Reconciliation, or Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR), is the maintenance and examination of the stock movements within the storage vessels, the output through the fuel pumps and the input by delivery. In an ideal world, reconciliation wouldn’t be necessary as all these factors would naturally balance. However, in the real-world variances do occur due to inaccurate or inconsistent meter readings, inferior stock measurements due to low quality or poorly maintained tank gauges, and of course discrepancies due to tank failure or theft.
SIR is best regarded as standard practice as well as being detailed by the Environmental Agency within HSG 176 and Report R & D 2-285. Although some of these documents are mostly written for retail filling stations, they do specifically mention that the practices should also be followed at workplace storage spaces and diesel only sites. They also outline examples of reports that require to be maintained and indicate that it is expected that reconciliation between tank depletion and pump output should be undertaken daily.
By keeping accurate charts on a daily basis, fleet operators will be alerted to any failure of any of these systems and, where reconciliation is monitored on a permanent basis, will identify the most serious issues as they occur with the help of Merridale FuelWorks’ sudden drop detection.
How can fleet operators adopt the best and most comprehensive practices?
The simple answer to this is to consistently maintain accurate records and to utilise the most reliable and trustworthy measuring equipment. This extends to accurate pumps with air separation and positive displacement meters, tank contents measuring systems that are of the highest industry standards and to ensure that all equipment is inspected and calibrated frequently.
It is appreciated that the daily task of inspecting and recording tank contents and ensuring delivery equipment is accurate by daily testing does add significantly to any fleet operator’s administration tasks. However, the best solution is to incorporate a holistic approach whereby not only will the equipment employed meet with the best industry standards but that they are designed to automate this recording and present the results in a readily accessible format.
Merridale users can rest assured knowing that all Merridale pump metering equipment, including tank management systems, are built to the highest industry standards which means that the calculations produced by Merridale software are of the most accurate generally available.
As standard, a Merridale tank management system features a highly accurate gauge with precision pressure probes and overfill sensors, as well as having the functionality to interface with a Merridale fuel pump and management system for remote access and detailed reconciliation.
By transferring the data to the Merridale FuelWorks web-based service, via the fuel management integration, you can benefit further from fuel stock prediction, automatic delivery detection, low-level warnings, and order prompts, all accessible on any web-enabled device.
A detailed reconciliation report is generated in FuelWorks by comparing the daily stock movements within the tank, considering any deliveries that have been automatically detected and comparing this against the authorised issues from the fuel pumps. This information can be used to pinpoint areas of concern such as hidden tank or pipework leaks or simply if the fuel pump meters need recalibration.
Merridale’s tank management systems now also include stock depletion detection, to alert you immediately, via SMS, of an unexpected drop in fuel level. This means that you will be alerted to any severe leak or theft from the tank that occurs, irrespective of where you are at the time.
To find out how a Merridale fuel and tank management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.
