BANISH PUMPS-M. J. CHAPMAN

BANISHES

PUMPS

Contributed by M. J. CHAPMAN Field Sales Development Manager, BP Retail Division Shell-Mex and BP Ltd., Birmingham

A "l?umples_s" petrol service station has been opened by BP m Birmmgl~a~. At Westley Road Service Station, Acocks Green, B~rmmgham, there are no conventional pumps or ~ump islands. Instead, the motorist fills up from electncally operated overhead hoses which are lo~ered from a canopy covering the whole refuelling area. This development r~present s a further stage in BP's progra_mm~ of_ evaluat1<?n of ~ew methods and equipment which 1s auned at 1mprovmg forecourt service to the motorist. (a) The Pump Unit, consisting of a pump driven by a flameproof motor and a metering unit with a transmitter, totaliser and daily totaliser, is housed off the forecourt and alongside the buildings. In the event of a power failure there is provision for manual operation. (b) The Hose Reel Assembly is mounted beneath the canopy in such a way that the components can be inspected from outside; it contains the main valve, reduction gear, friction clutch, flameproof motor, hose and nozzle. (c) The Volume Indicator is suspended from the rear edge of the canopy adjacent to the buildings where it can easily be seen by the motorist and the attendant. It includes a device for transmitting and receiving volume information from the pump unit. There is also a lamp on the fascia which lights up when the pump motor starts. If this light flashes when the motor starts then there is air in the line which is then banished by purging. There is also a telecounter in the sales office which repeates the volume indication. (d) Control System. A unit within the main building controls the whole electrical system. There are also two buttons situated on the outside wall of the building close to the sales office. The upper one lowers and raises the hose from the canopy and the second is the limiting device overrider.

Westley Road Service Station retails three grades of petrol: BP Super (99 Octane); BP Bl~nd (9_5 Octane) and BP Reaular (91 Octane). The motonst dnves on to one of the 0 three eighteen feet circles on the forecourt each coloured according to the grade of petrol which can be served within a particular circle; red for BP Super, blue for BP Blend and green for BP Regular. The forecourt attendant then lowers the hose to head height from the canopy by pressing the button on th~ wall. The action of pulling the hose down from_ head height to:va~d s the car's filler cap automatically zero1ses the volume 111d1c

a~ors (also colour coded), starts the pump. m?tor and lights the "delivery" lamp on the volume 111d1cator.. ln th~ sales office a "delivery" light on the tele-counter 1s also ltghted.

Why do away with petrol pumps ? Because the extra forecourt sp~ce create~ should, in BP's view, provide a fa~te~ refuellmg operation and less vehicle congestion. If this is prove~,. then _it _will become possible to contain forecourt activity w1thm a smaller area than is now standa~d for efficient site operation. Clearly the greatest potential for the system lies in towns and cities where land. costs are high and intensive site development is required. ,

The equi~rnent is manufactured by the Tokyo Tatsuno ~anufactt~n~g c:;ompany Limited of Japan, where there ~~,OOO s n~1Iia~· mstallations in operation. Westley Road Service Stat10n 1s the first of its kind in Europe. With this ~ys tem, the basic ~omponents of the pump are separated mto four parts wluch are so sited as to leave the forecourt area completely open:

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During refuelling, the amount in gallons being dispensed is recorded both on the volume indicator and also on the telecounter. On completion the attendant places the nozzle in its holder so that it points upwards, presses a button on the hose itself just above the nozzle which is then returned to head height. As a result, the motor stops and the "delivery" light on the volume indicator goes out. At the same time, on the telecounter in the office, the "delivery" light goes out, the "delivery finished" light comes on and a buzzer sounds. The telecounter attendant then presses a re-set button which results in the "delivery finished" light going out and the buzzer stopping. The forecourt attendant meanwhile presses the button on the wall and the hose is returned to the reel housing beneath the canopy.

