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Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter

DIVERSIFIED energy management firm, Fueltec, is set to introduce an automatic tank gauging system for the petroleum industry to improve efficiency in line with global standards.

The concept is mostly used in first world countries such as the US, United Kingdom and Switzerland and also found in advanced third world economies such as South Africa.

In a recent interview, Fueltec managing director Bernard Garwe said his organisation had already started a pilot project for the system with most of the major local oil companies.

“We have introduced automation to the fuel industry, which basically removes human error because as you know at a service station you have to reconcile what you have sold and what you have put in the (storage) tank.

“We normally use dip sticks for that and people take readings from the pumps and as you know wherever we have a human element, there is also possibility of error and also sometimes things like theft can happen as well because of the involvement of human beings.

“So, we are saying on a site we can actually minimize that by automating most of the processes such as taking the levels from the tank, checking the quality of the product in terms of its density and also things like what has gone through the tank.

“We are coming through with new technologies in line with global trends such as automatic tank gauging and automation of sites, remote site management,” he said.

Prior to rolling out such systems, Mr Garwe said the market always wants to prove the concept actually works before buying into the idea or adopting the technology, hence the pilot programme.

He said once the market begins to see the value they will invest more into the concept.

Fueltec is also a distributor of international brands such as Gilbarco, which supplies the local market with service station pumps for retail and commercial use, Nupi from Italy which supplies piping systems for underground functions of service stations, and Rigana South Africa, which provides fuel testing services.

The local company also has a partnership with Elaflex from Germany for supply of aviation equipment as well as hoses for service stations and other industrial applications.

Fueltec has also diversified into Zesa-approved energy prepaid meters through a partnership with Chinese company and the Zimbabwean firm is also looking to diversify into solar power business.

It has since partnered with BR Solar from China for the supply of streets lights and perimeter lights among other renewable energy products.

“Our portfolio now is broad-based but focused on fuel management, its storage, pumping and metering.

“We are also coming through with new technologies in line with global trends such as automatic tank gauging and automation of sites, remote site management.

“We are pioneers in terms of automatic tank gauges, which is basically tank-level monitoring and fuel movement, monitoring in the tank right through to the fuel automation, which reconciles your fuel on site in terms of what is in the (storage) tank, what has been taken out of the (storage) tank versus what is pumped out of the pump,” he said.

“It will tell you all the variances positive or negative, and you can have possible explanations as to what exactly happened. We are quite glued to new global trends.”

The Fueltec boss said they have on-going training with their foreign suppliers in all the new technologies and products that the firm is introducing.

“We are very ready to serve the market to its fullest in terms of its handling issues and management and we are now looking at ourselves not only as a fuel-handling company but an energy management firm because we are taking up issues like renewable energy products,” he said.

The company is also involved in renewable energy projects such as solar and wind among others.

Recently, Fueltec which was centred in Harare expanded its footprint into the southern region of the country, opened a branch in Bulawayo.

“Operationally, we have been mainly centred in Harare and servicing the rest of the country from Harare but we have seen a need for having a different branch to look after the southern part of the country. 

“So, we’ve just recently opened a branch in Bulawayo whose duty is mainly to cater for the Midlands, Matabeleland North, and Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces,” he said.

The Bulawayo branch, Mr Garwe said, is a fully-fledged office with its own technicians, administrators, assets as in motor vehicles and stocks, spares and many others.

“Right now we are in the process of promoting that branch to create market awareness which will be of significant benefit to the people residing in those areas or that have got businesses in those areas or that have got businesses in those areas.

“For starters who are resident there, we no longer charge them for mileage for example from Harare to Bulawayo as everything is now localised for their conveniences so they get cost-benefit in their operations as the services are now localized there.”  

He said his organisation’s vision is to extend its footprint locally and in the region. So far, Fueltec has a satellite office in Zambia, which is presently under development to increase the firm’s market share across the region, mostly in neighbouring countries such as Malawi, Namibia Botswana, and Mozambique.

“We definitely have a five-year development plan which is to see ourselves across borders to increase our presence in this country, which is probably opening other satellite offices in places like Mutare and possibly in the Midlands just to intensify our presence and offer better service to the industry,” said Mr Garwe.