Implico links truck to terminal

GET CONNECTED

DIGITISATION • IN-PLANT TRUCK MOVEMENTS ARE ABOUT TO BECOME A WHOLE LOT MORE EFFICIENT THANKS TO TWO NEW APPS DEVELOPED BY IMPLICO WITH THE HELP OF SAP

IMPLICO, A LEADING software developer and consulting fi rm for the oil and gas industry, has received certifi cation from SAP for its ‘Connected Truck’ and ‘Connected Depot’ apps, which were built on the SAP Cloud Platform through the ‘Co-Innovated with SAP’ programme.

The cloud-based micro-services provided by the apps offer tank terminal operators and their business partners signifi cant benefi ts, Implico says, such as more effi cient, secure and transparent truck handling from site entrance to exit.

The new apps are part of Supply Chain United (SCU), an across-the-board architecture of easy-to-use web services for all supply chain

IMPLICO CEO TIM HOFFMEISTER (ABOVE) SAYS

THE NEW APPS REPRESENT AN IMPORTANT STEP

TOWARDS A FULLY DIGITISED DOWNSTREAM processes with multiple participants. The co-innovation program with SAP enabled Implico to tap into a global expert network and use state-of-the-art technologies and platforms. The results are two best-of-breed solutions providing oil and gas companies – such as tank farms, refi neries, fuel retail networks and logistics fi rms – with operational process excellence and further added value.

Tim Hoffmeister, CEO of Implico Group, is excited about the latest developments and the things to come: “With the ‘Connected Truck’ and ‘Connected Depot’ apps newly achieving SAP certifi cation, we are taking an important step towards our vision of a fully digitised, intelligent downstream supply chain. The increase in process optimisation for tank farms and carriers is immense. We are looking forward to offer our new ‘Supply Chain United’ technologies to the industry soon. Here, the label ‘Co-Innovated with SAP’ will help us a lot. After all, a company that opts for an SAP-certifi ed product can be certain to receive class-A technology and service to help boost its business.”

WHAT THEY DO The Connected Truck app links the driver directly with the dispatching and transport planning system. This enhances trip planning and reconciliation for bulk deliveries signifi cantly, Implico says, and raises a wealth of new possibilities. The fetch-anddelivery process can become more effi cient, transparent and safe for all parties involved.

The Connected Depot app addresses two crucial issues at tank farms with truck connections, namely queuing at the gate and traffi c on site. Via the cloud-based functionality ‘Online Check-in’, it streamlines product loading in oil, gas and chemical terminals. The app keeps all partners in a loading or delivery operation up to date on all movements, allowing them to carry out key work steps before the truck has even arrived at the gate. This supports a seamless process from planning to execution, even in operations that involve several terminals or customers.

“To boost supply chain effi ciency across complex business networks by increased collaboration based on standardised processes becomes an objective that companies are pursuing in the fuels secondary distribution domain,” says Jean-Marc Delbos, director of SAP’s oil and gas industry business unit. “The ‘Connected Truck’ and ‘Connected Depot’ applications by Implico are prefi guring the evolution towards such business networks that will further develop in these times of fundamental transformation.”

The Co-Innovated with SAP programme is designed to help partners through the development lifecycle that culminates in a SAP-certifi ed and tested solution against SAP product standards. It is an end-to-end program of guided services offered by the SAP Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services organisation that helps partners take their products to market in alignment with other SAP teams, providing guidance and support to help ensure a competitive solution in the marketplace.

The two apps are already implemented at pilot locations in Europe. Further information is available on the dedicated website www. supply-chain-united.com or on www.implico.com.