The family-founded company established in 1972 by brothers John and Robin Huxley and now ran by John’s son, Andrew, specialise in a wide range of precast concrete products, but are renowned for its innovative "Star Performer" block—a sustainable, multi-purpose solution that uses recycled aggregates and 24% less material than traditional solid blocks.

We’ve had a Merridale system in place since 2001 and never had any real problems with it in over twenty years. So, when it naturally became time to update the system, we knew we were sticking with Merridale.

In recent years, Besblock has prioritised sustainability, integrating green technologies into its operations. A state-of-the-art biomass boiler, powered by waste wood, and a large solar PV array have significantly reduced its carbon footprint, aligning with its goal to become a carbon-neutral manufacturer. This commitment caught the attention of Aggregate Industries, a member of the Holcim Group, which acquired Besblock in May 2023, further enhancing its reach and capabilities.

With two manufacturing facilities in Telford, the company produces approximately 1.7 million square meters of building blocks annually, catering to projects from hospitals and schools to housing developments and sports venues. Their vast fleet of vehicles require the very best equipment and innovative software to run effectively and efficiently.

Mervyn Smith of Besblock (Holcin) said “We’ve had a Merridale system in place since 2001 and never had any real problems with it in over twenty years. So, when it naturally became time to update the system, we knew we were sticking with Merridale.”

The upgrade, which saw an old Merridale Auditor FS replaced by a fully integrated pump and management system with the Merridale MX-I, also included a move from Merridale’s older software, FuelFX, to their newer and better performing web-based package, FuelWorks.

Merridale’s web-based FuelWorks reporting software is the software of choice when it comes to gathering, managing and reporting accurate fuelling data to fleet operators in the UK. With FuelWorks being accessible through any standard web browser, the flexibility and accessibility enjoyed by the end user is enhanced. There is no need for software to be installed onto office computers and the customer can avoid extensive training, security, and backup issues.

“The software is very easy to use, I don’t think I needed any training at all really. Merridale helped set everything up and are there to support whenever we need but it’s so straight forward that I was able to get to grips with it on my own pretty quickly.”

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 have implemented several key features to help make the fuel management reporting process easier for the end user.

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

“We are required to send reports to multiple people at the end of each month, so not only do I benefit from seeing live data whenever I login to check but I also get a massive helping hand from FuelWorks when it automatically generates and sends the more detailed reports each month for me. It knows exactly what we want to know and is sent straight to my inbox for when I need it.”

With scheduled reporting, users no longer need to access the software to run reports every time they need them. Merridale will work 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.

To find out how Merridale FuelWorks could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.

For the last 40 years, Plant Installations Coventry (PIC), has been providing installation, removal and re-location services to companies across a variety of industries and sectors. After working in the same industry for a number of years, the original owner of PIC made the decision to use his industry knowledge and ‘go it alone’.

PIC approached Merridale, along with two other companies, with the request of a quotation for a new EA compliant 10,000 litre capacity storage tank. The tank was to be stored inside their warehouse, due to continued theft from the outdoor tank/s. Upon receipt of the three quotations, PIC chose to work with Merridale, a company they were more than familiar with having previously worked together for 15 years and after providing the best and most competitive quotation.

Kerry at Plant Installations, Coventry had this to say about the impending project, “we have always had a good working relationship with Merridale, so we were confident that they would provide us with an easy to use solution and very good aftersales service. They are always helpful.”.

The Solution

The project itself involved Merridale not only providing the tank itself, but also overcoming the challenge of fitting the tank inside the PIC building, with the fuelling point being accessible from the outside.

The team at Merridale worked tirelessly on designing a solution, that was met with approval by PIC. After the storage tank had been placed inside the warehouse, work began on extending the pipework through the wall, with a new Merridale ATEX certified pump being fitted outside of the workshop, in order for vehicles to access the tank and refuel. Whilst working on site, the team then upgraded and repositioned PIC’s existing Merridale fuel management system, supplied and fitted a new Merridale ATEX compliant tank management system and commissioned it.

The Result

Upon completion of the work carried out by Merridale, PIC was left with a vehicle fuelling system that was fit for purpose, as well as the ability to understand and utilise the known benefits of the Merridale fuel management system and softwares. Merridale were also able to bring the package up to the required standards needed, following the reclassification of diesel as ‘flammable’ from June 2016.

Once the project had been completed, Kerry at Plant Installations, Coventry was very happy with the work completed by the Merridale team, saying “We would definitely use Merridale again, their software is easy to use. They also have a good aftersales service, with any issues being resolved quickly and efficiently”.

If you are interested in some more information regarding Merridale and its products and services, then please contact sales@merridale.co.uk

“These procedures start at the gate with the bulk purchasing of fuel which is held at strategic locations to ensure that vehicles and plant can be refuelled efficiently,” explains fleet manager, Bob Adamson.

“Our overall objective is to minimise our expenditure on fuel. By tracking our usage electronically, we have a clear understanding of the impact of our operations. By gathering this evidence, we can review transport policies and make the small adjustments that will help us to achieve continuous improvement.”