If another car is waiting in the circle for the same grade of petrol, it is possible to refuel the second car without going through the procedure of pressing the ascend button and then pulling down the hose to re-start the motor. Instead, on completion of the refuelling of the first car, the attendant presses a second button on the hose-the re-set button. When this is done, the motor stops, the indicator "delivery" light goes out, the "delivery finished" light on the telecounter comes on and the buzzer sounds. When the telecounter operator presses the re-set button on this occasion, the volume indicator is automatically zeroised, the pump motor re-starts and the "delivery" light comes on. At the end of this refuelling operation, if no other car is waiting for the same grade of fuel, th~n the procedure previously described is carried out. It is also P<;>ssible to operate the system entirely from the forecou:t w1~h one attendant only; in which case the telecoun.ter is switched out and simply records petrol sales cumulatively. ~p have no plans to re-equip other sites on these lines until the completion of a full evaluation of the S{'stem which is being undertaken later this year. Part1ct~lar emphasis, of course, will be placed on motorists' react10n to the new style service.

The advantages of the new system on stations with cramped, narrow forecourts where maximum use can ?e made of the available space are obvious. Doubly .so, ~f, as is hoped, the system can be adapted to blendmg 111 accordance with BP's policy of making five g'.ades of petrol of varying Octane number and price ava~lable at each nozzle in order to meet the individual requtrements of each make and model of car. .Finally,Westley Road Service Station has _ been equipped with a refuelling system for which no prev10us standards existed in the United Kingdom. We in BP would therefore like to place on record our thanks to the ~oard of T.rade, the Home Office and the Birmingham City Council for their helpfulness and co-operation in this unique development.

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ATTINGHAM 1968

We publish a selection of papers presented to students at the mid-week school held in May

Self Service

J. G. FRENCH, BP Retail Division

I would like to say first of all how happy my colleague and I are to have been invited to talk to you today. Not unnaturally there is sometimes confusion in people's minds abo~t how we all ~t into an oil company organisation. I thmk I can explam it best by saying that Mr. Wicks is an engineer and is responsible for the technical development of all types of liquid dispensing equipment used in the retail market-in his case for the three Brands, Shell, BP, an.d National Benzole. I have no such qualification, I am s11nply a marketing man and as such it is my job to try and consider the needs of the modern motorist, analyse them, and relate them to dealer's requirements and then to formulate Company policy.

Self-Service-General

Our subject to-day is Self-Service. There is a tendency for people to look on self-service as some new marketing gimmick. Self-service is not an American invention and it is not ~ew. In thi~ country we have become very' conversant with self-service stores and supermarkets and with ve!1ding ?iachines selling everything from hot coffee to rail~ay tickets. And_ we now have it in petrol retailing~l~e1~ on a comparatively small scale at present. I believe 1t. 1s important at the outset to be clear that two quite different methods of petrol retailing are developing in this country to-day. Firstly, there is post-payment self-service w~ich may, 1 sugge~t, be likened to a supermarket operaat10~1. The second 1syre-pay11?ent self:service which may be likened to a vendmg machme but mstead of giving a laundry service it dispenses motor spirit. Post-Payment Self-Service

Let us look at the advantages of this system to the motorist. . F_irstly t~ere is a healthy and increasing competition bu1ldmg up 111 the petrol market on the High Streetboth amongst dealers and amongst oil companies. One of the most effective weapons for meeting competition is by cutting price either directly by reducing the retail price or by offering trading stamps-often treble and sometime~ quadruple. Thus, the first advantage to the motorist is one of savings.

Secondly, on a well-designed site, a post-payment opera~or should be capable of meeting the requirements of a high flow rate of customers since the motorist does not have to wait whilst the attendant serves the vehicle in front of him, but can get out of the car and help himself.

Thirdly, there is no obligation to tip and the customer can have as much or as little "service" as he wishes. Observation of motorists on self-service sites has shown that they tend to take more care of their cars than do many attendants, especially if the latter are unskilled or disinterested.

Lastly, the motorist has no embarrassment if he only wants one gallon of petrol.

For the dealer the advantages are equally obvious. With the rising costs of labour especially since the introduction of S.E.T. and the difficulty of obtaining good quality staff, there is a continual manning problem.

The competitive advantage gained has already been referred to.

By reducing staff and having only one person at the till both stock and cash control are improved.

Because of the nature of the operation those staff that are required are able to work in better conditions. The console operator is in a warm kiosk or shop and the forecourt supervisor, where one is required, works under a canopy. With better working conditions the dealer is able to recruit higher quality staff, thereby improving the impression which thf'. ~ust<;>mer has of his business. Selfservice petrol reta1lmg 1s modern, and consequently a a modern image is projected. Because the motorist has to get out of his car and pay at the console_ he can then_ be subjected to impulse buymg of merchand1se-accessones, cigarettes, sweets, etc.

