What is a Fuel Management System?
Fuel management systems are a way to more effectively manage and reduce the money your business spends on expensive Liquid Resources. A Fuel Management System is a combination of hardware and software products that enable security, access, and control of fuel stores whilst monitoring the process from bulk delivery to consumption. Fuel management systems can make hydrocarbon management processes automated, reducing margins of error to a small fraction of human-managed systems. A fuel management system allows the tracking of stock levels, controls which people and machines have access, and can flag the need for maintenance before downtime events occur, potentially avoiding breakdowns in the fleet. A fuel management system ensures that fuel is available where and when it’s needed.
What is Fleet Fuel Economy?
For any company running a fleet of machines, keeping track of the fuel they are using can be as important as the cargo they are carrying. If one truck in a fleet needs to be fuelled more frequently than the others, that begs the question:
- Is it performing more work? Can we increase productivity or profit by allocating more assets to that task?
- Is the machine becoming less fuel-efficient over time, an indicator that maintenance now might avoid an impending breakdown?
- Is the layout of the worksite affecting productivity in a specific area? Ramp angles, distance travelled, and how many times vehicles must come to a stop in one cycle all have a significant impact on fuel consumption
- Is it behavioural? Does a specific driver require additional training to drive more safely and efficiently?
- Is fuel being misappropriated? Fuel is expensive. Theft happens. Fuel management systems tell you where to apply more effective access controls
- Is it causing the planned schedule of a service vehicle to be impacted, causing fuel trucks to return and refuel it early?
- Is the allocation of the machine leading to excessive idle time? Idle time doesn’t sound important, but it indicates you are paying for a vehicle, paying for a wage, paying for fuel and lubricants consumed, getting closer to the next scheduled maintenance event, and reducing the resale value of the asset as its engine hours continue to clock up
Fleet fuel economy is the amount of fuel used by each vehicle within a set time frame compared to work performed. By automating fuel management, you reduce administrative effort, gain visibility, and get the tools to optimise the allocation and size of your fleet, apply behavioural controls where they will have the most significant benefit, and reduce the risk of unscheduled downtime.
How do fuel management systems work?
A fuel management system works by integrating with your engineered fuel farm infrastructure, fuel and lubricant storage tanks, service vehicles, maintenance bays, fuel loading arms, flow meters, and fuel dispensers.
Fuel management field controllers provide local access control and automatic tank gauging functions. Fuel management software coordinates all the fleet fuel management rules, reporting, and fuel reconciliation functions. Connected hardware devices provide you with data you can trust regarding fleet utilisation, and absolute control of where every gallon or litre gets dispensed.
Fuel management systems contribute to a reduced spend on fuels and lubricants, more productive and correctly sized fleets, along with infrastructure and mobile assets that are selected and maintained for optimum cost/benefit. Fuel management systems can help your operation reduce its greenhouse emissions, reduce the risk of environmental incidents, and effectively report upon these subjects as well.
Software
The Banlaw ResTrackTM Resource Management Software (RMS) is a solution for measuring, managing, securing and reporting on the delivery and transfer of industrial fluids. The RMS can be installed on your company’s internal computer network or as part of a vendor-managed cloud software deployment. It delivers effective, real-time fuel inventory management capabilities. ResTrack RMS allows users to access the fuel management system anytime from any device that has a web browser, safely and securely. You can use our fuel management system software as an Australian Tax Office compliant means of Fuel Tax Credit reconciliation. If your business operates in other jurisdictions where fuel tax credit rates are reduced for priority industries, then the audit-ready fuel reconciliation reporting from ResTrack could save you a fortune.
Field Controllers
Banlaw ResTackTM Controllers are the heart of the fuel management system. Deployed on-site near bulk storages, fuel pumps and dispensing points; the controllers accurately capture tank levels, amounts of fuel dispensed into equipment, fluid moves between storages, and control access and security. A field controller dramatically improves fuel security (avoiding theft and wastage) through access control and accurately recording who put precisely how much fluid into which machine. Banlaw sells specific controller versions with enhanced functionality to support mobile refuelling applications, automated stock rotation, and the integration of electronic safety systems.
- Xpress Controller (up to 4 dispensing functions, plus automatic tank gauging)
- Advanced Controller (managing many fluid dispensing and transfer functions simultaneously, plus an automatic tank gauging system)
- Tank Side Controller (cost-effective precision real-time tank gauging, for one or many bulk storage tanks, but no dispensing)
Connected Hardware
- Auto ID Refuelling Hardware
- Automated Engine Hours / Odometer Hardware
Dry Break
Banlaw sells the world’s toughest and safest dry break couplings for diesel refuelling. Unique to Banlaw, our Auto ID range includes equipment identification technologies hidden inside the high-flow diesel refuelling nozzle and receiver. Putting the Auto ID components on the inside makes them far less prone to being damaged on industrial worksites or tampered with. Our Dry Break Auto ID products enable diesel refuelling rates of up to 1000lpm (264gpm).
Splash Fill
The vast majority of machines around the world are splash filled via the fuel tank filler neck. Banlaw’s Splash Fill Auto ID solution uses extreme close proximity RFID to securely identify the machine to be filled. Pumps and ball valves are only enabled when the fuel nozzle is fully inserted into the tank of an identified and authorised machine.
To help ensure that all fluid types and fluid transfer methods can be accurately metered and recorded, Banlaw also provides various other options for identifying and authorising users and machines. These include Long Range RFID, and more traditional processes such as employee swipe cards, PINs, and vehicle fobs.
Banlaw connected hardware technologies leverage the Industrial Internet of Things to help you effectively track the consumption of fuels and service fluids to every asset in your fleet. Contractor, rental, and owned asset fluid usage is all controlled and measured within the same system.
Key Functions of a Banlaw Fuel Management System:
- Dry Break and Splash Fill Auto ID receivers and vehicle tags assign a unique security ID chip to each piece of plant equipment
- Identification of machines and operators by Pin / Swipe / Fob or Long-Range RFID is also available (Employee ID cards supported)
- Machine mileage and engine hours is automatically captured with the Banlaw On-Board Device
- Pumps and ball valves are enabled automatically, but only for authorised users and machines
- Highly accurate, temperature-corrected flow meter and tank level data is captured. The system then turns that data into actionable information
- A single ResTrack Controller can manage numerous high-value fluids, whether they are fuels, lubricants, potable water, chemicals, or even liquid food products (of particular importance on service trucks and in agricultural settings)
How will a fuel management system benefit my company?
If you work in an organisation that manages high-value liquids, you already know how much money they cost. Suppose you want increased accuracy, accountability, security or productivity from your fluid assets. In that case, Banlaw’s fuel management services will benefit your company. It is normal for our fuel management customers to achieve fuel reconciliation rates in excess of 99.5%. You will have increased transparency into your fleet’s consumption of fuel, driver behaviour, security of assets, maintenance costs… and it will cost you less time to manage instead of more.
Banlaw fuel management systems are used to manage more than 1 billion litres of fuel per month for customers in 33 countries. Contact Banlaw now to get superior control of your High Value Liquid Assets or fill out the form below to tell us about your requirements.