“The monthly throughput of road diesel for our combined operations is currently running at around 300,000 litres a month - amounting to some 3.5 million litres a year. We track this usage with the help of centralised office management software. This enables us to account for the usage of every litre of fuel purchased.”

Bob Adamson continues. “Although the group has continued to expand its business, Merridale makes it easy to review our data, and to ensure that we have sufficient fuel capacity at the correct locations.

The management software, together with depot fuelling equipment has been supplied by Merridale. Fuel is dispensed from nine operational centres across Scotland. Each of these fuelling points is equipped with a Merridale pump control unit which records every fuelling transaction. Details such as vehicle identity, date and amount of fuel drawn are recorded for transmission by telecoms links to the group fleet department in Aberdeen.

The Merridale software provides the tools needed to process the details against cost of fuel at delivery. The vehicle odometer reading is also captured on every fuelling transaction. This enables the calculation of fuel consumption in terms of miles per gallon (mpg).

“As well as cost accounting requirements, this analysis and the monthly reports ensure that we spot any anomalies. For example, any unusual deterioration in a vehicle’s mpg performance would call for further investigation. Even a small change might signal a potential service issues with the vehicle. This can easily be checked by cross reference with the data provided from the vehicle’s telematics tracking service. Under normal operation, the vehicle tank contents should show a smooth curve as it drops over distance travelled.

The fuelling points at the company’s locations use both underground tanks and self-contained over-ground tanks providing around 400,000 litres capacity for road diesel and red diesel for off road plant and machinery.

The group’s vehicle fleet comprises 165 HGVs, including tippers and concrete mixers for the transportation of quarry materials and 160 light commercials and support vehicles. Each of these is allocated a vehicle datatag which the driver uses to access fuel. A number of company cars are also accommodated as fleet vehicles.

Bob Adamson continues. “The majority of our work is based in the north and north east of Scotland. There are also some locations in the central belt region. Whilst we have arrangements for external fuelling, using key account services, most journeys are planned within the range of the nearest group depot fuelling point. Currently 92 percent of the fuel we purchase is dispensed through our own depot fuelling points.”

Fuelling points are located at all the main operating centres, including Aberdeen, Dufftown, Forres, Fort William, Skye, and Lugton in Ayrshire. Also, part of the network are subsidiary companies, Markon Ltd, Cumbernauld, A Ross & Sons of Midlairgs, Inverness, and Joss (Aberdeen) Ltd, all with Merridale systems.

“The most recent depot installation at Forres was set up by Leiths following the review of fuelling data. The site had been using a key card account previously and from our analysis, we knew that depot fuelling would be far more cost effective.”

Bob Adamson concludes by summarising the benefits of using the centralised fuel management system, saying. “Merridale supports our business processes by providing the information we need for recharging fuel usage internally. We know how much fuel has been used for a particular job. This information is extremely useful to our contracts team when bidding for new business.

“Our overall objective is to minimise our expenditure on fuel. By tracking our usage electronically, we have a clear understanding of the impact of our operations. By gathering this evidence, we can review transport policies and make the small adjustments that help us to achieve continuous improvement.
“And of course, as we manage our fuel usage we are also ensuring that we are working to protect the environment by minimising CO2 emissions.”

Describing the operational requirement, Merridale sales engineer, Paul Russell said: “This application is a classic entry-level solution for a single site, depot fuelling facility.

“The Merridale system automatically records all fuelling transactions together with authorisation ID details, amount drawn and date. We can view the current stock status at any time from an internet browser dashboard. This includes facilities to set a re-order level with email alert - so that we never drop below a pre-set minimum stock.”

Bickford Trucks is a specialist truck hire and engineering support business. The focus is on customer service performance and all hire vehicles are current models, meeting the latest requirements for operation in low emission zones. Fuelling is required simply to cover the customer delivery mileage.

“Whilst this is a relatively low fuel usage application, compared to most haulage fleet operators, it was none-the-less important that the equipment looked the part in terms of Bickford’s high quality standards,” says Paul.

Accordingly, Merridale supplied a 10,000 litres diesel tank as a complete service package, incorporating a pump dispenser, secure access devices and stock management instrumentation with a GPRS communications link. The latter supports online monitoring using the Merridale FuelWorks web-based fuel management service.

For operations director, Miles Bickford, the Merridale fuelling point not only looks the part but after 14 months’ operation, he says it has also proved to be highly cost efficient.

“Previously our fuel records were little more than a paper trail of meter readings. We had very little visibility of stock levels and usage. At busy times, with several vehicles requiring fuel for long distance deliveries, we could be chasing around to purchase fresh supplies at short notice. Not an ideal position for negotiating best prices.”

“The Merridale system automatically records all fuelling transactions together with authorisation ID details, amount drawn and date. We can view the current stock status at any time from an internet browser dashboard. This includes facilities to set a re-order level with email alert - so that we never drop below a pre-set minimum stock.

