VDS Group and Indian oil and gas company HPCL set new standards in the fuel retail market in India by virtue of their joint innovations
15. 01. 20
VDS Group, the sectoral leader in the development and elaboration of RVI-designs for branded filling stations, together with one of the largest state-owned oil and gas companies of India Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), has worked out the innovative price totem. It has no analogues in technological and operational characteristics in the Indian fuel retail market.
The fuel retail market of India is today one of the fastest growing in the world.
According to a number of analytical studies, the fuel retail market of India is today one of the fastest growing in the world. In the upcoming years, according to the International Business Times and Reuters, a multiple increase in fuel demand is expected and certain global players such as Total, BP, Aramco will allegedly enter the market. In this regard, Indian oil companies are in search of effective solutions to remain competitive.
One example of the work of Indian companies in this direction was the business partnership of VDS Group and the state-owned oil and gas company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. According to Forbes, HPCL is among the 5 largest oil and gas companies in India with 15.5 thousand retail outlets as of March 2019.
Currently, HPCL is upgrading its filling station network. As part of this program, VDS Group, with the active participation and involvement in the HPCL leadership process, has developed and produced a pilot batch of price totems that have no analogues in technological and operational characteristics in the Indian market.
“VDS Group is an accredited producer that collaborates with global international oil companies such as Shell, BP, Gulf and others. We have accumulated and are constantly developing the intellectual capital of our team, expanding production capabilities and improving our standards. In 2019, VDS presented its capabilities at the Petrotech Delhi International Energy Exhibition. Some Indian oil companies showed interest in our products. One of them – HPCL – suggested that we jointly develop new price totems for the filling station network,” said Denis Konopatsky, VDS Group Regional Development Director and HPCL project supervisor.
“Regarding the design, we proceeded from the clear business objectives of HPCL, putting priority on the creation of competitive advantages that ensure the unconditional success of the HPCL filling station network. Design, unique colors, everything was developed after a deep immersion in the cultural heritage and values of the Indian civilization, with consideration of the historical aspect. Modern trends and dynamics that shape the future image were studied. The operational characteristics of the HPCL totem and its production processes are organized taking into account the climatic conditions of India: the level of dust and moisture protection and electronics protection was increased.”
The totem has an IP65 protection standard – the same protection standard is used in modern smartphones. The reliability of all elements of the totem and the standards of its protection allow the product to operate smoothly in the conditions of year-round rains and winds, and the wiring of the totem is protected from small rodents and insects.
The new totem is characterized by a number of innovative technologies and advanced features:
– interchangeability and maintainability of the product and its elements;
– centralized system of remote content management; the price of fuel is set in a single place and is broadcasted to all network facilities;
– modularity (a dismountable frame on bolted joints), the possibility of quick subsequent rebranding, if necessary;
– galvanized metal frame of the totem, the use of premium plastic in the manufacture of the logo, powder coating, advanced LED technology, auto brightness control.
The new HPCL steles are a product of high manufacturing readiness: they are assembled before delivery, on-site installation takes 60 minutes and requires a minimum number of workers and equipment.
“We offered the customer a new model of service management using the QR code system,” said VDS Group Regional Development Director. “The QR code makes it possible to track the entire history of the product throughout its life cycle. This is a progressive approach, optimization of business processes and maintenance costs. In the mobile application, you can track down problems online and quickly carry out repairs. At the same time, we, as a manufacturer, and a local after-sales service record any deviations for further product improvement.”
The first batch of new totems has already been tested under real operating conditions in India. The tests confirmed the compliance of the product with the specified characteristics.
“Our customer, using the VDS product, really gets market advantages. The use of innovative materials and technologies in the production process reduces the total cost of operation of the totem throughout its full life cycle,” concluded Denis Konopatsky, VDS Group Regional Development Director.
According to experts, nowadays the HPCL totem is one of the world’s best product models in the price totems category in terms of its characteristics and parameters.
