NCR to automate BPCL's retail outlets

09 May 2006

New Delhi: NCR Corporation will undertake a major retail automation project for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd''s (BPCL) 73 outlets across Eastern and Southern India. NCR will install its Octane 2000 software solution, a comprehensive business management system specifically developed for the fuel retail industry. NCR will also provide point-of-sale (POS) hardware as well as integration and installation services for the project.

The complete integration between head office and retail network will give BPCL total control and monitoring of fuel dispensed from its various outlets and also offer its customers assured fuel quality, more payment options, more relevant loyalty programmes and a system-driven control for dispensing the accurate quantity.

According to Arun Singh, chief manager, retail network planning and retail engineering, BPCL, "The retail automation project is our next step towards offering continuously enhanced customer service. NCR''s specialised Octane 2000 solution for fuel retail automation offers us the twin benefits of improved cost and operational efficiencies as well as assured fuel quality and faster transactions to our customers".

"Octane 2000 will offer BPCL operational efficiencies, better inventory management and real-time cost controls," says Srihari Bhat, general manager of NCR''s retail solutions division for South East Asia. "It will also allow better co-ordination and alignment of business processes across the enormous distribution network of BPCL. Octane 2000, while enhancing the customer experience, offers BPCL the flexibility of fine tuning their retail strategy towards adopting global trends like self-service petrol pumps and convenience stores."

The project involves an end-to-end solution deployment, including NCR RealPOS point-of-sale terminals as well as software implementation. NCR will also provide BPCL with a complete electronic fund transfer solution to handle debit / credit / smart-card transactions. NCR will supply, install and implement the retail automation solution, integrating all NCR and third-party hardware including forecourt peripherals – pumps, tank gauging systems, densitometer, density display for customers (for quality assurance) and outdoor payment terminals.

The POS and back-office system will be integrated with a radio frequency identification- (RFID) based tagging system. Each attendant will be provided with RFID tags to unlock the dispensing units for a transaction, tracking complete transactions details. This will help the company track employee performance and ensure fuel purity and quantity for customers. Customer will also get an automated receipt showing the exact quantity purchased.