IOC to automate fuel filling in retail outlets
New Delhi   25-May-2011

PSU major IndianOil is all set to automate fuel filling operations in all its retail outlets in a bid to improve fuel delivery services as well as the perception about its retail outlets. The company has about 19,000 fuel filling retail outlets across the country.

As part of this strategy, IndianOil is automating fuel filling services in about 4,500 outlets that sell over 200 kilo litres a month. It has already completed automation in about 1,600 outlets and seeks to complete the automation exercises in the remaining outlets in the coming months. "Our next journey in retail operations is the automation of our fuel outlets. While we have taken up a programme of automation exercise in the outlets selling over 200 kilo litres a month, we will take up outlets that see over 100 kilo litres a month in the next phase," RS Butola, chairman of IndianOil said after launching the company's lube oil bulk storage unit in Chennai.

"This has been initiated as part of the company's customer service improvement programmes. This is one of the tasks that I have taken up and whatever investments are required for the automation of fuel outlets and other initiatives improving customer services, we will make," he added.

The key objective of the automation exercise is to improve the perception about fuel filling at IOC outlets. Post-implementation, the system cannot be tampered with and we will have better controls on deliveries. One can really feel satisfied over the delivery of fuel, said Butola.

The lube oil bulk storage facility near Chennai has come up with an investment of Rs. 23 crore and will initially have a throughput of 4,000 tonnes a month. This will be gradually raised to 8,000 tonnes a month. The terminal has been set up mainly cater to the bulk volume customers of lube base oils in the southern region.