KANEB Pipe Line Co. Creates Customer Service

The Kaneb Pipe Line Company, is taking advantage of the FUEL-FACS+™ Central Business System (CBS) to increase efficiencies, empower its suppliers and optimize customer service across its entire enterprise. By using a FUEL﷓FACS+ CBS, supplied by Control Systems International, Inc., one Kaneb office can simultaneously manage all of its business transactions, at all of its 21 terminals along both of its pipelines.

Kaneb's East Pipe Line supplies refined products to parts of North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. Its West Pipe Line supplies parts of western South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Kaneb is in the process of installing FUEL-FACS+ terminal automation systems (TAS) at all 21 of its terminals. It has installed the FUEL-FACS+ CBS at its headquarters in Wichita, Kansas. When the entire project is completed, the CBS will be linked to every terminal in the enterprise, giving Kaneb a wide variety of business operations and accounting functions that can be controlled and monitored by the Wichita office.

Now, an exchanger has to call or fax Kaneb's headquarters in Wichita with requests for a change in shippers. Then, Kaneb employees have to call or fax all of its terminals with those changes. Kaneb management says this happens numerous times each day. Communicating these changes to 21 terminals creates a lot of work for office and terminal staff.

Exchangers and Shippers Can Make Changes Online

With the FUEL﷓FACS+ CBS, when an exchanger wants to switch shippers he can simply and securely log on to the Internet and inform the CBS he is making the change. The CBS can instantly and automatically notify all of Kaneb's terminals that a change has been made and no Kaneb personnel have to answer phones or read faxes. Note that the computer used by the exchanger is not running the FUEL-FACS+ CBS. He's simply using a Web browser with appropriate security to communicate with the CBS. The CBS then automatically contacts all the FUEL-FACS+ terminal systems to update the exchanger's shipper changes.

The FUEL-FACS+ CBS system can work similarly for shippers. The shipper can use the Internet to enter his pipeline shipment nomination directly into the FUEL-FACS+ CBS. Kaneb's scheduling personnel can be notified via e-mail that a nomination entry has been made. If all is in order, the scheduler can accept the nomination and automatically e-mail confirmation to the shipper.

Once a meter ticket is produced at the origin, Kaneb personnel can enter the actual shipment volume into the CBS and it automatically, simultaneously updates the shipper's inventories at each destination terminal.

FUEL-FACS+ CBS Solves Allocation Problems

Here's a common problem for a large enterprise such as Kaneb's. Two trucks from the same customer pull into different terminals in the enterprise at nearly the same time. Let's say the customer's remaining allocation is 5,000 gallons system-wide. If the system isn't updated constantly, different drivers at different terminals can lay claim to the same allocation amount. When the loading is done, the customer's allocation is zero but they have, nevertheless, far exceeded their allocation. With the FUEL-FACS+ CBS system, the first driver to card in will be allowed to load the 5,000 gallons but since the CBS provides real-time allocation updates, all the terminals can know exactly what is allocated and dispensed to each customer. So, when the second driver card swipes in, FUEL-FACS+ rejects the order and the driver is locked out until new allocations are provided.

FUEL-FACS+ CBS Improves Customer Service Here are just a few of the other benefits for customers and suppliers.

• Suppliers and customers can enter orders – over the Internet.
  
• Customers can see what's been allocated to them by their suppliers – over the Internet.
  
• Suppliers can see how much of their inventory is available at any given facility anywhere in the enterprise – over the Internet.
  
• Suppliers can re-consign product among themselves – over the Internet.
  
• Carriers can manage profiles of their trucks, trailers, and drivers – over the Internet.
  
• Carriers can e-mail messages over the Internet to their drivers which the driver receives when he cards in at a terminal.
  

These features benefit suppliers and customers by giving them more control over their transactions. They also benefit Kaneb by reducing their workload and reducing errors. Here are a few of the other business solutions for an enterprise.

• Graphical or text reports can be scheduled to run on a regular basis and delivered to e-mail inboxes or viewed using a browser. Those reports can include a view of one terminal, one supplier, selected terminals, selected suppliers, all terminals, all suppliers or whatever combination is desired.
  
• Up-to-the minute data can be displayed at the bottom of the browser, such as current tank inventory, number of orders lifted in the last 24 hours, gain/loss reports, or whatever information stored in the data warehouse a user requires.
  
• Allocations for low-priority customers can automatically be adjusted when the system detects a low inventory situation.
  

The FUEL-FACS+ CBS provides unlimited flexibility and scalability for dynamic business requirements. Because its an open system operating on Windows NT, the FUEL-FACS+ CBS can easily interface with third-party software, other terminal automation systems and legacy business systems. FUEL-FACS+ CBS is a one-stop shopping solution for one terminal or a multi-terminal enterprise spread out over the world.

Control Systems International, Inc. (CSI) is a control, automation and information system supplier to industry since 1968. CSI is headquartered in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa, Kansas, with additional engineering offices in Los Angeles, London, and Hong Kong and sales and service representatives around the world.

Control Systems International, 8040 Neiman Road, Lenexa, KS 66214. Tel: 913-599-5010; Fax: 913-599-5013.