Establishing Remote Connectivity
It all started with their network-wide shift from Secure System on Module (SSoM) boards to Omnia boards inside their dispensers.
The decision to make that shift was not taken lightly by Kwik Trip. It required an investment between seven and eight million dollars, but the leadership team felt it was what they needed to do to help them accomplish their goals.
The main reason they felt that was because that shift gave Kwik Trip remote access to their dispensers as the Omnia board creates a Local Area Network (LAN) within each dispenser that enables remote connectivity.
"There's so much more you can do right from your desk instead of spending money on truck rolls and 15 minutes opening dispenser doors. If you can do that all from your desk, why wouldn't you?"
Dan Novy, Fuel Project Manager, Kwik Trip
Maximizing Their Media Strategy
With the Omnia boards installed and remote connectivity established, Kwik Trip then shifted their focus to forecourt media. Since the dispenser media client also runs on the Omnia, they were able to convert to a cloud-based media approach.
Kwik Trip now has media enabled at every fueling position across its network. Thanks to cloud-based remote management, they can ensure that nearly 99% of their fueling positions are playing the intended media at any given time.
Embracing the Power of PCN5
They've established remote connectivity with their dispensers, they've got their media running through the cloud, next came PCN5 (Pump Control Node 5).
"PCN5 is probably the most exciting thing."
Dave Powell, Senior Manager of Fuel Projects, Kwik Trip
By connecting the Omnia board to the cloud, and the PCN5 to the Omnia, they could fully configure their dispenser settings remotely.
Previously, 200 values needed to be configured to the PCN at dispenser startup – with PCN5, they just pushed a configuration file and removed the inconsistencies in programming that comes from human error.
Reducing Truck Rolls
After seeing how other retailers were solving dispenser issues through Forecourt (Insite360), Kwik Trip set out to achieve similar results. PCN5 got them there. By bringing the ability to connect their dispensers to Forecourt, Kwik Trip gained access to the Warm Start API, which was a game changer for them.
"By having the automated warm start, we went from the 600-650 [truck rolls as a result of card reader issues per month] average down to 98."
Dave Powell, Senior Manager of Fuel Projects, Kwik Trip
With an average truck roll of $350-$450, they would have been spending well over $200,000 per month on card reader issues. Now it's looking like well under $50,000.
Since Kwik Trip handles their service issues in-house, the success they found with the Warm Start API allowed them to dispatch their fuel techs to sites that actually need help.
The Bottom Line
As Dave Powell puts it, getting access to remote connectivity and the ROI that come from that made these decisions "worth the risk."
"The fuel dispenser isn't just a device that sells fuel," said Dave. "It really is an asset, and we needed to start treating it as such."
That shift in focus helped Kwik Trip improve uptime, reduce avoidable service costs, and create new revenue streams – all remotely!