DCC Energi adopt Touchstar’s delivery optimisation solution

Background to DCC Energi

DCC Energi were established back in 2009 through acquisition of Shell’s oil distribution business. The business comprised sales of more than 200 million litres of heating oil and transport fuels to domestic and small commercial and industrial customers throughout Denmark. Since the establishment the business has expanded organically into natural gas, lubricants and marine gas oil.

In 2015, DCC Energi combined its business with the energy distribution activities of DLG, the leading Danish agricultural business and in 2016 activities around Shell’s retail, cards and aviation business in Denmark were also acquired – leading to a nationwide energy company distributing massive volumes of fuels every day.

The Challenge

The fuel distribution system for DCC Energi in Denmark is fundamental in maintaining their high levels of customer service and to ensure highly flexible and cost-effective operation. DOS machines, taking up valuable space in the cab, had served the company well for a number of years but had become unsupportable, and thus DCC Energi needed a streamlined hardware and in-vehicle software solution to replace these legacy products. The solution needed to be a modern replacement from a supplier which could provide the flexibility and integration for DCC Energi exact needs and their diverse fleet operation.

The Solution

Flexibility lay at the heart of DCC Energi's decision to use TouchStar as their in-cab solution. Using the FuelStar in-cab software, DCC the Energi's AS400 office ERP system creates orders which are sent directly to the in-cab touch PC without the use of a scheduling tool. TouchStar’s middleware – PODstar - manages this process. When a driver begins their shift, they have the ability to sign in, schedule their runs for the shift and load their tanker with stock accordingly. This is particularly useful to a fleet which runs both retail and customer deliveries as trucks can be fuelled and deployed for either use.

Once a delivery run has been selected, TouchStar’s navigation system can guide the driver with route to the delivery site. If a trip has been completed at the destination prior to the delivery, the driver will have access to a dashboard displaying GPRS location pin automatically stored from the last delivery. 

TouchStar’s excellent relationship with the primary meter distributor for the Nordic region - has enabled the design of a truly simple software system. PODstar’s architecture means drivers do not need to know the difference between new and old meter systems; the driver operates the touch pc in an identical manner and the PC consolidates the information that comes from either meter type into a standard display format. Once a delivery has been completed, TouchStar’s ATEX certified in-cab touch pc can be safely removed from the cab to obtain a signature from the customer.

Integration is also a key facet of the TouchStar solution. Bluetooth is used to connect the touch PC to fuel meters and the printer. TouchStar offered DCC Energi the flexibility to connect to different types of printers, and their needs dictated a full A4 printer in cab. Printed delivery receipts are handed to the customers, who are not registered for receipt by e-mail. Digital delivery data is sent to the DCC Energi ERP for automatic registration and processing.

With TouchStar’s back-end system, DCC Energi now receives the vehicles daily Trip Summary Reports electronically instantaneously, reducing the time taken to send back the paper records and eliminating the possibility of losing documents. This facet of the system allows drivers to concentrate on their deliveries, maximising their time spent on the road rather than sorting through paperwork, and for office workers to focus on providing optimum customer service rather than getting tied up in manual bureaucracy and record keeping.

Touchstar’s back-end software also gives office workers full visibility of their fleet via real-time data from the in-cab Touch PC’s, which continually mark geotags along their journey and show which vehicles are currently en-route and which are stationary. If an additional special order comes in during the day this can be allocated to the most appropriate driver. Staff are able to see what a driver has planned for the day and how far a driver is through their allocation of deliveries. The FuelStar dashboard will also display all jobs with actual status per vehicle. It is also possible to have overview per vehicle over jobs with forthcoming delivery deadline, which provides an indication as to whether vehicles have to be assisted from other vehicles. Staff are also able to view the full chronological trip order, including what was ordered by the customer, what was delivered (and how much) and the left on board values of stock including gains and losses.

Conclusion

The DCC Energi move to TouchStar’s end-to-end solution signifies their intent to stay at the forefront of innovation in the fuel delivery space. The partnership will provide ample opportunity for continued development, streamlining of processes and the elimination of paperwork leading to a more agile, efficient service for customers.

Michael Olesen, DCC Energi Distribution Manager, concludes: “TouchStar’s solution provides DCC Energi with a highly flexible, streamlined and cost-effective operation, eliminating mistakes which arise from a paper-based system and ensuring staff spend their time providing excellent customer service.”