Miles Bickford concludes. “Since the new fuelling point was installed, we have only had a couple of data queries and these have been resolved by the Merridale telephone support desk. Overall, we are very pleased with the new facilities.”

“We have over 50 vehicles and currently our overall usage for Derv is running at around 72k litres a month,” explains plant manager, Paul Brooks.

“Fuel costs are an important element for pricing new contracts and this needs good quality data to calculate the potential profitability of any new business opportunities.

“As well as providing additional security, the Merridale system has improved management control by providing more detailed fuel usage reports. All fuelling transactions are now recorded automatically. The data is downloaded and processed by Merridale FuelWorks against specific operational requirements in cost accounting or fleet management.

“For example, by analysing vehicle mpg performance, we can track efficiency and this relates also to our CO₂ emission or the carbon footprint of the transport fleet. As well as simply authorising and dispensing fuel, the system provides a continuous update on stock levels for security and to ensure the integrity of the fuel storage tanks.

Paul Brooks continues. “Having a clear understanding on transport costs is a significant advantage when bidding for new contracts. In the future, we expect that other factors, such as carbon measurement will also become important credentials, especially for work within urban areas.”

Installing a replacement diesel pump was relatively straightforward since the previous set up was already located on a fuelling island. This allows easy access for a Merridale twin dispenser, incorporating a high flow pump serving the HGVs on one side, and a standard pump on the other side, for vans and cars.

In operation, the driver uses a proximity fob to identify the vehicle being fuelled. The odometer mileage reading must be entered on the keypad to authorise the transaction. This information, together with the date and amount drawn is recorded by the Merridale FuelWorks service.

Based in St Helens on Merseyside, the company operates a fleet of 40 vehicles. Most are specialist units which are used to pump ready mixed concrete at the point of delivery. Since construction work tends to be transient, Reilly CP has expanded its operationsby way of a chain of depots across the north of England and Scotland.  Currently activities are based in Hyde, Stoke on Trent, Cumbria, Leeds, Scarborough, Newcastle on Tyne, Aberdeen and Broxburn.

“We don’t have time to sit and play. Merridale is easy to use and provides the information we need to keep track of our fuel usage.”

Reilly CP also provides fuel to its sister company Exact Concrete, who in turn own nine volumetric truck mixers. The two businesses share the same premises at St Helens and will often work in tandem - Exact carry the raw constituents for the required concrete design, which are then volumetrically mixed on the vehicle on site and delivered as required on site to a Reilly concrete pump.

“Fuel storage facilities are installed at all the key depots. Stock control and usage was previously a paperwork process alongside delivery notes and timesheets,” explains Depot Manager, Paul Beard.

“We installed our first Merridale fuel management system at the Leeds depot six years ago. Whilst this provided the functionality, we didn’t follow it through with the internal disciplines needed to use the information effectively.

“The opportunity to implement the system fully came after purchasing a second tank for the St Helens depot. We had obtained a used tank incorporating a full Merridale fuel management system which was less than 12 months old.”

“The hardware components – the pump dispenser and control unit were checked out by a representative for Merridale and proposals were put forward to use FuelWorks - the Merridale web-based reporting software.  We also upgraded the Leeds installation to bring this online as part of a centralised fuel management process.”

“Merridale provided the IT support we needed and in effect this gave us the confidence we needed to really get a grip on fuel management. We don’t have time to sit and play. Merridale is easy to use and provides the information we need to keep track of our fuel usage.”

“Another important benefit is that we can track the storage tank stock contents. We can anticipate usage and re-order levels, whereas previously we had to rely on the drivers to tell us what is left in the tank.

“The availability of fuel is crucial to the smooth running of our business and this has always been a priority. However, with a fuel bill topping a million pounds a year, the significance of effective management control becomes clear.

“We never thought about it that strongly until we bought this second tank. But now we have realised the full potential and seen for ourselves, how quickly Merridale has revolutionised our fuel usage.

“The new system has ensured that fuel drawn is booked against specific vehicles and our accounts are accurate. Everything is now tracked and the reports highlight any anomalies on fuel usage – the what’s and whys- or any abuse of the fuelling facilities, so that appropriate action can be taken.”

The quality of the fuel reporting also helps when recharging for fuel used by Exact vehicles. “We know exactly how much was drawn, when and by whom – so there is no time wasted on queries,” says Paul Beard.

Paul concludes by saying that although the Merridale solution came  by default, as part of the second hand package, Reilly CP had previously operated  a rival system on a different  tank  at St Helens.

“So we have in effect carried out an operational trial and actually worked with two leading fuel management systems. The plan is to move this tank up to Newcastle On Tyne and  to standardise all future installations on the Merridale  system.

“We need better control on our costs which is driving this and that is why I am keen on getting Fuel Management right. We know how much fuel is going to each depot and I want to have a system that can reconcile this against our usage.

“It is a work in progress but I am confident that by working with Merridale we are starting on a firm foundation.”