and fuel line, and dispenser, into your customers’ fuel tanks. A robust system can feature real-time, continuous reconciliation technology and is also ideal for high volume sites equipped with automatic tank gauging systems (ATG) and advanced dispenser pump controllers. However, no matter the volume or size of a site, a serious issue can still cost the operator thousands […]
Have you outgrown the way you manage your forecourts today?
As we know, changes in technology can be challenging and investing in new technology can be a complex discussion for many companies. With so many competing forces for capital spending these days, from new store investment, remodels, food service, self-checkout, EV chargers, and more, it can be difficult to build a case for operational technology to improve your overall business. However, operational savings can far exceed the return on investment in other areas. But the “hard sell” for operational investment remains.
In today’s fuel forecourts, many things can go wrong, often without your knowledge. Or, at the very least, without your immediate knowledge. In most cases, quicker reaction could have been taken and lowered your eventual loss or repair costs. Fuel leaks, fuel theft, meter drift, clogged fuel filters, broken dispensers, delivery shortages, and other issues can occur at any time. Unfortunately, only after the 10th or 100th customer complaint, does the issue reach the ear of the store manager. In the meantime, your customers have gone to your competitors for fuel.
Today, manual effort and legacy processes consume an inordinate amount of time for store and corporate staff. While manual effort can be considered a soft cost for corporate and store staff, the amount of labor used, and the lack of true operational insight may be costing your business substantially more than you realize.
In a nutshell, any manual process you are performing today in the areas of environmental fuels compliance and forecourt maintenance diagnostics can be automated, freeing up store and corporate staff to focus on more important tasks related to the customer. The other benefits include more immediate control and insight into how your forecourts are performing, potentially leading to an improved overall operation […]
Warren Rogers’ fuelWRAp selected as Convenience Store Decision’s 2022 Fuel Technology HOT New Product Winner!
Announcing the Winners of CStore Decisions’ 2022 Hot New Products Contest
Winners were determined based on key factors to success at c-stores, including innovation, packaging and more.
Link to article: https://cstoredecisions.com/2022/09/23/announcing-the-winners-of-cstore-decisions-2022-hot-new-products-contest/
By Emily Boes | September 23, 2022
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In the convenience store industry, thousands of new products and services are launched each year. But how can retailers predict which of those new products will ultimately be successful with customers?
CStore Decisions’ 2022 Hot New Products Contest evaluated a number of new product launches and is awarding the products set for success at c-stores this year.
This year, CStore Decisions received more than 100 entries across dozens of categories. A panel of retailer experts judged this year’s entries. Winners were determined using a point system that looked at key factors to success including innovation, packaging and more. New products/services are defined as having launched in 2022.
Introducing the 2022 CStore Decisions Hot New Products contest winners:
Technology Fuel
Gold: Dover Fueling Solutions — Ovation Multi-Hose Dispenser with Anthem UX and DX Promote
Silver: Warren Rogers Fuel System Diagnostics — fuelWRAp
Bronze: Techniche — Maintenance Management System for EV Charging Stations
Adult Beverage
Gold: Constellation Brands, Inc. — Modelo Oro
Silver: E&J Gallo Winery — High Noon Pineapple and Peach Flavors
Bronze: Coppa Cocktails — Coppa Cocktails Mojito
Beverage
Gold: Keurig Dr Pepper — Dr Pepper Zero Sugar
Silver: La Colombe — Nitro Extra Bold Cold Brew
Bronze: The Coca-Cola Co. — Minute Maid Aguas Frescas
Beverage Functional/Energy
Gold: Body Armor — KiwiStrawberry Lyte
Silver: Bluetriton Brands — Ac+ion Water
Bronze: C4 Energy — C4 Energy Skittles
Candy
Gold: Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks — Chamoy Sour Neon Worms
Silver: Candy Dynamics — Sour & Chewy Bears Theater Box
Bronze: GLK Foods — OH SNAP! Spiced Pineapple Bites
CBD
Gold: CBD Living — CBD Living Mango Guava Sparkling Water
Silver: Paragon Corp — Single Serve Exotic Hemp Cannabinoid Gummies
Bronze: iDELTA Pure CBD Vapors — iDELTA8 Diamond Disposable Vape Pen
Foodservice
Gold: Tyson Foods — Tyson Hot ‘N Spicy Chicken & Waffles Sandwich
Silver: Chester’s Chicken — Extra Creamy Cheddar Mac […]
How Warren Rogers’ advanced analytical services can precisely track your fuel from the terminal to the customers’ tank, decreasing fuel variance
With Warren Rogers’ Advanced Continuous Reconciliation (CR) and “All-Points Monitoring System”, you get the most accurate and complete picture of your fuel operation — from every underground tank and fuel line, and dispenser, into your customers’ fuel tanks. This patented system features our real-time, continuous reconciliation technology and is ideal for high volume sites equipped with automatic tank gauging systems (ATG) and advanced dispenser pump controllers.