The advantages to the oil company follow. An improved Brand image, incr~ased sales, and, work_in~, on t~e maxim that "self-service 1s better than no service , an improvement in the customer's attitude towards the company. It would be quite wrong t_o thin~ that post-payment selfservice is right for every site. It 1s not. In the same way that supermarkets are usually buil~ in the best positions on the High Street, so must our sites be most carefully selected. With canopy, extra p~mps _and a console '~ postpayment system is costly. lf this capital, together with the reduced profit margin which the dealer e~joys if he reduces the retail price, are to be offset, the site must be selected to command a high throughput. Those dealers who have made a success of self-service know that you only have one chance .. If the .m~torist drives in tl~e first time and finds the equipment 1s sunple to use he will call again. Signalisation and signing are therefore of I?ararnount importance and 1 know from p~rsonal expenence that many dealers do not u_nderstand. this .. I hasten to say that l am not recomrnendmg a proliferation of unnecessary advertisements and meaningless notices. There is still a lot of work to be done in this field, especially on the instructions on the pumps themselves, and we are working closely in conjunction with the Board of Trade to this end.

Finally, on the subject of post-payment self-service, a few words on layout. Whilst a large forecourt is not essential, it is certainly preferable. In order to avoid confusion and c<?ngestion, to maintain control, and to speed up the operat1011, a controlled traffic flow is most desirable.

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This can best be achieved by clearly marked entrances and exits and by defining with the aid of white lines the exact position of each re-fuelling point. The most experi-enced operators tend to favour the use of blender pumps for self-service, hence the motorist can drive to any vacant pump and from it select whichever grade suits his requirement. In this way waiting time is reduced to the minimum and the possibility of queuing at any one particular pump is overcome. Pumps should be sufficiently well,-spaced to allow two re-fuelling positions at each one. It is a normal requirement that the console is so sited that the operator has a clear view of each vehicle on the forecourt. When an autoshop is provided, it must be laid out so that the customer enters the shop, makes any purchases he may wish, and walks out via the console operator. This requires very careful design study. Lubricating oil sales can take place either from the oil stands on the island, from vending machines, or at the console. Air and water can be provided either on the island or at a "service point" away from the island. This will depend on the space available and on the predicted customer flow.

Pre-payment Self-service

Now we turn to pre-payment self-service. As you know, the number of vehicles on the road in the United Kingdom increases annually. In 1967 it was 14 million and by 1980 it is estimated that it will be approximately 30 million. The consequent congestion on the roads has led more people to travel at night, and with more car owners and more leisure time, a greater number are out for weekend jaunts. However, service station proprietors are finding it very difficult to find staff prepared to work long hours; and with ever-rising labour charges, as well as S.E.T., they are having difficulty in providing 24 hour petrol service to motorists which is at the same time profitable to themselves. Hence the increasing interest in "After Hours Self-Service". The aim may be defined as providing a 24 hour petrol service, seven days a week, at selected sites where it would not otherwise be profitable to do so. These will normally be in towns and cities and on busy highways, but after hours self-service may well have an application in tourist areas governed by seasonal trade such as the Scottish Highlands.

Usually the station will provide a manned service by day and the pumps will be switched to "After Hours Self-Service" during the evening and on weekends. However, my Company are carrying out experiments with a wh?llY ~nmanned station. This is not thought to have a nationwide application, but rather to meet the requirements of special areas where there arc particular labour problems and other economic factors to be considered. T~e f~rst ?f these is due to be opened next month at B1llencay 111 Essex. You may be interested in the sales through note-acceptors for the first three months at the first five ~ites in the country offering after hours self-service. Already 111 these early days the average monthly sales have reached a figure in excess of 2,000 gallons per unit. This demonstrates that motorists do use these machines and that they do fulfil a social need. There is no cash advantage _in pu~chasing from them since petrol is retailed at ~he full pnce .. Basically there are two types of machine 111 use-th~ ~om-ol?erated machine and the note-acceptor. When d~c1drng which to use the following factors have to be considered. Firstly, the size of the purchase-the £1

equates to the average purchase of approximately 3-} gallons and provides a better return to the service station operator. However, the 5/- machine provides a satisfactory "get you home" service. Secondly, availability of currency. How many of you have two half-crowns in your pocket? 1 am sure you will all have plenty of £1 notes ! Finally, decimalisation. There are comparatively few 10/notes in circulation and these will be discontinued in 1971 with the introduction of decimal currency. Half crowns will disappear also and existing machines will have to be converted to take either the I 0 new penny piece (2/-) or the 50 new penny piece. The note acceptor is capable of conversion when currency is altered but it may be more costly than the coin operator.

