The global logistics provider, which has a proud history of humble beginnings in 1972 as a port operator in Dubai, now has operations in over 69 countries and spans every continent. DP World is an integral part of the supply chain, moving 10 percent of global trade through their seamless, interconnected global network of ports and terminals, economic and free zones, logistics hubs, and marine services.

With dual authentication, people now must identify themselves with a Datatag and ID badge rather than just a Datakey. This has allowed us stricter control over who is fuelling up which vehicle and where. This has also helped tighten up reporting across all our sites, which has been very good!

As part of the upgrades at their UK sites in Southampton and London Gateway, which employ over 800 staff and contractors and use a fleet of over 200 vehicles, DP World chose to install the Merridale MX – I integral system with dual authentication as well as the MX – T tank management system.

“With dual authentication, people now must identify themselves with a Datatag and ID badge rather than just a Datakey. This has allowed us stricter control over who is fuelling up which vehicle and where. This has also helped tighten up reporting across all our sites, which has been very good!” explained engineering manager David Bowers.

“Previously, we had unreliable data caused by drivers swapping keys when they’ve misplaced or damaged theirs, for example, so we required a better method of authentication.

Merridale Datakeys are the most reliable in the industry, but for extreme environments, contactless identifiers are sometimes preferred. Merridale Datatags provide a contactless alternative to datakeys and can be programmed with ease. For a sturdier solution to data transfer, Merridale also offers a vLink direct fuel management system to vehicle solution.

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 proximity data tag.

DP World also uses Merridale’s advanced web-based platform, FuelWorks, as part of its fuel management system. Designed in-house by Merridale after many years consultation with fleet operators, the software allows users to monitor fuel usage and efficiency, show stock and predict restocking requirements, and evaluate environmental impacts, therefore, enabling users to adhere to FORS reporting standards.

“We have integrated Merridale’s systems into our own with ease, to further enhance our stock monitoring and reporting, and the API that Merridale developed to enable us to do that was quite neat.”

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

The system software has been adapted continuously to meet changing operational requirements. In 2013 an additional depot at Sutton in Ashfield was brought online and administration switched over to FuelWorks, which is Merridale’s web-based reporting service.

The latest upgrade at the Belper depot has been the installation of a dual compartment storage tank for white diesel and a second multi-product tank, custom built with separate compartments for gas oil, AdBlue, engine oil and screen-wash.

“Used in conjunction with Merridale FuelWorks reports, the telematics service enables us to rate individual drivers for ability, style and economy.”

Additional hardware included Merridale pump dispensers and tank management systems, for the new tanks, enabling real-time stock control for the diesel and AdBlue products.

“With an annual fuel spend of more than ￡2Million, we prefer to be masters of our own destiny, explains managing director, Robert Lockwood.

“All our main fleet vehicles are fitted with 600 litre tanks, to minimise the need for external fuelling. Next to wages, fuel is a significant on cost and we have to take fuel consumption very seriously.

“The Lockwood fleet is managed with a telematics tracking service, which helps us to optimise route planning. External fuelling is really a last resort. Clearly it would be counter-productive for vehicles to go out of their way to get fuel.    

“Used in conjunction with Merridale FuelWorks reports, the telematics service enables us to rate individual drivers for ability, style and economy. And this feeds into our training and drivers’ incentive scheme.”

“Monthly league tables are published showing economy performance. The top drivers are rewarded from a bonus fund. As an additional incentive, the driver of the year is allocated the ‘special cab’. This is a full specification unit with all the bells and whistles, which we order with each batch of fleet replacement vehicles.”

Robert Lockwood continues. “A saving of just one mile to the gallon is equivalent to about ten percent, which adds up to a saving on fuel costs of between five or six thousand pounds per year for every vehicle. In my opinion, any competent driver can easily get from 9 mpg to 10 mpg just by driving the vehicle properly and in particular, taking it easy on the accelerator.

“If we can achieve that then the amount we spend on incentive schemes pales into insignificance. And the drivers know that. But we constantly have to remind them about driving style and the benefits of ensuring that the vehicle is properly trimmed. It’s the little details such as correct tyre pressures, tight curtain sides and making sure they are close coupled to reduce wind resistance, that can make up the difference.”

