IOCL partners with Atos to automate its retail outlets
New Delhi   08-Oct-2015

The initiative will enhance operational efficiency by controlling any distribution losses and improve data interpretation and analytics to steer the performance and efficiency across the IOCL distribution network.

India's largest oil marketing company, IOCL has struck a strategic partnership with French IT services company Atos to automate its 1,745 petrol stations across India.

With this initiative IOCL will automate its entire distribution chain, terminal and depot facilities to increase efficiency through quick fill-in and avoid long queues with liquid stock management throughout the retail supply chain to ensure sufficient fuel is available at all fuel stations.

The agreement encompasses complete solution design, equipment supply, and installation at 1,745 IOCL retail fuel stations in 12 Indian states and extended service and support for five years. Atos will complete the implementation by December 2015.

Out of the 24, 405 IndianOil petrol stations, 8,800 have already been automated. The oil firm plans to automate 10,000 petrol stations by the end of this fiscal year.

"The automation of operations will leverage digital technology to help us monitor every fuel tank, every fuel dispenser machine and various quality parameters centrally controlled through our divisional offices. Data from all retail outlets will be sent to the IOCL central server for further analytics and intelligent decision making," said G. Ramkumar, Executive Director (Automation), IOCL.

The retail automation initiative is aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction and achieving transparency in its operations. "It helps IOCL monitor the quality of fuel dispensed to client and the quality of fuel delivered to its retail outlet. With the automation of retail outlets it can monitor/match volume of fuel delivered to the dealer and the volume of fuel dispensed at retail outlet. It's a big move towards Industrial Internet of Things," said Milind Kamath, CEO, Atos.

The Atos Forecourt Controller resides at the center of the fuel station automation and helps in real-time monitoring and management of each IOCL outlet. It involves seamless integration of the Forecourt Controller with the underground tanks equipped with auto tank gauging systems and back office systems for real-time inventory management and sales reconciliation with centrally controlled price management and MIS reporting system.

Automation of fuel stations will drive higher volumes across all retail outlets by ensuring maximum stock availability. It will improve customer confidence with IOCL outlets by ensuring stringent quality and quantity checks. The initiative will enhance operational efficiency by controlling any distribution losses and improve data interpretation and analytics to steer the performance and efficiency across the IOCL distribution network.

"The automation drive will increase visibility on the regional load to seize new opportunities to open new outlets. In the long run it will augment our readiness to create a platform to enable dynamic pricing in a de-controlled future fuel price era and fuel retailing," said Ramkumar.

The oil firm clocked a turnover of Rs 4,50,756 crore in 2014-15. As an undisputed market leader, IOCL registered the highest profit of Rs 6,436 crore in the industry in the first quarter of 2015-16.