W. K. WICKS. Shell Mex and BP Ltd.

As Mr._ French has just said, I am delighted to have the opportumty to talk to you to-day on the subject of selfservice, with particular reference to equipment and safety. Apart from the old shilling's worth on a hand operated pump way back in the 1930's, self-service as we know it to-day was developed in Sweden by the Co-operatives in the late 50's, and this subsequently spread to Denmark and other European Countries. They concentrated on a modern sophisticated post-payment system, much as we know it here in the U.K. The first site to open for selfservice in the U.K. was at Plymouth using Swedish equipment. A very close second was at Southampton where the first British equipment was used. Both the sites were postpayment and the equipment used will be described a little later. Pre-Payment Self-Service Systems followed postpayment as a natural development. Australia led the way

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The machine being used by the National Benzole Retail Division of Shell-Mex and BP is the Beck 5/- machine. The BP Retail Division are using the Wayne £1 note acceptor linked to a Wayne Blender specially modified for this purpose.

There are four fundamental requirements which any equipment must satisfy. 1. lt must be safe. 2. lt must be secure. 3. lt must be simple to use. 4. It must be reasonably priced.

This last point need not concern us to-day. Mr. Wicks will be talking more fully on the first three though there is one po!nt I would like to develop a little before handing over to htm. Almost the first lesson which we have learned was that if the installation was to be successful, the instructions had to be clear and concise. We believe that we have done this, though with further experience we may make alterations. The principles we have followed are: (a) Clear identification of the pump by use of a globe. (b) Overall instruction board. (c) Instructions on note acceptor. (d) Instructions on pump. (e) Special instructions required by Local Authorities, e.g. fire precautions, etc.

in this respect, but the major development was in Germany with the M unztank operation in 1964. According to our latest information there are more than 150 post-payment types of self-service sites operating in the U.K. currently, and there must be approaching 100 installations of prepayment either coin or note operated sites also operational. In addition there are many sites approved for unattended self-service.

Systems Post-Payment

We are all familier with this system where the customer serves himself then visits the kiosk or control point to pay for his purchase. This equipment necessitates the employment of at least one person on the premises to control the pumps and to accept the payment, and is often referred to as attended self-service. This was the system introduced down at Plymouth _using Swedish equipment. At least five manufacturers in the U.K. are currently producing post-payment equipment and I will talk about these later. Pre-Payment

As the n~me i!nplies, the customer pays for his spirit before serving himself and by far the vast majority of systems are operated by the insertion of coins or bank notes, either into the pump or into control cabinets or consoles remote from the pump. One system was developed whereby the pump could be pre-set remotely through a cash register type of console but I have not seen this used in practice. The coin or bank note operated systems are the ones installed on the unattended sites, but you will gather that had the third system been developed to any great degree, we could have had an attended prepayment system. I understand that there are one or two sites operating with normal pre-set pumps as self-service. On these sites an attendant carrying a satchel patrols the forecourt taking the customer's cash and pre-setting the pump, then switching on for a customer to serve himself.

Equipment

As mentioned earlier, there are at least five pump companies manufacturing self-service equipment in the U. K. aI?d very broadly these can be split into two groups. F1rstly there are the electro-mechanical systems being produced by two companies. Basically this system consists of pulse generators, mounted on the money and volume shafts of the computer head in the pump, which send electrical impulses into control gear mounted in a console unit at the control point or kiosk. The pulses are counted electrically and are computed to provide readouts of both the cash and quantity. The controller is able to converse through an audio intercom system with the customers. This sometimes gives rise to difficulty because the intercom ~tnits have to be intrinsically safe and so the power supply 1s very small. It is therefore difficult to obtain sound transmission which is higher than general noise level on the forecourt. When the customer has signalled his presence to the operator, he or she releases the pump for customer use. The operator is able at any time to switch ?If the supply of energy to any pump. Additionally, there is a master switch on the console which isolates all pumps. One manufacturer in the U.K. has developed a completely electronic system. In this case again pulse generators are fitted to the appropriate shafts in the computer head, but at the kiosk or control point the impulses are fed into memory store and thence to a ticket printer, which, when the pump is switched off, prints a ticket automatically, this being presented to the customer when he comes to pay.

