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New Generation Telemetry Improves Lp Gas Supply Efficiency

By Dave Oakes, sales director, Powelectrics Ltd

New generation telemetry benefits you, your customers and the environment.

There’s no disputing that last winter was a harsh one that provided lpg suppliers with some additional challenges – road closures, harsh conditions and the restrictions of the working time directive made it increasingly difficult to deliver product where it was needed most. The challenges facing any form of logistics are continually increasing, with the cost of fuel always on the rise and ever more congestion on the roads, so it’s therefore no great surprise that the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) is encouraging the extended use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools to improve supply chain efficiency.

According to the Department for Transport, by 2015, total traffic on the roads will have grown by over 30 per cent in the UK compared to 2000 levels, and the CBI has estimated that road congestion costs the UK up to £20 billion per year. Since 2000, the price of fuel has increased 42 per cent, so it’s certainly not going to get cheaper to distribute lpg in the future. Help is at hand in the form of the Metron series from Powelectrics, which leads the way in next generation telemetry devices, bringing down solution costs and opening up applications that were previously hard to justify. Wire-free, low cost flexible communications from an internal battery leads to a quick and easy installation.

The use of Metron telemetry devices for tank level monitoring has seen an increase in drop size of 34 per cent, leading to significant cost savings and a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions. But the benefits don’t stop there. There are operational benefits, with fewer emergency shipments, reduced customer service requirements and reduced sales resources needed.

The balance sheet can look healthier, as inventory visibility downstream can reduce the inventory requirement upstream. Sales can be increased as you have a saleable service to your customer, there’s increased customer retention, and you can even improve your margins by serving more customers with the same number of vehicles in your fleet. There are some intangible benefits too, such as a better use of sales force time and the establishment of an integrated link with your customers.

A successful programme makes a supplier more competitive while also increasing the success of the customer, resulting in long term supply relationships and wins for both parties. Analysis in the lpg sector has shown that 86 per cent of deliveries could be made more efficient and that, once telemetry has been fitted, 24 per cent fewer deliveries are needed in order to supply the same volume to the same number of customers.

Wire-free solutions make installation very quick, and multichannel devices significantly lower the total solution cost. Telemetry has never been as affordable. Low cost communications, coupled with cost effective hardware and data delivery solutions, means that Powelectrics can offer a 62 per cent saving on a project when compared to alternative vendors.

UK based Powelectrics develops and manufactures technologically advanced products that have already helped secure contracts from global giants Air Products and Shell, and the company is forecasting significant growth in the next few years, bringing new jobs to the region.

The philosophy is simple – wire-free devices that are easy to install, easy to use and affordable. The range includes devices with ATEX approval for use in potentially explosive environments.

Flexibility is important and Powelectrics devices can interface with a wide range of sensor types, as well as supporting a number of protocols for onward communications. Customers want to be in control and able to use their own sim cards and servers to collect the data. Data can be delivered into your IT infrastructure, ensuring benefits are maximised.

Powelectrics was successful at the 2009 British Engineering Excellence Awards and the achievements in the design of the award-winning Metron2 were twofold.

Traditionally, industrial products requiring installation have a poor level of user feedback, which means that the installer is working almost blind. The LCD graphical display on the Metron2 makes the commissioning process clear and simple, using a logical menu system. The display also offers local access to measurements if required.

At the same time, the Metron2 is designed to compete at the price sensitive end of the GSM/GPRS telemetry market. It proves that a compact, reliable and functional telemetry system offering a great user experience can now be realised at low cost. Powelectrics consulted extensively with users at all levels on the final design of the menu system and the layout of information on the display, a point that particularly impressed the BEEA judges.

Contact Powelectrics Ltd on 01827 310666 www.powelectrics.co.uk

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