Bland’s reaping the benefits of going digital

Bland’s, who have depots in Stamford, Rutland, and Peterborough, have been using Merridale’s equipment and software since upgrading their systems in April 2023. Before this, they did all their refuelling off-site and relied on receipts and handwritten notes for their reporting.

“We didn’t have any on-site fuelling before having our Merridale system installed. All our vehicles were refuelled out on the road at the most convenient places, which meant prices were usually at their highest and reporting was near impossible. We had receipts, invoices, and spreadsheets all over the place. Things are just so much simpler now and the benefits from buying your fuel in bulk are a bonus too!” explained managing director Adam Barrett.

The upgrade included a new 45,000-litre tank fitted with a Merridale MX-I fuel pump with built-in fuel management system, a Merridale MX-T tank management system, and Merridale’s web-based software FuelWorks. With this, users can access data from any device connected to the internet and export reports as spreadsheets if required.

FuelWorks has become increasingly popular within the commercial fuelling sector. Due to its ability to be accessed through a web browser on any device, FuelWorks gives the user complete flexibility and accessibility, eliminating the need for the software to be installed on a limited number of nominated devices.

When asked about Bland’s transition to FuelWorks, Adam said “Going from nothing to having the full works seemed slightly daunting at first but the transition was barely noticeable. I was expecting a few teething problems but the whole system has been very reliable and FuelWorks is easy to work with, which helps a lot.”

FuelWorks allows multiple users to report on and monitor their environmental impact, fuel usage, costs, and vehicle performance across multiple sites or tanks. It can also monitor tank levels and predict low stock, with email alerts being sent in such events.

Because Merridale’s FuelWorks software has been designed and developed in-house by Merridale, it is often updated and improved to ensure that customers can rely on a current and capable service. Through listening to customer requirements, Merridale has implemented several key features to help make the fuel management reporting process easier for the end user.

For example, Merridale has many customers who are FORS members and who are required to produce specific environmental impact information across their vehicle fleet as part of their membership. Merridale has developed its software with the ability to automatically produce, schedule, and email these necessary reports to anyone who needs them, including exception reports to help identify rogue-performing vehicles.

With scheduled reporting, users no longer need to access the software to run reports every time they need them. Merridale works with the customer during setup to ensure the correct settings and parameters are present within the software. From there, the customer can add any user with an email address to automatically receive a report weekly, monthly, or however often they need the information.

“I can’t fault the Merridale system at all! Everything has gone perfectly so far.”, Adam added.

To find out how a Merridale fuel and tank management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.