Two-way communication is included in this system through press buttons and light systems, which are very simple to operate and to understand. The customer presses a button on the pump which lights an amber light on the pump and the console. When the operator releases the pump a green light shows on the pump and the customer helps himself. Again the operator has complete control of the pumps, being able to switch on or off individual pumps or to isolate all pumps at will.

Two further U.K. manufacturers have developed systems utilising electronic equipment produced by a firm of electronic specialists. Naturally there are similarities between these two systems, but basically again we have pulses being fed from th~ pumps back to. a control point. In this case they are fed mto an electronic memory store, and here the system becomes more sophisticated and more complex than the others mentioned SC? f'.1r. Having ~ed the information into the memory store, 1t 1s then possible to operate this system either as post-payment with readouts, or as pre-payment either bank note or coin operated. Used as post-payment the information from the memory store can be transferred to a readout and held whilst th~ following customer operation is taking p!ace. ~lternalively the information can be transferred onmediately onto the readout which follows the pump computer as a slave.

When used as pre-payment either 5/- or £1 worth, the number of impulses corresponding to the. value inserted is recorded on a relay. When the pump 1s operated the pulses sent back from the pulse gen~rat.or cou~t up to the number on the relays and the operation 1s terminated when the correct numbers have been dispensed. Audio intercoms are fitted on the post-payment systems but these suffer the same weakness as other similar arrangements.

A feature of the bank note operated and coin operated section is that the control cabinet has a system of ,air purging which overcomes the problems of flame p:oofing or making intrinsically safe. Some IC?cal aut~onlies find this acceptable and the control equipment 1s therefore allowed to be mounted adjacent to the petrol pump.

The Swedish equipment used on the first sel~-service si~e in this country is similar to t~e ~rst two descnbed,_ t~rnt 1s electro-mechanical with aud10 intercom, but ongmally this transferred price indications only.

Apart from the one equipment mentioned above, which could be used for either pre or post-payment, pre-payment equipment in the U.K. is mai_nly of t'_"o types. F1rstly, we have the coin operated variety wh1c~1 operates by the insertion of two half crowns and dispenses only that quantity of fuel. With this system the ~rst _half crown can be recovered if the customer changes his mmd or does not have a second half crown which is valid, but when the second half crown has been accepted then the customer either takes his fuel or loses the cash. In this system the pump is pre-set to 5/- and the coins simply provide the electricity supply; the cut-off control being mechanical as with ordinary pre-set pumps. Coin accumulation using both florins and half crowns has been tried, but has not been developed to any great extent. The other pre-payment system that is familiar to us is the bank note operated equipment. The bank note validator is based upon the

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American Dollar Changer, and is an anglicised, sophisticated version of the equipment which is used extensively in the U.S.A. This device scans a section of the bank note in great detail and is usually adjusted to reject about 5 % of valid notes. This means that very old, dirty and creased bank notes would be rejected.

The systems in operation are basically very simple. When a valid note has been accepted this simply supplies energy to the pump, which is mechanically pre-set, and cuts off automatically when the correct volume to the monetary value has been dispensed. In this respect it is similar to the coin operated 5/- version. In the bank note system a three minute timing device has been incorporated, the operation being completely cancelled at the end of this period.

Another system being developed and to be evaluated in the near future is a mechanical ticket printer built into the pump. Some form of intercom will be built into the system which will of course be post-payment. When the pump is freed by the operator the customer serves himself and at the end of the sale a ticket is issued automatically, which is presented to the operator for payment. This equipment will have power re-set which means that the customer will only have to remove the nozzle from the pump, serve himself, and return the nozzle to the pump, which is about as simple as the operation can be made.

A system is being developed using remote pumps with a readout on the nozzle end of the hose. In this system hose reels underground or suspended from canopies could be incorporated.

Yet another system under development will use blender pumps on a post-payment system during day time operation, and will switch to bank note or credit card unattended operation at other times.

These last two systems are not being developed in the U.K. and are very much in the development stage, so we need not concern ourselves with details at this time.

