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TouchStar Helping Ultragas Lower Costs Through Improved Efficiency

TouchStar Technologies, exhibiting at the 2010 AEGPL Congress in Madrid on September 28–October 1 on stands 48 and 49, has rolled out over 70 of its TouchPC in-cab mobile computing solutions for the bulk lpg delivery operation of Ultragas, one of the leading suppliers of lp gas in Italy.

Joseph Ricci established Ultragas in 1954 and today the company has more than 80,000 customers.

Chris Edwards, marketing manager at TouchStar Technologies Ltd, said: “Like many fuel distributors around the world, Ultragas faced increasing costs distributing its lpg gas. Dr Massimo Carolei, as project leader at Ultragas, had to take the challenge of meeting customer requirements without increasing the cost. Some of the key areas for improvement included the scheduling and dispatch of vehicles, eliminating re-keying of data by back office staff, costly travel to and from depots, and information sharing between vehicles and office workers.

“Ultragas needed a consulting partner that could offer support in project management, business process re-engineering and technology implementation, ensure timely delivery and demonstrate its commitment to excellent customer service and knowledge transfer.” Informatica Valdinievole (IV) SIA Srl and TouchStar Technologies conducted a viability study to determine the potential for cost savings of using TouchPC and to establish the benefits case for a national rollout.

A programme was set up to determine whether the deployment of the mobile technology could improve operations efficiency. Ultragas wanted to be sure of the benefits before it invested on a larger scale.

Chris said: “A pilot was carried out and it was confirmed that it was an area with great potential for automation and cost savings. The pilot project was split into three phases – analysis of current processes and day-to-day operation, design and build of new processes and technology, and implementation and field trial of the new solution.

“During the analysis, the team worked with all business areas to understand the working practices of the workforce, to target business processes for redesign, and to identify potential improvement opportunities.”

TouchStar’s solution allows lpg delivery drivers to log on to the TouchPC in the morning and pick up a work schedule. They are navigated to the first lp gas delivery point and special instructions can be included on the screen relating to the specific customer. Once the lpg delivery is completed, the driver collects a signature from the customer, and the customer can check on the screen what has been delivered and approve the delivery. The driver then prints a receipt for the customer from the in-cab printer.

The driver is then shown details of his next dispatch. At the end of the driver’s shift, as he approaches the lpg depot, the TouchPC transmits all information from the day’s workload to the back office via wireless Wi-Fi technology.

Chris said: “The pilot demonstrated that mobilising the workforce operations and wireless connectivity in real time to the back office would lead to significant cost savings and quality improvements in key areas, including improved data quality processes, increased utilisation of staff, access to on the job information by field and office staff, the ability to manage the performance of field staff, and connecting the field with the customer.”

Contact TouchStar Technologies Ltd on 0161 874 5050 www.touchstar.co.uk

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