Gas Cylinder Distribution & Tracking System

To boost the supply chain efficiency of a French gas distribution giant

A leading supplier of Butane, Propane, CNG, and LNG gas with a network of more than 1200 sales points across the country was looking to optimize its supply chain network and gain more control over stock levels. The European client was seeking a mobile-first gas cylinder management application to monitor the movement of cylinders and vehicles between the plant & refilling depot efficiently.

Capability

Cross-platform

Industry

Oil & Gas

Country

France

Key Features

The developed gas cylinder tracking system helped control the end-to-end process of gas supply digitally, from picking up the order to delivery and returning to the plant, for which a manual assignment was in place previously.

Delivery request synchronization

Enables drivers to address and take up multiple bookings at once, finish picking the order, and close the requests – all with just a few taps

Order management

Helps manage the lifecycle of the cylinder (order fulfillment) – filling, processing at depot, delivery, and receiving the empty cylinder

Trailer stock management

Facilitates trailer scanning for empty and full cages with an estimated net & gross weight based on cylinder type and capacity

Delivery & routing

Allows drivers to select the route, update the delivery schedule, and map their progress

Challenges

Mismatch of inventory items

Lack of efficient tracking of cylinder lifecycle, from filling to delivery, usage, and return

Complex order workflow & inventory control system

Manual management of drivers right from picking orders to closing the request leads to an inefficient supply chain process

No monitoring of real-time activities of the distribution workforce

Solutions

The mobile application for gas cylinder distribution was developed using Xamarin. It acted as a single source of truth for:

1) Managing & monitoring gas cylinder delivery;

2)Real-time tracking of inventory utilization, vehicle usage & driver efficiency

Digitization of order management

The agency/admin module helped track delivery efficiency, map inventory & automate delivery schedules. This granular level visibility enabled optimum delivery management of assets while accelerating turnaround time with optimization delivery routes.

UI/UX designing

We utilize Angular to deliver a seamless user experience with easy navigation for the drivers and agency users. Following the best practices of material design, we ensured intuitive & interactive interfaces across devices for smooth, swift, and efficient usage of the application.

Asset tracking

Our team enabled Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacon tracking for assets (cylinders) to monitor their movement – from warehouse to final delivery. The beacon transmits a unique digital identifier which is scanned by the mobile app for easy tracking & counting of cages carrying the cylinders. This 360-degree visibility with geo-location tracking helps optimize process control & avoid the loss of cylinders.