GUWAHATI, Jan 21 - With its aim to provide world-class facilities and complaint-free service to its customers, Indian Oil is leveraging technology to maximise accuracy at its supply points by minimising human intervention. With the commissioning of its first Smart Terminal in October 2015, Indian Oil has already commissioned 40 Smart Terminals (the highest number by any single company in the country) and will be converting all the balance storage terminals to Smart Terminals by the end of FY 2018.
�As on date, Indian Oil�s 130 storage terminals located around the country form the backbone of its POL supply & distribution (S&D),� an Indian Oil official told The Assam Tribune.
On its POL storage locations in the North-East, the official said that it was already going ahead to develop Betkuchi and Lumding as Smart Terminals at a cost of Rs 4.61 crore and Rs 3.73 crore respectively.
�Betkuchi is expected to be declared a Smart Terminal by June and Lumding by December this year. Our Malom depot in Imphal has already been developed as a Smart Terminal. Similarly, the Golai Terminal at Digboi, slated for commissioning in December 2017, will also be a Smart Terminal. New depots at Silchar and Doimukh are also being developed as Smart Terminals where work is in progress,� the official said.
A Smart Terminal is one where Tank-Truck (TT) filling operation is fully automated from its entry to exit from the terminal. A centralised automated system takes care of all the core operations, thus enabling manpower to focus only on the critical maintenance and safety-related support and engaging qualitatively with customers.
Indian Oil has successfully leveraged automation and technology to achieve unmanned tank lorry filling (TLF) operations round the clock.
�For the Indian oil and gas industry, the execution of the Smart Terminal concept is revolutionary and has improved transparency, efficiency and safety at storage terminals. The Smart Terminal personifies the pioneering spirit of Indian Oil to tap into in-house resources to accomplish industry-first credentials. The entire software was developed inhouse in its SAP�s S&D module with an objective to make these operations more efficient at reduced costs along with intelligent data reporting. This development has ensured that data analytic aligns with business objectives,� the official said.
With the adoption of the latest technology, Indian Oil aims to make all its POL storage locations operate automatically, providing comfort and convenience to all its channel partners.