As well as being the UK’s number one dairy company, by turnover and milk pool, Arla Foods is the largest supplier of cheese, butter and spreads in the country. Behind this leading business is a transport logistics operation organised to cover two distinctive roles. The inbound fleet comprises specialist tankers for collecting and transferring raw milk from the farms and reload transfers between production facilities. The outbound role is geared to the distribution of finished products into the wholesale chain.

The ‘inbound’ task is generally handled by Arla fleet vehicles. There are currently 324 units. These include dedicated farm collection tankers as well as tanker and combination tankers required to support Arla dairies and production facilities, located in various parts of the country.

“By bringing fuel management onto a single web based platform. Fleet logistics staff can view current status from a web browser for any of the company’s fuelling points. In effect, we have replaced site dedicated software by an automated stock management service that delivers management reports on demand, as and whenever required.”

Transport is organised through five regional hubs each of which is equipped with fleet fuelling facilities. The most recent installation was at the new dairy facilities in Aylesbury which began operation in 2013. All of the Arla sites use Merridale dispensers and fuel management equipment to monitor transactions for stock control and management reports.

Under the new development, each of the Arla fuelling sites can now be managed centrally by using Merridale FuelWorks ,  which is a web-based service facility.  The integration includes the dispensing of all wet-stock products, including LNG for dual fuel vehicles, Adblue and gas oil.

Stocks are now monitored automatically with e-mail alerts against pre-set minimum or reorder levels. To ensure the accuracy of management reports Merridale FuelWorks obtains the vehicle mileage data directly from Arla  Foods’ fleet  telematics service.

At the fuelling point, all the driver needs to do is present a hand held datatag to the pump to authenticate the vehicle. The tracking service acknowledges the transaction and sends the vehicle odometer reading to Merridale, which then records the amount of fuel drawn .

“We need the mileage data in order to monitor the vehicle’s economy performance,” says national fleet engineer, Nick Nichol.

“By bringing fuel management onto a single web based platform. Fleet logistics staff can view current status from a web browser for any of the company’s fuelling points. In effect, we have replaced site dedicated software by an automated stock management service that delivers management reports on demand, as and whenever required.”

Nick Nichol continues. “Merridale FuelWorks collates our fuelling data and provides the analysis for vehicle, fleet and fuel type performance. Wetstock levels are monitored in real time, and we can reorder fuel automatically. This was an additional benefit for our Adblue procurement.”

“As a management  tool, we can use mpg performance to make better informed decisions on future vehicle specifications. The Arla Foods fleet includes a number of dual fuel vehicles using liquid natural gas (LNG). The information provided by Merridale supports our on-going commitment to research alternative fuel solutions that will help reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

“Merridale FuelWorks allows us to measure and compare different vehicle performance characteristics under actual operational routes and traffic conditions,” says Nick Nichol.

The installation includes a fuel storage tank with fully integrated dispensing pumps for white diesel, gas oil and AdBlue. In operation, drivers select the product by using a coded vehicle tag. Stock levels are monitored electronically and the Merridale FuelWorks service provides the fuel usage reports.

“We have built a good working relationship with the Merridale team and they helped us in the design stages of the new installation. An important aspect of the appraisal was their understanding of our requirements and the open book approach on costs and options available.”

Commenting on the decision to go with Merridale, Europa’s transport manager Stuart Kirk said. “We had previously been using Merridale equipment at our former premises in Erith. Whilst this new installation was procured under a competitive tender, we had a clear idea of what to expect in terms of customer service and quality.”

“We have built a good working relationship with the Merridale team and they helped us in the design stages of the new installation. An important aspect of the appraisal was their understanding of our requirements and the open book approach on costs and options available.”

“Compared to our previous set up, the main difference is that our fuel management is now provided as a web service. That has simplified our administration and we can call on a telephone help service should we have any queries.

“Currently our fleet is consuming around 68K litres of road diesel a month. At current prices that amounts to a fuel bill of around £750,000 per annum, so it makes sense to invest in good quality dispensing facilities. The Merridale system provides the functionality we need to track our fuel usage. Apart from cost accounting, the information enables us to better understand our fleet economy performance and its impact on the environment.”

Stuart Kirk concludes by saying: “There are other systems on the market but we wanted something more user friendly and reliable. Merridale does the job precisely and without any unnecessary complexity.”

