Forecourt InsightBy Ed KammererTurning Increased Speedat High-Volume FuelingSites into a Quicker ROIYOU CAN FORGIVE THE DRIVER OF A LONG-HAUL 18-WHEELER IF, AS HEWAITS FOR HIS 120- TO 170-GALLON FUEL TANKS to be refilled at a servicestation, he channels his inner fighter pilot. You know: “I feel the need, the need for speed.”Unfortunately, other than watching Top Gun for the umpteenth time, that request willlikely go unheeded if he is refueling at a truck stop or large hybrid convenience store thathas been outfitted with truck lanes, but features a fueling system that caters first andforemost to the refilling rates of automobiles.16 / SEPTEMBER OCTOBER ISSUE
YOUR CAR WASHDRYING EXPERTSSTEALTHILLUMINATORWHISPERSPYDER815-477-4911WWW.INTERNATIONALDRYING.COMWatching from inside the store, thesite operator can sympathize in manyways with the driver. When he looksout his window and sees a line of truckswaiting at the fuel island, he’d probablywish that they could be refueled faster,which would increase throughput whilelessening the frustration that comes withwaiting in line, which, in turn, would leadto higher revenues for his site.In the end, both the driver and thefueling-site operator have the samegoal: optimize their return on investment(ROI). For the driver – whetheran owner-operator of his rig or an employeeof an over-the-road truckingcompany – this means spending as littletime as possible idled and more of it onthe road, which will let him satisfy thestrict demands of his delivery schedules,resulting in a better ROI for him and hisclients. For the site operator, a fuelingsite that reliably and efficiently meetsthe needs of its customers will attractmore of them, which will shorten thetime needed for the operator to experiencea true ROI for his efforts.The Need For SpeedAs mentioned, speed can play a majorrole in aiding both parties. Specifically, itcan do so in three areas:• Installation: A fueling system that canbe installed quickly and with little tono need of in-the-field fabrication inthe form of drilling, installation of entryfittings, preparing fiberglass joints,connecting, welding and gluing meansless downtime and lost revenue for thesite operator• Fueling: Trucks that sit at a fuelingisland for an extended period of timeare not on the road making deliveries;getting drivers into and out of the fuelingstation quicker enables them todo their job more efficiently and costeffectively,which should be a priorityfor the station operator• Maintenance: Fueling systems arefine-tuned operational ecosystemsthat have most of their critical componentsburied out of sight; identifyinga system that allows easy accessto underground equipment will makemaintenance, inspection, repair andpart replacement, if necessary, easierto performIf the fueling site is able to optimizethe speed of installation, fueling andmaintenance, the operation will be ableto satisfy the basic needs of the operatorand the drivers that frequent the site– with an optimized ROI the ultimatereward.To The RescueIn 2008, OPW, Smithfield, NC, changedthe retail-fueling business with theintroduction of the FlexWorks LoopSystem. The loop system consists of acollection of pre-fabricated undergroundfueling equipment that needed little, if no,in-the-field construction before it couldbe installed into the ground, with all postinstallationinspections, maintenance,repair and parts replacement able to beperformed aboveground.Specifically, the system offered the followingbenefits to its users:• All sumps are pre-assembled andtested at the factory, eliminating fieldfabrication and potential installationerrors• All piping connections are accessiblethrough shallow sumps that can bereached from the surface, meaning noconcrete needs to be broken, removedand repoured when component repairor replacement is needed• Continuous piping runs eliminate connectionpoints buried in the ground• Double-wall couplers have builtin,permanent test ports for easiermonitoring• Piping is installed in access pipe andcan be removed, checked and replacedthrough the sump opening withoutremoving the dispenser or breakingconcreteAll told, the loop system was a revolutionaryinnovation – the fueling industry’sfirst true plug-and-play fuel-deliverysystem, one that combined hassle-freecomponent inspection with streamlinedinstallation, maintenance and repair.Since the introduction of the loopsystem, the retail fueling landscape hasevolved, with a noticeable increase in thenumber of high-volume fueling sites thatare now in operation. Namely, these sitesare the large truck stops that can feature10 to 20 fueling lanes and hybrid c-storesthat offer a combination of traditionalautomobile fueling islands and trucksonlyfueling lanesTo meet the needs of these locations,in 2019 OPW launched the HiFlo LoopSystem, which takes the componentsof the original variation and supersizesthem so they can deliver higher flowrates – all while maintaining the originalsystem’s streamlined installation, operation,monitoring, maintenance, repairand replacement capabilities.The upgraded components in the newHigh-Flow Loop System include:• Pre-fabricated loop sumps that accommodatehigh-speed dispenserfootprints, which allow high-volumeCONVENIENCE & CARWASH CANADA / 17
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