Nozzle

When self-service was tirst introduced into the U.K. it was suggested by some authorities that a nozzle should be produced which would ·not operate until it was placed in the fill pipe of the vehicle. It should be designed so that it would cut off automatically when the level of liquid rose up to the end of the nozzle, and should cut off in the event of blow back. It should also be impossible to grasp the trigger when taking it out of the pump.

Wayne Tank & Pump Company spent a great deal of time and money in developing a nozzle which would satisfy all the conditions called for. They built-in electronic sensing devices so that it sensed when a car was in front of the pump. There were other devices built into it, so that it would not operate until it was placed into an opening. It cut off as required in the event of blow back or fill up. This development cost that Company many thoL~sands of pounds, but it did not prevent a customer placmg a nozzle into a metal pipe similar to a car fill pipe and, what was worse, it could not be made reliable. The sensing devices were far too delicate for a piece of equipment which receives somewhat rough handling in quite norm.al operation. The significant point of course was that 1t could not be made reliable and thus would have created a hazard. The next development was carried out by a continental manufacturer. In an attempt to satisfy some of the conditions, they produced a nozzle which had an external bar running underneath the spout, and which operated a moving fulcrum arrangement within the nozzle body. In theory this nozzle would not operate until it was placed into an opening, but the opening could be anything from a vehicle fill pipe to a section of chain link fence. In practice this nozzle proved to be most unreliable as the bar quickly became damaged due to being pressed against the sides of the vehicle fill pipe, and knocked against the pump when being replaced in its holder.

Far from being a safety feature this arrangement became an additional hazard as the customers failed to make the nozzle operate when in the fill pipe after a very short period of time in use, and therefore took it out and started fiddling with it. This often resulted in petrol being sprayed anywhere but into the proper place.

For these reasons, some of the authorities who had asked for this arrangement changed their requirement. The majority of pump manufacturers and certainly my own company strongly recommend that this nozzle is not used for self-service and generally a preference for the type of nozzle which has an inbuilt inertia device is stated. Th~se latter nozzles will not operate until the nozzle is pomted downwards below the horizontal, they cut-off automatically at very slow speeds in the event of blow back or fill up conditions, that is where the level of spirit rises above the end of the spout. We consider these nozzles to be eminently satisfactory and this would appear to be borne out by experience on the continent, particularly in Germany, where they have been used on the many thousands of coin operated machines installed on sites in that country.

In addition to the safety features built into these nozzles, in practice it has been found that customers serving themselves are more careful with their own vehicle than an attendant would be, and one rarely sees even the dribbles a.t the end of the s~tle running down a vehicle on self-service sites, whereas this often happens with attenadnts who tend to become somewhat careless.

Simplicity in operation or use . Ha_ving talked about the equipment used on self-service sites m the U.K. I would now like to turn to the three subjects which Mr. French said I would be developing, but I would like to reverse the order. First then let us consider simplicity of handling.

In the case of post-payment self-service equipment we have the. audio intercom whereby a customer may contact at any time the operator if he be in doubt or where any aspect of using the equipment is concerned. Additionally, the instructions on the pump have been designed after much consultation between the Board of Trade, the Equipment Manufacturers and the Operators (and by that I mean the Oil Companies who have developed self-service as a policy), but we are not suggesting that we have reached the ultimate in simplicity of use for post-payment selfservice systems. For instance, there are complications if a customer should require more than allowed by the limiting device, where either the override has to be operated or details of that sale cancelled and he should start again. There are further complications where blending pumps are used, as there are so many controls that some have to be placed on one side of the pump and the remainder on the

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other side. In spite of this, however, operation of this type of equipment has been simplified to the extent that it is rare that a customer needs instruction after the first time of using.

Developments are proceeding as with the ticket printer pump mentioned earlier where we have reached about the ultimate in simplicity as the customer has nothing to do other than take a nozzle out of the pump, serve himself, replace the nozzle and take the automatically printed ticket to the kiosk for payment.

I think it would be fair at this point to give credit to our equipment manufacturers in the U.K. who have worked (very often in the face of opposition from authorities) to produce equipment which the public will find uncomplicated. Their developments have sometimes been sidetracked and complicated by marketing requirements of the oil companies and individual customers, but in spite of any difficulties, they have produced reliable equipment in most cases which has been sufficiently simple to use and self-service sites in the main are very popular and successful.