On the supply side, Arla manages the UK dairy industry’s largest milk pool, comprising 3,200 farmers spread geographically throughout the country.

The organisation is supported by a regional network of milk processing plants each of which has its own logistics operation covering inbound – collecting raw milk from the farms and outbound; delivering finished products into the wholesale chain.
Arla UK has an ambitious growth strategy and its most recent development is a new, one-billion litre fresh milk dairy in Aylesbury, which started operations in October 2013.

The Merridale software is very user friendly and accepted generally as part of our administration. We did have a look at the on-line version but decided to stay with the traditional server based system, as this better suited our operational requirements.

The transport fleet at Aylesbury comprises tankers and delivery vehicles, operated by Arla in conjunction with a number of third party logistics partners. Fuel is provided by an in-house filling station located within a service area together with the vehicle cleaning facilities.
“Next to wages, fuel is a significant on-cost to our business, explains outbound general manager, Mark Newman. So keeping absolute control of this resource is our first priority.”

Merridale fuel management systems have been in service with the Arla Foods group for more than a decade. The system was introduced initially as an upgrade, offering better support than the previous set-up, a decision which has resulted in Merridale now becoming the preferred solution across the group.

Mark Newnan, who joined the Arla Group in Hatfield, Pererel, near Colchester ten years ago, is familiar with the Merridale fuel management solution and there was no question about whether or not it would be implemented at the new fuelling point at Ayslebury.

“The Merridale software is very user friendly and accepted generally as part of our administration,” says Mark. “We did have a look at the on-line version but decided to stay with the traditional server based system, as this better suited our operational requirements.

Every vehicle authorised to draw fuel at Aylesbury is provided with a smart key which allows access to the fuel pumps. Each transaction is authenticated by entering a validated vehicle mileage. This enables the system to track the time and amount of fuel drawn. The computer record is reconciled daily by physically dipping the tanks and checking the actual stock records against the fuel drawn.

“Mark concludes by saying. “The main benefit is that it that we know exactly where the fuel is going. And since we are tracking fuel consumption, we are also obtaining the information we need to manage the carbon emissions and therefore the potential impact of our transport operations on the environment.”

Merridale diesel dispensers and the associated Fuel FX reporting system were chosen by SITA UK as the common platform since this equipment was already being used successfully by the majority of established depots potenzmittel im vergleich cialis 20mg. Currently the network is comprised of 35 fuelling points, serving SITA UK facilities across the UK.

“Our main concern then was to reassure depot managers that central management would reflect existing procedures,” explains Fleet Administration Manager, Sharon Gane.

“But technology moves on and the development of web-based services brings a number of advantages over the traditional in-house server infrastructure. The Internet is the universal communications tool and we are all using PCs as part of our daily routine.

“Bringing fuel management under a single administrative function was an important step towards moving the procedure onto an online service. And Merridale obliged with the introduction of FuelWorks – a web based version of the reporting software with which we were already familiar.

“We have switched over within a few weeks of taking the decision to implement the Merridale service. Having set a go-live date, we exported all of the existing data out from the Merridale FuelFX system and this was transferred onto the new system by Merridale. It was a very smooth transition, thanks to the help provided by Jo Harrison, the Merridale service support advisor.”

A number of benefits of the web based service have been realised immediately.

“I love it and wish we could have had this years ago,” says Sharon . She continues: The browser service is very user friendly. It’s very visual, so you can see the stock status at a glance. You can see which depot tanks are getting low and will need to be replenished. It is all on one screen – without having to run a report.

Administrative functions such as ‘failed’ transactions are removed automatically so we do not have to clear these off anymore which saves a lot of time. It is so easy because – like so many other systems today – it’s all online and we can just scroll through reports whereas with Fuel FX we had to export into spreadsheets to get access to any data.

Additional features such as automated reports will be implemented at a later date after more experience has been obtained and the fleet administration have had time to consider who needs the reports, the content and frequency. Another important aspect is the introduction of ‘sudden’ drop alerts – in effect an online theft alarm but this requires upgrades to the depot communications equipment. For the time being however, the existing functionality has already proved to be effective in identifying an abnormal loss of stock.

