The East-Anglian-based company specialises in the cleaning of poultry sheds and agricultural buildings and has built a first-class reputation for delivering high-quality cleaning services in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire since they first established in 1980.

As there is nothing wrong with the existing Merridale systems that Ryan Poultry Services have in place, rather a problem with its existing location, there is no need to replace the units even after considering their age. In this instance, we can utilise the equipment already in place and relocate it to its new preferred position on-site, with a minimal amount of upgrading and amending required.

They first invested in their Merridale system back in 1998, when they installed two Auditor FX fuel management systems alongside third-party fuel pumps in their depots in Norfolk. Along the way, these third-party pumps were replaced with Merridale Commercial pumps. These same systems have remained ever since, with the help of regular inspections and services, but have also been upgraded to include Merridale’s vLink system and to work alongside the latest FuelWorks software.

Since its introduction to the market in 2013, Merridale’s vLink system has become more and more popular with fleet operators. Developed in conjunction with the University of Wolverhampton as part of a Government-sponsored Knowledge Transfer Programme, the vLink is a rugged snap-on and quick release communications cable which enables the fuelling point to automatically authenticate the vehicle being refuelled.

Designed to speed up depot fuelling, the vLink system consists of a reader unit on an umbilical communication cable that reads the vehicle ID from a contact plate attached to the vehicle. When used as an alternative to data tags, it offers a more robust option for use with dedicated fleet vehicles in harsher working conditions. Where a fleet vehicle can't be fitted with a contact plate, the system can be used in conjunction with a handheld data tag.

“As there is nothing wrong with the existing Merridale systems that Ryan Poultry Services have in place, rather a problem with its existing location, there is no need to replace the units even after considering their age. In this instance, we can utilise the equipment already in place and relocate it to its new preferred position on-site, with a minimal amount of upgrading and amending required,” said Merridale sales engineer Will Rushforth.

Fleet operators who also wish to upgrade existing Merridale equipment to use FuelWorks need not worry about replacing hardware to do so. Merridale can upgrade most existing systems to make them compatible with FuelWorks, no matter how old the system is.

Since 1994, Merridale has been producing built-to-order products using only the best, tried and tested components. With all Merridale products designed in-house to achieve a minimum life of 10 years and meet strict ATEX standards, there is no compromise on build quality. The housing units on Merridale’s products are designed to ensure that internal components are easily accessible for maintenance and repair, as well as being easy to update rather than having to replace the whole system.

To find out more about vLink or other data transfer options and how a Merridale fuel management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.

Road transport plays a central role in the company’s logistics operations and comes under scrutiny in terms of costs, energy consumption, and environmental impact.

In 2016, Glenrath decided to upgrade their fuel management systems which included the implementation of Merridale FuelWorks – a market-leading web-based fuel management service.

“The set-up uses internet connectivity to provide online fuel management. All deliveries and fuelling transactions are tracked and we can access the current status from any computer. As well as reconciling fuel purchased, the Merridale service provides scheduled reports of fleet fuel consumption by vehicle ID, including fuelling dates and MPG economy performance.” Explained Sandra Dall of Glenrath Farms.

The company operates a mixed fleet of around 30 vehicles, comprising articulated and rigid delivery lorries. Smaller vans are used for local requirements and collection from outlying production units.

Sandra continued “Currently the fleet consumes around 15,000 litres a month. We are operating in a highly competitive sector, so we must have absolute control over our fuel costs. Most vehicles travel within the range of their fuel tanks, so there is no requirement for external fuelling.”

“By purchasing fuel in bulk, we can negotiate the best prices. Merridale FuelWorks gives us far greater visibility of our usage and current stock levels. This is an important benefit enabling us to take advantage of daily spot prices.”

The software has been designed in-house by Merridale to be as user-friendly as possible, without sacrificing any functionality. Merridale also offers unrivaled levels of support and training, with initial training being available remotely, and a helpdesk on hand to offer ongoing support.

Other features include secure encrypted https connections, multiple users across multiple sites, real-time capabilities, a range of reporting features (including fuel, cost, vehicle and driver performance, and environmental impact), tank stock reconciliation and costing, stock low prediction, and email alerts.

“We can also monitor vehicle economy performance more accurately and we can achieve potential savings by making better-informed decisions on load configurations. Any savings we achieve will help, not only financially but also in our on-going commitment to managing our carbon footprint and the impact of our operations on the environment.”

