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Issue 93
Rugged Hardware
Industry Specific Software
Full Service Support
www.touchstargroup.com
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 TouchStar is pleased to unveil CrudePac™, our feature rich upgrade and newly branded
crude and oil field fluid gathering and hauling mobility application.
Formerly known as CrudeTrack, CrudePac™ mobile computing software links crude and waste water hauling
fleets with accounting, planning and dispatch systems in real-time to measurably
improve financial metrics and vehicle, administrative and field processes.
CrudePac™ captures the hazardous and non – hazardous transaction detail in the crude distribution
chain without additional platform or system burdens. Crude and fluid haulers can
unify gathering, hauling and disposal operations with CrudePac™ and eliminate cross
departmental, field and administrative redundancy with seamless integration to the
back office, dispatch and ERP systems.
Crude's volatility and vertical services convergence spearheaded development to integrate waste water hauling and oil field
fluid services to the core configuration. With good reason. Preliminary Return on
Investment (ROI) analysis based on industry standards reveals a Days Sales Outstanding
(DSO) drop of 33%, effectively releasing millions of hostage funds for optimal cash
flow and operations control.
CrudePac™ originated in early 2002 for Seminole Transportation, now SemCrude, the crude oil division of Tulsa , OK based SemGroup Energy Partners.
Achieving an ROI of 60% ± from administrative and overtime savings alone in the
first 18 months of deployment has segued solidly to an upgrade initiative. Mike
O'Neal of Tulsa , OK based M-1 Enterprises, a TouchStar strategic partner, has been
instrumental to SemCrude's success with TouchStar Mobility Applications.
Pete Schwiering, VP of SemCrude Operations, is clearly marching ahead. “We are aggressively rolling
out TouchStar's new technology. Real time data to our corporate system, compliance
reporting and ease of adoption are just a few benefits that have supported our rapid
growth.”
“We are aggressively rolling out TouchStar's new technology. Real time
data to our corporate system, compliance reporting and ease of adoption are just
a few benefits that have supported our rapid growth.”
Pete Schwiering
VP of SemCrude Operations
•••••••••
 Longtime TouchStar customer and mobile technology partner, 4Refuel Ltd., Canada's
largest on site refueling company, finds “greener” pastures with on site fuel management
service and reported cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 72 million kilograms since
starting business 12 years ago.
Integrating fueling data with engine performance and telematics software creates a powerful platform that can dramatically reduce
greenhouse emissions, as well as provide valuable fleet and fuel efficiency analytics
to their customers.
One Billionth Litre Pumped to 4Refuel customer Roff Logistics, a dedicated Wal-Mart Canada carrier.
The announcement came shortly after 4Refuel achieved a delivery milestone of one billion liters of diesel fuel since initiating
on site refueling services in Canada and deploying TouchStar's fleet management
and automated delivery solutions.
The company has effectively combined environmentally friendly refueling service using technology and training to reduce risk to the environment.
“It's always been about saving money”, said Jack Lee, President and CEO of 4Refuel,
Ltd. “But now it's also about cutting greenhouse gases and reducing risk to the
environment.” Both concerns are topping the priority lists of managers whose businesses
rely on fuel.
Last year we helped our customers save over $20 million in refueling
costs. We also saved 17.5 million kilograms of greenhouse gases from being spewed
into the air we breathe. That's not a bad year.”
Industry statistics confirm that after labor, fuel is the highest cost of operations for businesses in construction,
transportation and logistics.
With the rising cost of fuel, businesses are seeing fuel management as another investment that needs to be managed to maximize return.
Fuel management has two objectives: minimizing the cost to obtain fuel and using
fuel management technology to drive fuel efficiency.
4Refuel's fuel management process begins with onsite refueling services to minimize their customer's cost of procuring
fuel. Using TouchStar handheld computers and fuel delivery automation software,
each onsite fueling transaction is automated and digitally recorded and available
on line to 4Refuel customers who can analyze their fuel use by piece of equipment,
fuel type, filling frequency, volume and consumption per vehicle.
Fueling data can then be merged with engine performance data and telematics to create detailed fuel
efficiency reports of every vehicle in the fleet, track greenhouse gas emissions
and even eliminate fuel misappropriation.
Lee summarizes, “Our first step is to show customers a simple way to cut fueling costs and the results are immediate.
Once they realize the impact, they soon want more. Industry today is searching for
new ways to be more cost effective and environmentally responsive….we reduce time
and wasted fuel while cutting toxic emissions. In fact, everything 4Refuel does
contribute to safer fueling, lower emissions and lower fueling costs to our customers.”
