Leighton O’Brien to showcase IOT and ATG polling software at PetroForum APAC 2018

IoT approach negates need for onsite hardware required to access and report on ATG data and wetstock.

Leighton O’Brien, a leading fuel software and field technologies company, will be showcasing how Internet of Things (IoT) technology can benefit fuel retailers at the forthcoming PetroForum APAC event.

Leighton O’Brien CEO Reed Leighton said IoT is positively disrupting traditional fuel retail business models and practices.

“With greater site connectivity and growth in sensor usage, IoT is changing the paradigm of how fuel retailers optimise their network operations around logistics, maintenance and leak detection,” he said. “This in turn is driving reduced costs, operational efficiencies, improved profit and lower environmental risk.”

Through IoT developments, Leighton O’Brien now offers centralised ATG polling software for most brands of Automatic Tank Guage (ATG) that can:

Provide real time access to ATG data for customers’ internal logistics, SIRA and maintenance providers, and fuel carriers
Provide fuel level data to inform delivery/logistics and reduce re-directs, cross drops and stock outs
Provide confirmation of delivery receipt in terms of timing and entry accuracy.

“What this means is fuel retailers can do away with expensive data collection devices on site and costly ATG upgrades at site to monitor their network,” Mr Leighton said. “Instead we can install a polling engine behind customer firewalls to collect all of the ATG data to enable real time monitoring of ATGs.

“It’s a more integrated way to manage multiple brands of ATGs within a network in a much cheaper and more reliable way. The approach enhances wetstock operations, and avoids being locked into one hardware vendor,” he said.

In addition, when combined with transactional sales and delivery data, Leighton O’Brien’s full IoT for Wetstock platform can rapidly restrap gauges, perform leak detection, provide pump accuracy monitoring in real time and site forecourt pump mapping.

“False alarms are reduced, saving huge maintenance dollars,” Mr Leighton said. “It also lowers fuel losses due to realtime monitoring of pump accuracy, minimising the need for meter checking via the traditional and expensive ‘man in van with can’ services.

“By bringing real time visibility to their wetstock operations, IoT for wetstock enables fuel retailers to optimise their budget spend through greater insights into the most critical issues that have the biggest impact on their bottom line.”

“Deliveries to site can also be verified to 0.3% with ATG inaccuracy and temperature issues quantified and removed,” he said. “Moreover, the customer experience is better due to optimised pump speed and accuracy, and better availability of product through less stock outs.

“We firmly believe the intellectual property built into this platform exceeds all other wetstock solutions on the market,” Mr Leighton said.

Leighton O’Brien will also be demonstrating its enhanced precision integrity tank test – certified as the world’s most accurate – and fuel restoration technology.

US EPA-certified to detect leaks equivalent to a 0.095 litres per hour, the pre-bury post-bury test is 75 per cent more accurate than the current US required leak detection threshold of 0.38 litres per hour, making it the industry’s most accurate and reliable test for new installations.

“For fuel retailers it means the reassurance of knowing their tank system is 100% tight before concrete is poured,” Mr Leighton said.

“At a fraction of the total project cost, why would you even consider a less precise test before your put $100,000 of backfill and concrete over your fuel system?”