To find out how Merridale FuelWorks could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.

The family-run business, which supplies potatoes to the likes of Walkers, McCain’s & Mercian, initially invested in the Merridale MX-M with FuelWorks web-based software to monitor fuel usage and track the economical output of their 25 machines and vehicles. 

"The week after installing the system, we had a break-in at the farm. They managed to get away with tools and equipment, but they couldn’t get to the diesel as the system prevented them from activating the pump.

Callum Stark, Fridlington Farms

However, not long after installation it became clear that their investment would benefit them in more ways than just as a useful reporting tool.

"The week after installing the system, we had a break-in at the farm. They managed to get away with tools and equipment, but they couldn’t get to the diesel as the system prevented them from activating the pump. If they would have been a week earlier, we'd have had no way of stopping them from emptying the tank.” assistant manager Callum Stark told us.

“I even found that the software had sent an alert to my phone warning me of irregularities as the attempted theft was happening, but I unfortunately didn’t have it with me so couldn’t take action at the time."

Prior to the installation they didn’t have any form of management system in place and with an average fuel consumption of 20,000 litres a month, rising to 40,000 during busy periods, they needed to be sure they were getting a reliable package. 

Speaking of why he chose Merridale, Callum said “A friend of mine had the system installed on his farm and recommended them to me, so I was confident Merridale were the right people to go with. I know he would have put every company through their paces before making a decision, so to have a system installed with him showed me how good Merridale must be."

"My key requirement when investing in a fuel and tank management system was having the ability to monitor our spend on fuel, but FuelWorks does so much more than just that. I can now compare each tractor's efficiency and see if any are under-performing economically or if any drivers are taking out more diesel than they need. With ever-rising costs and fuel theft being a constant threat, these kinds of features are vital."

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.

Fuel management and stock control is provided by Merridale FuelWorks and the fuelling point is equipped with a Merridale twin dispenser with electronic monitoring to control the allocation of fuel.

“With the additional fuel storage capacity, we are in a better position to make savings on fuel costs by anticipating requirements and then shopping around for best prices…”

To access fuel, the plant operator presents a hand held data tag which identifies the machine or vehicle at the pump. Fuelling transactions are recorded and uploaded to Merridale FuelWorks. This is a web based service designed to capture an audit trail of fuel usage against specific machines and cost centres.

“Fuel accounts for a significant proportion of our operating costs,” explains plant facilities manager, Will Parrott, adding. “Currently our annual fuel bill is running at around ￡300,000, so even a small percentage savings on this will improve our bottom line results. Our fuelling requirements have grown as the business has developed. The previous set up was limited and we had very little management control.

“From the office, I can log into a Merridale web browser screen, showing current fuel status and usage.  The system provides a timely warning as stock levels approach a pre-set re-order level.  With the additional fuel storage capacity, we are in a better position to make savings on fuel costs by anticipating requirements and then shopping around for best prices.”

The Springhill Farms estate produces a range of high value vegetables such as spring onions, courgettes and asparagus.  Land is also allocated for growing grass, maize and rye which feeds into the Evesham group’s anaerobic digester plants. These facilities are generating the energy required to heat the glasshouses used for the production of tomatoes.

Recent improvements include the implementation of Merridale FuelWorks – a web based fuel management service. This is being used in conjunction with a new fleet vehicle fuelling point located alongside the company’s packing facilities in Lamancha.  Based on a bulk diesel storage tank, the installation includes GPRS data communications and an integral Merridale auditor pump.

“We have repositioned  the fuelling point to allow easier HGV vehicle movements and more space for parking,” explains transport manager, Sandra Dall.

“The new set up uses internet connectivity to provide online fuel management. All deliveries and fuelling transactions are tracked and we can access the current status from the office computer.  As well as reconciling fuel purchased, the Merridale service provides scheduled reports of fleet fuel consumption by vehicle ID, including fuelling dates and mpg economy performance.”

Eggs are supplied to all the major supermarkets via their regional distribution centres. The company operates a mixed fleet of around 30 vehicles, comprising articulated and rigid delivery lorries. Smaller vans are used for local requirements and collections from outlying production units.

Sandra Dall continues. “Currently the fleet consumes around 15 thousand litres a month. We are operating in a highly competitive sector so It is important that we have absolute control over our fuel costs. Most vehicles travel within the range of their fuel tanks, so there is no requirement for external fuelling.

