Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Chooses FUEL-FACS+® for its Multi-terminal Automation Project
Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation (UDS) has recently signed a contract with Control Systems International, Inc. (CSI), to install CSI's FUEL-FACS+ Central Business System (CBS) in its San Antonio, Texas headquarters. UDS's proprietary, third party, and exchange fuel distribution terminals will communicate business, inventory, and accounting data to the FUEL-FACS+ CBS located in UDS's corporate headquarters.
UDS has several kinds of terminal automation systems (TAS) spread out across the country that UDS wants to "talk" to UDS's corporate headquarters. One of the reasons UDS chose the FUEL-FACS+ CBS is because it interfaces with several different kinds of TAS systems at once, and accurately accounts for every drop of product moved, stored, or dispensed in the entire enterprise. The FUEL-FACS+ CBS also communicates with UDS's retail stores to gather pertinent business information. No other single, fuel terminal business system can do that.
Once installed in its San Antonio, Texas headquarters, UDS will take full advantage of the FUEL-FACS+ CBS to communicate with all of its proprietary terminals via UDS's proprietary protocol. The FUEL-FACS+ CBS will also communicate with Guardian II terminals and other third-party exchange terminals via GE TABS electronic data interchange (EDI) protocol.
The FUEL-FACS+ CBS will manage the sophisticated operational accounting associated with supervising UDS's suppliers, customers, carriers, exchangers, contracts, credit, and allocations over the entire UDS enterprise.
The FUEL-FACS+ CBS system will also communicate with the UDS retail stores via the Internet to confirm when product is delivered to each store. This web application tells the home office, in real-time, when and how much product has been delivered. That allows the retail store and home office to check the bill of lading issued at the terminal against the actual amount of product delivered.
This ensures that accurate data is available for proper invoicing which speeds up the billing process.
CSI will be responsible for project management, teaming up with the UDS IT department to interface the FUEL-FACS+ CBS to each fuel terminal, total system installation and deployment, factory acceptance test (FAT), site acceptance test (SAT), and providing ongoing 24/7 FUEL-FACS+ CBS support.
Once installed, UDS will be able to centrally perform all of its allocation, inventory and credit checks (AIC) for its proprietary and third-party exchange terminals. The FUEL-FACS+ CBS will also provide UDS with real-time product movement, dispensing, and inventory information at all of its terminals.
UDS will utilize a GE TABS server host to allow the non-UDS exchange terminals to interface to UDS's FUEL-FACS+ CBS for load authorization and completed load reporting. The FUEL-FACS+ CBS's import/export scripts will interface with existing price, credit, and order processing which are then interfaced into UDS's SAP® enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for BackOffice accounting.
UDS will install the FUEL-FACS+ CBS in its San Antonio headquarters later this fall and begin interfacing it to its entire enterprise this year.
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.
SAP and R/3 are registered trademarks of SAP AG. Other SAP product or service names mentioned herein are registered or unregistered trademarks of SAP AG. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Control Systems International, 8040 Neiman Road, Lenexa, KS 66214. Tel: 913-599-5010; Fax: 913-599-5013.