Farmfoods:

From humble beginnings as a simple butchers shop in Aberdeen, frozen food specialists Farmfoods has been supplying Great Britain with household items, groceries and frozen goods for over 60 years. Now with more than 300 stores nationwide, four distribution centres strategically placed throughout the UK and an ever expanding fleet of temperature controlled trucks, the Scottish family business turned to industry experts FuelQuip to install the refuelling facilities at their national logistics hub in Bristol. The distribution centre based at Central Park, is a 350 acre national logistics hub, bordering the M49 in Avonmouth. It includes The Range, Lidl, Davies Turner, DHL, Farmfoods & CHEP UK and is one of the largest in the UK

The Problem:

With such a huge fleet of vehicles constantly on the move, it was imperative that the lorries had a fast turnaround time in order for tight distribution time deadlines to be met. Farmfoods required a fuelling station that would streamline the refuelling process to allow the trucks and their temperature controlled box trailers to manoeuvre easily and safely around the yard, whilst also providing a system that would enable the vehicles to refuel quickly.

Due to the nature of the business, a comprehensive fuel management system was required that would provide security and accurate accountability to keep track of fuel consumption across the business. Fuel expenditure is one of the major overheads to cover when operating a logistics centre, therefore it is vital for large scale businesses, like Farmfoods, to monitor and manage their fuel usage accurately as little changes implemented throughout an entire fleet can have a massive impact on figures and overall costs.

The solution:

FuelQuip’s team of expert consultants worked closely with the site architects to devise a bespoke layout that would best suit the client’s needs in the most efficient and cost effective manner. The brand new refuelling facilities included a 90,000Ltr fully enclosed, fully bunded, dual fuel package tank with compartments for 70,000 Ltrs Diesel and 20,000Ltrs Gasoil. The tank was complete with a lockable fill point cabinet housing electronic tank content gauges as well as overfill and bund alarms and finished off with a roller shutter security door and LED lighting with a PIR detector.

Farmfoods decided to upgrade to include LIVE tank gauges to integrate with the FuelQuip Fuel Management software to provide instant and accurate readings of stock levels. Comparing book stock readings with the live stock levels can help to identify any fuel loss early and also ensure equipment is calibrated correctly to enable the most accurate data to be collected.

FuelQuip also provided all the dispensing equipment and ancillaries, including pipe work. A total of six pumps were installed onsite creating two fuel islands runways, enabling two trucks to refuel at the same time. Two high speed high spec commercial Diesel fuel dispensers from the FuelQuip Integral range were installed which combines a hard-working pump with the advanced specification of the FuelQuip Fuel Management System in one compact tidy unit.
An excellent feature of the system is that it is very flexible and can be controlled in a variety of ways to suit the requirements of each client. Farmfoods were keen to have the system operated with an R.F.I.D key fob which the driver presents and then enters a few security details in order to identify themselves and gain access to fuel.
Two Gas oil pumps and two Adblue dispensers were also installed and programmed into the system.

The System:

With FuelQuip’s new Fuel Management System, keeping track of fuel usage has never been easier. The advanced, but very user-friendly, flexible software allows Farmfoods to collect, report and analyse data simply with a click of a button. The flexibility of the software enables customised reports and settings to be saved, making the whole monitoring process easier and faster. Through the efficient use of FuelQuip products, Farmfoods are now able to monitor fuel usage and highlight any issues, concerns or discrepancies quickly and easily, allowing changes and improvements to be implemented earlier rather than later.

Prevention is better than cure…. Diesel Bug

To combat the growing problem of Diesel Bug contamination, it was crucial that Farmfoods implemented a regular fuel maintenance programme involving a series of preventative measures. Fuel re-circulation kits were fitted to the storage tanks to filter the contents four times a day preventing the build-up of black sludge & slime from occurring. Fuel conditioning units with powerful magnets inside were also installed to combat rust and microbial growth. If congealed fuel is allowed to enter a vehicles fuel system it can cause serious blockages and sensitive fuel injectors to fail. Unfortunately this kind of damage will not be covered under vehicles warranties and can become very costly to repair, especially across an entire fleet of such calibre as Farmfoods. Operating a fleet of high spec trucks which are imperative to the operation and success of the business, it was crucial that a fuel maintenance programme was designed specifically for the client in order to achieve maximum efficiency from the vehicles and the fuel.

And Finally…

There is no question that an effective fuel management system is a fundamental principal when storing fuel on-site and that the benefits of accurate fuel control are undeniable. Farmfoods can be rest assured that their fuel is monitored by one of the most reliable, flexible and user-friendly fuel management systems available, as well as having peace of mind that Software Support is available 24/7.