“By purchasing fuel in bulk we can negotiate the best prices. The new fuel management system gives us far greater visibility of our usage and current stock levels. This is an important benefit enabling us to take advantage of daily spot prices.

“We can also monitor vehicle economy performance more accurately and we can achieve potential savings by make better informed decisions on load configurations.  Any saving we achieve will help, not only in financial terms but also in our on-going commitment to manage our carbon footprint and the impact of our operations on the environment.”

“We are part of a group fuel purchasing scheme which enables members to secure a better price by advance ordering,” explains farm manager, Peter Milne. “To use this facility effectively however, we need to be able to accurately forecast our forward requirements.”

The main advantage of the Merridale service is that we now have real time visibility of our fuel status, presented as a simple dash board on the office computer.

Sutton Hoo operations cover 600 hectares of arable land, divided between three farms, each of which is equipped with a fuel storage tank. Prior to installing the Merridale service, fuel was drawn on trust and the only means the company had for tracking usage, was from the actual fuel deliveries.

“Stock levels were checked by physically dipping the tanks every week. Even this procedure could drift, especially during busy times,” says Peter Milne. “On occasions we could empty a tank within a day and end up chasing around for fresh supplies, rather than take advantage of an advance purchasing scheme.”

Real time visibility of our fuel status.

“The main advantage of the Merridale service is that we now have real time visibility of our fuel status, presented as a simple dash board on the office computer. The information includes a tank contents graphic for each of three fuelling points with itemised usage figures together with anticipated demand and forecast re-order requirements. We can also set low level warnings and these are backed up by e-mail alerts.”

“After three months in operation, we are now taking full advantage of the group purchasing scheme. We have over thirty machines, mostly tractors and harvesters across all our operations and the annual fuel bill was up to £302,000 last year. Under the group purchasing scheme, we are achieving savings of up to 20p per litre. Quite significant, even on top of the fact that prices have been falling generally.

“Another important benefit is that our cost accounting is more accurate which means that we can ensure that our prices remain competitive. This is crucial because most of our produce, (sweet corn, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and swede) is sold to the leading supermarket chains, all of which are extremely price sensitive.

Peter Mine continues; “Security of fuel supplies has also been improved. Merridale has installed Auditor control units which ensure that fuel can only be accessed by authorised personnel. A key fob is allocated for each of the farm machines and each transaction must be validated by the operators PIN. The information together with the amount drawn is recorded and the data is uploaded to the Merridale database.”

He concludes by saying. “By capturing this information, we now have facilities to allocate costs against specific divisions of the business. And as time allows we can also use the reports to review productivity and the economic performance of different machines.”

One solution set up by PL Clements & Son, a farming business based in South Scarle, Newark, is the provision of a resale approved, community fuelling point alongside its post office in Church Lane.

“For many years we have provided Autogas, as an alternative for petrol, ” explains the farm proprietor, Stephen Clements. “Now that cars and larger 4X4 vehicles fitted with diesel engines have become increasingly popular, there are fewer gas conversions and demand has diminished.”

“We are already purchasing red diesel for our agricultural (off-road) machines so whilst there was no overriding case for setting up a ‘road’ diesel facility, it does allow us greater flexibility. We also felt that this would be a useful convenience to our neighbours, some of whom had previously come to us for Autogas.

Stephen continues. “Several people had approached us about providing a similar service for road diesel, so in effect, we are also responding to the requirement from within our local community.”

After registering for a monthly billing account, customers are supplied with a ‘smart’ key which enables them to access the diesel pump dispenser, as and whenever they wish to draw fuel. The pump works on a self-serve basis and fuel is available anytime day or night. Unregistered customers need to check in advance to ensure that there is someone available to serve them.

“We are not trying to compete with retail service stations by catering for passing trade and commercial vehicles,” adds Stephen.

“Other customers include fishing enthusiasts and we have had some tourists with motorhomes, who call in for gas supplies. They are usually pleasantly surprised to discover that they can also top up their vehicles.”

The diesel dispenser incorporates an electronic monitoring unit which automatically records the amount of fuel drawn, together with time and date. As well as updating the stock records, the information is used to generate a monthly report for each of the customer’s key accounts.

Supplied by MIS Fuel Monitoring of Wolverhampton, the Merridale resale approved fuelling system uses proven technology which is in daily use by emergency services, municipal authorities and other commercial road transport fleet operators.