Currently SITA UK is operating over 1100 heavy goods vehicles as well as a large number smaller of company vans and executive cars. Together these account for diesel consumption across all the depots worth in excess of £10 million a year. So any measures that can be introduced to ensure the effective management of this valuable resource will be crucial.

Sharon Gane concludes by saying: “We are very pleased with the functionality provided by Merridale FuelWorks and we would be happy to recommend this solution to any organisation still using Fuel FX.

The advantages have been demonstrated by a recent implementation for Palmer &Harvey - the UK’s largest delivered wholesaler with an annual fleet fuel consumption of some 10 million litres. The purpose of the project was to re-invest and centralise fuel management across Palmer & Harvey’s network of regional depots.

Twelve sites were reviewed and updated to standardise all fuelling onto Merridale Auditor fuel management systems, together with Merridale tank management systems and communicating to Merridale FuelWorks for web-based reporting.

One of the most important criteria for Palmer & Harvey was to simplify users immediate access to up-to-date meaningful data. FuelWorks has provided a secure means for accessing information via any standard web browser and of receiving automated reports without the need for any specialist computer hardware, software or training. As a result, the Palmer & Harvey project has not only met its immediate requirement to centralise the group’s fuel management, but it has also reduced significantly the administrative overhead.

Instant access enables operational criteria to be analysed and utilised directly to help drive down fuel usage inefficiencies

Training has also been simplified and can now be delivered over the phone and online. Under guidance from the Merridale ‘Help Desk’, the Palmer & Harvey finance department were able to set up the delivery of vehicle fuel usage reports for each of the depot managers and other key personnel.

Reports are produced automatically, without the need for any further intervention and distributed internally by e-mail, as required on a routine basis. For procurement and stock management, the service dashboard shows storage tank statuses for each of the depots with facilities to set re-order levels.”

Stephen Hannan continues: “Since the Merridale FuelWorks platform is common to all users, any system improvements are harmonised so all of our customers are always on the latest generation. This means that users of Merridale FuelWorks can receive all the benefits and developments instigated by customer feedback automatically and without additional cost.

Tuffnells Parcels Express operates a fleet of around 750 vehicles out of 26 depots across the United Kingdom. The distinctive green livery and strap-line The Big Green Parcel Machine....People Who Care, underlines the company’s approach to fuel management.

“We do express parcels overnight and fuel therefore represents a significant variable cost for our operations,” explains fleet director, David Joyce.

“Most of our regional depots have their own bulk diesel storage tank, some of which have been in place for over ten years. The fuel monitoring units were out of date and we had no central management capability.”

“Previously our depot staff would be responsible for the fuel records. This was time consuming as it involved manual intervention to dip the tanks and download the fuel usage records. This was old hat and we wanted a more efficient approach to the management and control of this valuable resource.”

Another important factor was in having full control of our data. Especially now with the way fuel prices are going we need to monitor fuel usage much more closely. That’s a core administrative function and far too important to be sub-contracted to a bureau service.

“We looked at the current proprietary software reporting systems on the market and made the decision to switch to Merridale. Our experience with the previous system enabled us to set out clear priorities for a replacement. Reliability was crucial, not only for the equipment but also our confidence in the supplier and on-going support.

“Another important factor was in having full control of our data. Especially now with the way fuel prices are going we need to monitor fuel usage much more closely. That’s a core administrative function and far too important to be sub-contracted to a bureau service.”

“Most depots will typically be consuming around 30K litres of diesel a week. Multiply this up across 26 sites and it becomes clear that we are talking about managing stock worth well over a million pounds a year. We wanted a robust, good quality system so we applied the rule - buy once then buy it well.”

“Merridale is easy to use and it provides the reports we need for cost accounting and the analysis of fleet economy performance.”

Tuffnells Express is now using Merridale monitoring across the board for all depots that have storage tanks. These include  Andover, Brierley Hill, Coventry, Crawley, Felling nr Gateshead, Haydock, Ipswich, Leighton Buzzard, Newark, Newport, Northampton, Perth and Sheffield.  Data from each of these installations is polled daily by the headquarters administration staff.  The data is used to monitor stock and produce fleet usage reports for the depot managers. Details for depots with cards for external fuelling can also be imported into the Merridale software so that we have a complete picture.