Propel’s fuel stations provide convenient access to renewable fuels, offering consumers and fleets new fuel choices that make progress toward reducing carbon emissions, creating jobs, and lowering America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Along with Propel’s next generation fuel technology, fuel stations and convenience stores have likewise evolved to take advantage of that technology. This case study explores how Propel-served stations and stores manage sales transactions from pump to POS using Triple E software on Posiflex touch screen terminals.
POS to the Pump Metamorphosis
Triple E fuel station and convenience store POS software development has followed the evolution of such locations from selling gas and candy to today’s large-scale fuel station minimarts. Early development typically comprised a POS cash register with gas pump interface toolbar on top. Then fuel stations grew to multiple-pump, self-serve facilities requiring remote authorization and activation of fuel dispensers. This was followed by need for distributors like Propel to manage renewable fuel specific pumps co-located with conventional petroleum dispensers at major oil branded stations such as Chevron or 76.
Traditionally, two terminals were required for combination fueling and convenience store operations: one at the fuel pump and one in the store. Triple E expanded toolbar functionality to a full-screen touch application on Posiflex terminals, integrating fuel site controller and POS register functions into one intuitive application to support all station services. The configuration used at Propel is the Vanguard Pro FCT paired with a Navigator site controller. Triple E’s modular suite of software and hardware products work together as an integrated, customizable, stand-alone solution to meet virtually any POS business need.
Posiflex Green Earth Initiative
In 2007, Posiflex launched its own greening management program – Posiflex Green Earth. This program provides a framework for vendors in the Posiflex supply chain to coordinate efforts in adopting green processes and policies. As an early adopter of the European Union’s RoHS Directive, Posiflex became one of the first POS manufacturers to achieve certification. In addition, since 2006, 100% of Posiflex products contain no lead in material finishes. Lead has also been removed from the wave solder process.
The touch screen terminal running at Propel’s stations is a Posiflex green technology, fan free and touch screen terminal running on an energy-saving embedded CPU. With Posiflex’s patented heat-dissipating technology, no cooling fan means using a lower wattage power adaptor to reduce terminal energy consumption. These improvements, coupled with efficient RAM, HDD, SSD (solid state drives) and component-level designs (over 30 patents for engineering innovation) result in up to 50% energy cost savings compared to traditional fan-based systems. By using a fraction of the power, a fan-free terminal over its three-year warranty period saves $500; over a terminal’s seven-year life expectancy, energy savings can pay for the replacement of a new POS terminal.
Most importantly, with fewer moving parts, there are fewer failures, which results in maximum up-time. Your gas and retail operations run 24/7, 365 days a year, so should your terminal.
Customers Needs
Propel Fuels (http://www.propelfuels.com), a leading retailer of renewable fuels is bringing locally-produced, low carbon fuels to drivers across California. Propel and Posiflex both have green initiatives which are fused together with software from Triple E Technologies (http://www.e3tek.com). Propel needed a unified pump management and convenience store POS solution to manage both full-station/store operations and unmanned co-located fueling facilities.
Technical Solution
Serving the petroleum industry for 35 years, Triple E Technologies, LLC (http://www.e3tek.com) designed its software around Propel’s requirements to create integrated Convenience Store POS software.
Triple E’s software runs on rugged Posiflex touch screen terminals engineered and designed for tough 24/7, 365-day operating environments.