Market leaders in innovation: PWM’s offers for Middle Eastern fuel companies

When it comes to modern technology and innovative solutions, the Middle East is impressively open-minded, and this attitude also applies to the big players in the oil industry. However, price displays on fuel stations were not at all part of this mind-set. “No need” was the overwhelming feedback that Dr Max Krawinkel, CEO of PWM, received when travelling the region about eight years ago. Price displays, in general, seemed to be not important in highly regulated markets, and even less interesting were dedicated Price Change Units that not only display but also change prices effortlessly.

ENOC Saudi-Arabien — ADNOC Saudi-Arabien | © PWM

But the world moved on. Price displays are already mandatory for fuel stations in Jordan and Lebanon, Egypt is expected to follow from 2021, and the joint venture of Saudi Aramco with TOTAL makes the introduction of price signs likely even in Saudi Arabia.

High tech from Germany: Made for extreme conditions

One of the reasons for PWM’s good reputation in the Middle East, working with international companies as well as local networks of fuel stations, is German engineering. The technology of PWM displays is built to last, even under extreme climate conditions. SMD LEDs feature superior thermal coupling compared to usual LEDs, supported by sophisticated overheating protection and automated fan control. IP67 certification guarantees durability when it comes to sand and dust or water and humidity, for example, close to the coast. SMD LED are adaptable to light conditions, making sure that price displays are visible at day and night, in brightest sunshine as well as fog or rain.

With PWM’s modern TRACK system, price displays can be controlled from a central location, via a cloud-based user interface that also features a feedback channel, simplifying maintenance by making it plannable. Fuel stations that start investing in price displays now benefit from the ease of installation. TRACK has proven interfaces to most POS systems in the market. Many European fuel stations have to rely on PWM’s new retrofit solution to bring their displays into the digital age – and while this is not a difficult step to take, new installations don’t need to fuss with it.