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The Benefits of Holistic Site Design for a New Retail-Fueling Business

The Benefits of Holistic Site Design for a New Retail-Fueling Business

By Ed Kammerer

Welcome to Part III, the final installment of our three-part series focusing on “holistic fuel-site design.” In Part I, we focused on the importance of having all of your fuel-site components and systems working in perfect harmony, i.e., “holistically,” with any imbalances within the system being capable of adversely affecting overall performance. We noted that the first step in achieving holistic fuel-site success requires taking a critical look at the fuel-dispensing and storage systems and equipment at the site and assessing the health and performance of each component.

In Part II, we took an in-depth look at existing sites and the challenges their operators face in keeping a slew of individual components operating harmoniously on a daily basis. We also noted possible solutions regarding equipment upgrades that can help get all of the site’s various components and systems operating in a sync that can result in improved performance and peace of mind for the operator.

You Can Pay Me Now…

To kick off Part III – which will focus on challenges that may arise when outfitting a completely new retail-fueling site – we first have to take a trip in the “wayback machine,” all the way to the early 1970s. That’s when a new TV commercial appeared, one with a tagline that still resonates more than 50 years later.

Specifically, an oil-filter manufacturer created an ad in which an auto mechanic is repairing an engine that has failed, noting that if the driver had only paid a few bucks up front for a new oil filter, the engine would still be running. The ad concluded with the mechanic’s iconic proclamation: “You can pay me now or pay me later,” i.e., buying the relatively inexpensive oil filter a few months earlier would have saved the much more expensive costs that are required to repair the engine.

The same thinking can be used by someone who is building a new retail-fueling site, or even doing a top-to-bottom rebuild of an existing location. The message is this: When you’re investing $3 million to $4 million to acquire the land, build a new retail-fueling business and outfit it with the requisite equipment – a list that can be quite extensive – why scrimp on that equipment?

Sure, there may be cheaper alternatives in every component category, but why voluntarily choose to not set up your station for success from day one by cutting corners when it comes to equipment selection? Holistically equipping your site with fuel-transfer, storage, containment and dispensing systems that have been proven to perform reliably, efficiently and safely together for many years is a proven way to avoid trouble down the road.

Additionally, the many years of field-tested performance of the fueling system’s various components have led to the creation and development of systems that possess the capability to virtually eliminate any operational issues. This also helps take the guesswork out of compliance, assembly, maintenance and service processes while reducing the overall lifetime cost of the various systems. In the end, this results in greater peace of mind for the fuel-site operator, who is able to devote more time to focusing on what’s important: selling fuel, vehicle washes and convenience items to a satisfied and loyal customer base.

Conclusion

Cliches become cliches because they contain at least a grain of truth. So it is with the old saying, “You can pay me now or pay me later.” It is especially pertinent when considering the building of a new retail-fueling site or business. Why cut corners on equipment and system selection at the beginning, knowing that there may be a bigger bill to pay down the road? Recognizing this, OPW works religiously to develop fueling-system equipment and systems – from the fueling island to the UST – that have been designed to not only deliver optimum performance, but do it in a holistic manner in which all of the pieces have been engineered to fit and function in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

This concludes our multi-part look at the ways that adopting a holistic approach to the design and operation of a retail-fueling site can have many benefits, both at the time of construction and installation through the full life of what will hopefully be a successful and enduring business for many years.

 

Ed Kammerer is the senior director, global product management for OPW, based in Cincinnati, OH, USA. He can be reached at ed.kammerer@opwglobal.com. For more information on OPW, please go to opwglobal.com.

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