How it works
With the completion of every fueling transaction, a simultaneous observation of elapsed sales and associated tank system product heights and temperatures are recorded. CR identifies operational problems as they occur with pinpoint accuracy. It is also certified to provide the EPA leak detection /CITLDS monitoring for complex manifold tank systems up to 100,000 gallons in capacity. Learn more about our CR certification here.
This technology features:
*Quick Reference Precision Inventory Reconciliation for each fuel product.
*Precision ATG Tank Charting – A must for accurate inventory calculations. Many operators depend on the charting from the ATG, which may be inaccurate or change over time. Tilt and groundwater changes can affect the geometry of underground storage tanks dramatically. With Warren Rogers’ advanced services, we will rechart your tanks based on the precise movement between the tanks and dispensers in order to increase the accuracy of fuel variances, leak and loss detection. We can also make suggestions to the operator to update their tank charts or handle the change to the ATG for them.
*Inventory Variance Reporting (1%+130, MD, CT, NY reporting available) to meet state and federal regulations is also a benefit of our advanced analytical services. Know exactly where your tanks stand on variances and fully-automate your paperwork and fuel delivery auditing requirements. No longer count on basic ATG inventory and delivery […]
Common Sources of Fuel Loss for Retail Operators
Retail fuel operators have many factors to manage on their journey to reasonable profitability. Labor, marketing, maintenance, housekeeping, foodservice, and logistics to name just a few.
When it comes to fuel inventory management, today’s $5 to $6 average gasoline and diesel retails do not make matters any easier! Every gallon of fuel loss can have dramatic and negative impact on the bottom-line.
The largest potential fuel loss areas for any fuel reseller are based on how well they manage their wet-stock inventories. An average underground fuel tank may have $15,000 or more in liquid fuel at any one time and a load of fuel can be worth well over $30,000. Without good controls and measurements in place, fuel losses could grow dramatically, even without your knowledge. While it is commonly perceived that an operator may not have much control over their fuel-related “shrink” or loss, some steps can be taken to better-manage the impact.
The 4 most-common factors resulting in fuel loss include:
*Delivery Shortages
*Fuel theft
*Environmental or temperature factors
*Meter drift
In this article, we will briefly look at each factor and suggest ways for better management.
Delivery Shortages
Loss can be inherent in the fuel delivery process without strong oversight. If your fuel loads are unintentionally shorted by the terminal supplier or your fuel hauler, the loss can be substantial. A delivery loss due to a terminal short is often a result of terminal meter drift, or the fuel tanker not receiving the expected fuel load.
Many fuel operators depend on the store’s ATG, or automatic tank gauge, to capture the delivery amount. However, depending on the brand, model, and options on the ATG, this delivery estimate may not include transactions that occurred during the 30-60 minute timeframe […]
Leveraging Technology to Increase Staff Efficiency and Lower Costs for Fuel Operators
Fuel Operators are under more pressure today than ever before to better-manage their bottom-line.
With increasing fuel, labor, and credit card costs as well as consumer sentiment against high fuel retails, fuel sellers must be innovative to take operating costs out of their business. Today’s high fuel retails also lower the average fuel transaction, further exasperating the issue to obtain fuel throughput goals and profits. Today’s savvy fuel seller must invest in technology to build a strong foundation for growth, data security, and increased store and corporate staff efficiency. Manual processes, such as reporting alarms and repair needs at store level, can take away from time devoted to customer service and other store operations.
However, a tech-savvy operator can take advantage of technology and properly curated analytics to remove costs from their business to add efficiency. Often, this can be done with existing equipment and little or no change to tanks, lines, sensors, probes, or other underground equipment.
ATG or Automatic Tank Gauge Monitoring
The ATG, or automatic tank gauge, provides a plethora of information. From inventory level reporting, to alarms, to automated tank and line testing, the ATG is an amazing piece of equipment. The information from the ATG can be harvested easily with the right electronic connections and applications in place, to add efficiency and automation to your operation. By remotely monitoring your ATGs through various available solution providers, you can obtain the following:
Tank Inventory levels can be easily captured in real-time with remote monitoring in place. Today, many operators are dependent on manual inventory reporting processes, taking time away from store personnel to properly report the inventory levels to the dispatch department or 3rd party haulers. Often, the volumes can be erroneously reported or delayed […]