“Indeed the Merridale pump was installed by the same engineer who put in the monitoring unit on the Autogas dispenser. And this set up has provided reliable service for over 14 years, so we have no worries about continuity or the resilience of this additional service,” says Stephen Clement.

Stephen’s wife Anita, who handles the administration, concludes by saying: “The reports are very easy to use and Merridale provides an excellent Help Desk service. This included initial training during the set up stage – as we were creating new customer accounts. In operation the system downloads automatically overnight. We can view the current tank stock status at any time over an internet browser page.

“Our business is expanding and the transport fleet has more than doubled in size over the last six years,” explains, transport manager Chris Price.

“As a fleet operator we must manage our fuel usage efficiently. This is vital, not only to control our operating costs but it also underlines our on-going commitment to a green sustainable economy and the protection of the environment.  As part of this strategy we have taken a number of steps to improve on the company’s fuel storage and performance.”

Firstly in 2011 it was decided to install a depot storage tank, enabling the company to negotiate more favourable terms than fuel cards based on retail forecourts.  But as the fleet continued to grow, the single pump fuelling point came under increasing pressure.  Access was restricted and time was being wasted as drivers often had to queue for fuel.

Chris Price continues:  “It soon became clear that we needed a better plan that would allow for multiple fuelling as well as bringing together other depot services such as vehicle wash. We also needed more parking space for delivery vehicles and trailers.”

“Following the grant of regional development funding, Trewithen Dairy launched a project to revamp its depot yard facilities. This included the installation of a 52K litres dual compartment storage tank feeding through to a four pump fuelling island, providing road diesel and gas oil for the trailer refrigeration units. A separate tank and pump was also installed to dispense  Adblue – an additive used to reduce exhaust emissions. Groundwork included a hard standing with appropriate drainage to protect the environment from accidental spills and run off from the vehicle wash.

“We already had experience with the Merridale fuel management software and we knew that the dispensing pumps and monitoring hardware were tried and tested.

Trewithen Dairy is a family owned business which has built up excellent working relationships within the region’s farming community. It’s a very close knit community and Trewithen acts as the hub and route to market for their dairy produce. Key accounts include Asda and other major supermarket chains as well as leading brands such as Kelly’s Ice Cream for milk and clotted cream.

Chris Price concludes saying: “We are in a growing market with absolutely no compromise on quality. To access the fuel, drivers use a smart key which is programmed against the vehicle account. So the system records automatically each time it is fuelled, the time and quantity drawn. The same key is also used to access the vehicle wash so we now have an audit trail to back up our vehicle cleansing procedures. This is another important benefit for this market sector.

“Sustainability means thinking local and doing the right thing, financially as well as from an environmental point of view. These are brand qualities that we strive to project. We have a great product and we are really proud of what we do.”

“In operation, the Merridale fuel management system provides the tools for monitoring fuel usage which in effect, is also providing the means for controlling whole vehicle CO2. This is all relatively new but we are developing procedures which will allow us to scrutinise and manage our carbon footprint.

“Most importantly this is something in which our customers are also interested. They like to know that we are being as green as possible,” says Chris Price.

Diesel fuel is one of the single largest production costs for modern farmers.  Many farms have bulk storage facilities, which to some degree will present various challenges in terms of security and stock management.  Worth Farms Limited of Holbeach, Lincolnshire has two fuelling points, each with around 40K litres storage capacity. One of these is at a remote location and the second is at its main site which it shares with other sister companies. These include a bio-gas production plant and QV Foods which provides packing and distribution services.

“Overall, the group’s fuel consumption amounts to around  230,000 litres a year, which is worth in the order of  ￡150,000 at today’s prices says production manager, Simon Day.

When Simon joined Worth Farms four years ago, the onus was on the internal ‘users’ to record fuel drawn from the storage tanks.  There were no systems in place to monitor fuel drawn against different user categories or contract accounts.

“Whilst tractors today are equipped with on-board computers which do provide a detailed analysis of fuel consumption against specific tasks, we needed a more effective method for reconciling our usage across the board.”

Simon continues: “This situation came to a head two years ago after a particularly wet Autumn. The wet  soil meant that we had to plough and combination drill half our wheat acreage, by using four metre equipment rather than cultivate and drill with six metre equipment. Effectively we were using twice as much diesel to achieve half as much output per day.”