For more information on automated refueling solutions, please contact
TouchStar Americas : 877.53.TOUCH or email sales.us@touchstarsolutions.com
TouchStar Australia : 02 9739 9000 or email tsp.support@touchstar.com.au
•••••••••
While real time computing is all the rage in the trades and development queues, it's also an often misunderstood area of computing. Even the hyphenation rules are confusing. Generally a real time system is comprised of
hardware or software subjected to a real time constraint, or in other words, a critical operational deadline from demand to response. A clear example of a real time system
is the anti-lock braking system on a car, where the real time constraint is the time when brakes must be released to prevent the wheel from locking.
Typically real time systems are categorized into either ‘hard real time' or ‘soft real time'. A hard real time system has zero tolerance for failure to complete an
operation within a specified deadline. A real time deadline MUST be met no matter what the demand load.
In contrast, a soft real time system will tolerate momentary lapses or latency, ultimately responding with decreased quality of service as the deadline defines
the quality of the system. Most computer operating systems are soft real-time as they are tuned for multitasking, which allows tasks and processes to operate concurrently.
A quick look at globally utilized hard real time constraint systems substantiates
the “deadline” quality of demand delivery:
• Medical devices such as heart pacemakers
• Life support systems
• Industrial process controllers
• Nuclear power stations
• Car air bags
• Electronic fly-by-wire aircraft control
• Anti-lock brake systems
Some basic facts on the dynamics of classic real time computing easily transitions
to understanding real time messaging, one of the hot buttons in mobility today.
Keeping the field and fixed station connected and technician to technician in sync
has become mission critical in several vertical markets and a key differentiator
in customer service.
Microsoft, of course, delivers real time messaging, also knows as push e-mail, to
Windows Mobile devices via their Direct Push Technology. Interestingly, Direct Push
exploits the traditional HTTP web protocol to achieve client initiated real-time
delivery. Some have coined this ‘Long Pull' because technically the server doesn't
push to the client. The client device actually initiates a long-term persistent
connection to a server that responds when a monitored event occurs on the server.
Frankly, it's pretty slick.
Real time communications is on fire right now and most of TouchStar's customers
are posturing to take full advantage of high availability wide area wireless networks.
The benefits to process and data flow and ultimately increasing efficiency and visibility
raise the cost of real time communications. Data costs on wireless networks like
GPRS are still quite high in some countries and its savvy business practice to carefully
consider how data volume and frequency impacts real time requirements.
As we see with anti-lock brakes, real time isn't an option. Maybe it's not an option
for the enterprise...a successful one anyway.
•••••••••
Stay tuned for the NEW LOOK of TouchStar and soon to be released innovative MOBILITY,
ENTERPRISE AND MIDDLEWARE APPLICATIONS. We've updated and developed from A-Z and
that includes our website! Visit www.touchstargroup.com for a sneak preview of the
new TouchStar and what's in the pipeline.
Even our logo has a sharper look!
Look for our Microsoft Certified Partner Logo!
 TouchStar is pleased to announce the launch of an ATEX approved version of its HAWK
device, providing the oil and gas, chemical, industrial and medical gas industries
with a rugged, intrinsically safe, powerful mobile computer.
TouchStar congratulates long time LPG industry veteran and technology expert Randall
Doyle on his recent appointment as Chief Financial Officer to Blossman Gas and Appliance.
For 25 years Mr. Doyle has contributed to the advancement and well being of the
industry and will continue to do so in his new position at Blossman.
Mark your calendars! The Western Petroleum Marketers Convention February 19- 21
2008 in Las Vegas ! Be sure and visit us in Booth 1414 and experience what is new
at TouchStar.
From the October 2007 Issue of Integrated Solutions Magazine
Written by Ed Hess, Executive Editor “
Deploying mobile technologies in field service applications is not a luxury. It's a competitive necessity and the only way to meet increasing
customer expectations.”
* * * * * * * *
“It appears simple enough. Mobile computing, connectivity, and field service almost seem inseparable. From Integrated Solutions' perspective, almost every field service article we write includes a strong mobility
angle. That's not solely because it's a core technology covered in our pages. It has a lot to do with the field service companies we detail. These companies are automating processes, they are accessing and relaying data in real time, and they are optimizing their resources. And, all this stars with eliminating paper-based
processes and replacing them with mobile computing technologies.”
* * * * * * * *
“There's no question that moving from manual to automated processes is a big step for any organization. Several years ago, there were enough challenges to make a
prudent company delay such initiatives. Today, however, field service companies with that attitude aren't being prudent. They're falling a step behind the competition.” |
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CrudePac Pipelines Historic Visibility |
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4Refuel Soars to "Greener" Pastures |
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Tech Talk - David Thornley |
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NewsByte |
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