Zimpapers Logo

Ishemunyoro Chingwere Business Reporter
A FUEL solutions company, Garage and Forecourt (Pvt) Ltd, is rolling a first of its kind 3D Laser Scan machine that uses state-of-the-art technology to calibrate and re-calibrate fuel tanks at a time local stations have been relying on manual methods.

Calibration and re-calibration is an important exercise in the fuel industry as it is key in stock accounting and stock management and fuel stations rely on it heavily for day to day management. With tank positioning sometimes changing due to ground movement, recalibration is a necessity in the fuel sector.

Local companies however, are still relying on manual calibration and recalibration which despite not being very accurate is time consuming thus has a negative effect on business and or trading time.

The manual route also requires that stations fill up their tanks to 100 percent in order to calibrate and recalibrate the whole tank but most companies are unable to do this as not many are able to fill up their tanks.

President Mnangagwa is on record saying Zimbabwe needs Information Communication Technologies guidance through the National ICT Policy he launched last year to drive economic development.

In an interview with The Herald Business, Garage and Forecourt (Pvt) Ltd managing director Mr Omalli Jani, said the French made technology is set to improve efficiency in product accounting in the petroleum sector.

“Most businesses have of late been failing to calibrate and or recalibrate their tanks because the manual method they rely on needs 100 percent stock in the tank which most are unable to retain due to a number of reasons,” said Mr Jani.

“But with this technology, we have gotten from France, all that becomes immaterial as one can calibrate the whole tank even at 85 percent empty or with just 15 percent of stock.

“This is state-of-the-art technology with 3D Laser Scan equipment and it’s the one that is being used in the first world so having it locally is a sign we are now moving with the times.

“Businesses also don’t want to waste time and this ATEX certified technology is their solution as it can take just a day to complete the scanning process of the five tanks at a Service Station,” he                                                                        said.

Mr Jani said using the previous conventional methods, which is volumetric calibration, takes about six hours to calibrate a 25 000 litre tank and with most stations having an average of four of these, it might take up to four days to do one station.

However, the 3D Laser Scan needs just two hours per tank.

Garage and Forecourt (Pvt) Ltd is transforming the fuel sector and has previously rolled out an IT based fuel management gauging system to replace the less accurate manual system which local stations had been relying on.