Security

When we talk of security we are referring mainly to those pre-payment systems particularly on an unattended basis. In the case of coin operated pumps, the pump casings are fitted with special locks and within the outer casing is a further coin box again fitted with a special lock.

Mechanical strength is built into this inner coin box, and we know of no case where insurance companies have asked for increased premiums where these equipments have been installed on sites.

Bank note operated equipment presents a different problem because cash values are proportionately higher. Here we have two slightly different problems, one being where the validator and control gear are sited remotely from the pump. The equipment manufacturer in this case has made the cabinet sufficiently strong to protect the delicate electronic gear of the note validator, and additionally to act as a safe for the money contained therein. The cabinet is constructed of heavy gauge steel plate, and designed in such a way that it is impossible to insert a lever between the side of the cabinet and the door, so that a grip can be obtained, thus forcing the door open. In addition to this, in most cases, the cabinet is built into either a block of masonry or the front of a building; but other than the prevention of the cabinet being hauled away, the building into masonry is not entirely necessary, due to construction of the cabinet. In the second case, we have the air purged cabinet which can be mounted on a post adjacent to the pump; here again the cabinet i.s c~:mstructed in heavy gauge steel plate, and the door similarly constructed so that it is impossible to insert a le':'er 1?etween the cabinet and door edge with a view to forcmg 1t open. Again this cabinet can be built into a masonry block 1f so required, but of course, care would have to be exercised to ensure that the air passages are kept clear.

No doubt we could all think up many schemes whereby alarms are set off in the event of damage to the cabinets, but experience to date has shown that the construction of ~he cabinets themselves, the siting of the pumps and t.he mtensity of illuminations on sites where this sort of equipment is installed, are sufficient deterrents to dissuade the petty thief and vandal. Should there be an organised gang who are determined to break into this sort of equipment, then quite obviously they could succeed, but it would not be a simple matter for them, and it should be realised that in spite of all the sophisticated bur~lar alar1:1s and up-todate designs of safes, many burglanes are still committed.

It must be safe

Safety is a topic which is uppermost in all our minds when we construct a filling station, whether it be attendant service or self-service, whether it be attended self-service, or unattended self-service. Safety is achieved by devices built into the equipment, and by codes of practi~e and licensing conditions desigi:ied to ensure that the eqmpm~nt is installed and operated m a safe manner. In the eqmpment we have pre-set devices which terminate delivery of product on either attendant operated pumps or on selfservice pumps. In the case of attendants, they. u~uall~ set the quan~ity before the ~ale c~mmences and this 1s a~JUStable by the simple mampulat10n of a knob on the side of the pump. In the case of self-service, I have described this feature in the coin operated and the bank note operated pumps, where the pre-set is fixe~ by the manufacturer and terminates mechanically the dehvery of products.

Limiting devices at quantities prescribed by the l~censing authorities are fitted to many pumps, thus ensuring that no more than the prescribed amount of product i:iay be dispensed in any one operation without some deliberate action being taken upon the pa!t ?f the pump operator. These limiting devices may be bmlt mto attendant operated or self-service equipment.

The safety nozzles incorporating the auto~rnti~ cut-?ff device which will prevent overspilling and t~e mertia dev1~e which will not allow products to flow until the nozzle is pointed below the horizontal. I described the nozzle developed for self-service earlier in my talk.

Finally, we have the principles of constructio_n. and licensing conditions which you gentlemen admm1ster. There has been lack of guidance on this subject in the past, but I shall be most disappointed if a new model code containing guidance on both attended and unattended selfservice is not available before the end of July. Indeed, when asked recently in the House of Commons for a date when this document would be available, the Home Office spokesman stated that it should be published in about three months from the end of March. In the meantime, advice can be obtained from the Home Office, and we must hope that any such advice that is sought and given will be based on the new model code. In the absence of any realistic guidance from the recognised authority, your Association produced some documents with which L am sure you are all familiar, and which have undoubtedly helped to fill the gap created by events overtaking legislation. When I spoke to a meeting of your Association at Huyton-with-Roby in April I made it quite clear that, whilst I could not agree with all the conditions contained in those documents, l appreciate the hard work and thought that went into the production of them, and expressed the view that the Industry and the Local Authorities should be grateful to those people who made the effort to produce them. Experience often shows that whilst intentions have been good, regulations framed to-day can quickly become obsolete.

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