Challenge

“When it came to doing the accounts, we could see that we had used a lot more diesel.  But we had to use manual calculations to reconcile the output against the fuel used by the tractors. As well as being time consuming and laborious, we could see that there were possibilities for discrepancies which could potentially expose our business to the risk of theft and unauthorised drawing of fuel.

“Clearly we needed more effective record keeping. The only security measures in place at the time were physical locks on the dispensing equipment, adds Simon.

“Manual records were not trustworthy.  Any mistakes will throw out the entire accounting process and we would have to resort then to a month by month analysis trying to match usage, deliveries and the monthly stock takes.  It was costly in terms of office administration and credibility would always be in doubt.”

Solution

Simon learnt about fuel storage monitoring systems from an article in a trade magazine. After making some enquiries Worth Farms went ahead with the installation of Merridale Auditor units at both its fuelling points.

The Merridale system works with proximity data tags which are allocated to every vehicle. The tag identifies the vehicle (or account) and this then activates the pump dispenser.  As an additional security measure, the operator must enter the machine hours, which enables the system to cross check against the previous fuelling. A complete record of the transaction is then recorded automatically and uploaded to the Merridale FuelWorks (web based) fuel management service.

“Effectively any machine with an engine is issued with a data tag.  Hire units and contractors are also allocated data tags against designated accounts. In this way we can track what each tractor is doing for the hours since its last fill. And from this, we can allocate fuel costs against the work undertaken.

“Typical examples would be where we outsource work such as lifting sugar beet or harvesting maize. Previously we had no means of validating the amount of fuel drawn apart from our own estimates based on tractor performance data. This year we know that the maize contractor used precisely 14, 220 litres of fuel.

“A big advantage is the ability to fine tune our costing and use this better quality information for the assessment of future tenders for this work.”

Benefits

Other advantages include a significant reduction in office administration. The software provides an accurate fuel status – which can be viewed from any web browser as and whenever necessary. This shows the timings for every fuelling transaction as well as the machine/account it was allocated to.

The Merridale software also maintains an accurate stock record so there is no need to dip the tanks. Fuel prices are recorded for each delivery which enables the Accounts department to track costs accurately.

Simon Day concludes by saying: “Perhaps the most significant pay back was the ability to account for a  theft of fuel stock from the remote tank.  After discovering evidence of the break in we found a large difference  between tank contents and our stock records.

“Without the evidence provided by the Merridale system, it is unlikely that the insurance company would have accepted – without question - whether or not there was 30,000Litres  of stock in the tank before the theft.

“The Merridale stock management record gave us the evidence we needed to validate our claim. And the value of fuel stolen on this occasion was more than the ￡8K investment we made to upgrade the security of our fuel supplies.

“And it is a small price to pay compared to the value of diesel we are using every year. “

Fox Bay Village is the main settlement of the West Island with a population of around 30 out of a total of 100 people, most of whom are sheep farmers. Diesel is a crucial commodity, not only for transportation but also for electrical power generation.

Fuel oil distribution is managed by the Falkland Islands Government which also owns the storage tanks. The bunker facility comprises four tanks giving a total capacity of 80,000 litres. Usage is currently around 1,000 litres a day and the tanks are replenished on a six weekly cycle.

The facility is managed by the Fox Bay government agent, Mark Jones. It is part of a wide ranging remit which covers Postmaster, general maintenance of the government buildings: water supply, storage and repair, plus the fire service cover for the aircraft taxi service.

“I am also responsible for the allocation of diesel supplies,” explains Mark.

“Previously I had to physically unlock the old pump and supply the fuel to our customers. Sometimes this would be once or twice a day and maybe up to ten transactions if we were busy. Each sale was recorded manually. Not a big job but diesel is a valuable resource and accuracy was important.

“The opportunity to upgrade came along as the equipment we were using was becoming increasingly unreliable. So we went online to look for a replacement pump.

My main priority was to find a self-service pump that could guarantee reliability. Fox Bay is a coastal environment, fully exposed to the elements and the weather here gets pretty harsh at times.”

“A deciding factor for choosing the Merridale Auditor GS was the build quality. The unit is sufficiently robust and it incorporated a secure system for self-service, fuel management, stock control and the reporting for customer accounts. Since it has been installed it has made my life a lot easier,” says Mark.

“And Merridale were very helpful. Even at such a great distance, our communications have been excellent. All the staff contacts have been brilliant to deal with. If I have any problems, I know that I can speak to someone directly - by telephone if necessary.