SetiBT Long-Distance Fueling Project

• Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)

• Agriculture
• Oil & Gas

• Logistics & Transportation
• Procurement

• Fleet Management
• Asset Health Management (AHM)
• Supply Chain Visibility

• Software Design & Engineering Services
• System Integration

SetiBT, a specialist IT services provider based in Brazil, was approached by a large fuel and lubricant transportation company for an in-vehicle fuel transportation solution. The company operates a substantial fleet of tankers that supply fuel to remote locations such as sugarcane processing plants, construction sites, and mining operations. The challenge was to manage the fuel loading processes for specialist equipment in the field, inhibit fraud and fuel theft, and increase the accuracy of data acquisition to better control costs. The system also needed to be capable of automatically identifying the equipment being fueled, including tank size and type of fuel required, as well as synchronizing with the vehicle’s horometer, odometer, and GPS. These functions would offer a clear breakdown of each vehicle’s productivity, status, and risk, thereby providing customers with accurate data to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

The customer is a large, well-established bulk fuel and lubricant transportation company based in Brazil. The company operates a substantial fleet of tankers that supply fuel to remote locations such as sugarcane processing plants, construction sites, and mining operations. The company's operations are critical to the sustainability of Brazil’s ethanol biofuel industry, which is considered the world’s first sustainable biofuel economy. The company's operations are also crucial to other industries that operate in remote locations and rely on diesel-powered equipment. Because of their distance from fuel stations, equipment refueling onsite is substantially more efficient and economical for these industries. To facilitate this, the company's fuel trucks carry diesel and lubricants to each site.

The solution provided by SetiBT consisted of an Advantech TREK-723 RISC-based mobile data terminal equipped with software designed specifically for managing the fuel flow and delivery process. The system automatically recognizes the equipment and authorizes the transfer of a specific amount of fuel according to pre-established equipment requirements. This not only saves unnecessary wastage, but also reduces pilferage by preventing unauthorized fuel transfers. The flow control meter affixed to each truck records the volume of fuel transferred, enabling the operator to review the exact quantities and types of fuel and lubricant delivered. The fuel flow meter communicates directly with the Advantech TREK-723 in-vehicle terminal, using on-board RFID technology to identify the category of equipment being refueled, and the type and volume of fuel dispensed. Through communication with the back-office server, fuel transfers are successfully restricted to sanctioned equipment only. SetiBT designed the user interface and management software to be integrated with TREK-723 and the end-customer’s own ERP software to ensure accurate enterprise asset management, business intelligence, and data reporting.

• The system automatically recognizes the equipment and authorizes the transfer of a specific amount of fuel according to pre-established equipment requirements, saving unnecessary wastage and reducing pilferage by preventing unauthorized fuel transfers.
• The flow control meter affixed to each truck records the volume of fuel transferred, enabling the operator to review the exact quantities and types of fuel and lubricant delivered.
• The fuel flow meter communicates directly with the Advantech TREK-723 in-vehicle terminal, using on-board RFID technology to identify the category of equipment being refueled, and the type and volume of fuel dispensed.

• The fuel transportation solution allows customers to effectively save up to 2% of the millions of liters of fuel typically used per year.