August 2013 • 17
CHESTER SINCLAIR, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
of Quogue Sinclair Fuel, Inc., has long
contended that technology is the key dif-
ferentiator that has helped the company
outperform the competition.
Founded in 1954, the Hampton Bays,
N.Y., company is now using an array of prod-
ucts from Advanced Digital Data Inc. (ADD
Systems) to improve efficiency and customer
service. The Company is using ADD Systems’
ADD Energy E3 platform for back-office
computing as well as the Raven onboard
truck computer in fuel trucks and the Pegasus
system for service technicians. The tech-
nology is essential to achieve the operational
efficiency needed to compete effectively.
Quogue Sinclair Fuel services the East
End of Long Island, offering heating oil
delivery, commercial diesel delivery, com-
plete heating and cooling service, generator
sales, and most recently, propane sales and
service. According to Russell Rose, CEO,
“We entered the propane business three
years ago, and it has jumped right off the
charts.” The company purchased two bob-
tails and three propane service trucks to get
started. “The rolling stock was expensive
and the investment in steel was substantial,
but the reward has been worth it.”
OCCUPYING THE CUTTING EDGE
The company began working with ADD
Systems in 2005 following ADD Systems’
acquisition of Versyss
Energy Division. As a
user of Versyss Vertrax
fleet routing software,
Quogue Sinclair Fuel transitioned to the ADD
Systems’ platforms for routing and back-
office and eventually began using Raven and
Pegasus. According to Mr. Rose, “Anyone
not using the current technology is working
one-handed and shorting themselves. This
may be your grandfather’s business, but the
old technologies need to be updated. You’re
working at a terrible disadvantage if you’re
not using technology to the maximum.”
Previously, Quogue Sinclair Fuel had
worked with a succession of different ven-
dors, always looking for the best available
technology. The company even paid a soft-
ware developer to write a custom program
for service dispatch. “You have to have the
best routing and most efficient assignment
of work in this competitive environment.
As the technology improved, we were
constantly checking for the best products,
and were not afraid to experiment,” Mr.
Rose said.
TIGHTER ROUTES
Quogue Sinclair Fuel is now using
ADD Energy E3 and Raven intensively to
improve delivery efficiency. IT Manager
and Fuel Dispatcher John Berntson is using
degree-day data to achieve a larger average
drop while also tightening the vehicle
routing. According to Mr. Berntson, “Raven
helps the company keep its delivery routes
tight and reduces travel time and downtime
between deliveries. We’ve seen a 5 to 8
percent increase in productivity. We are
getting more done in less time.”
Delivery trucks are equipped with elec-
tronic registers that capture precise delivery
information and transmit it to E3 when the
trucks return to the fuel depot at the end
of the shift. While E3 has increased average
drop size, the opportunity to raise it further
is limited. Vacation and/or second home
community wintertime usage is variable due
to unpredictable customer occupancy, and
the company has to play it conservatively to
avoid unexpected runouts.
DATA AT THEIR FINGERTIPS
Quogue Sinclair Fuels’s Service
Department is using ADD Systems’ Pegasus
software and hardware to assist service
technicians, manage workflow, improve
customer service and improve billing.
Technicians benefit because they have
access to the customer’s history and up-to-
date information via the Pegasus handheld
that connects to the E3 back-office system.
With the information that E3 puts at their
fingertips, customer service representatives
are much better prepared to answer cus-
tomers’ questions.
According to Mr. Rose, “Customer
information is now comprehensive, up
to the minute and readily available to any
CSR. The customer service representatives
can give the customer a full report on the
outcome of the service call. Having this
type of information readily available helps
build a customer’s confidence in the com-
pany. In addition, the company benefits
from instant service technician comments,
and the billing department gets a head-start
preparing the customer’s bill.”
The company appreciates the produc-
tivity gains that Pegasus enables. “Travel
time and wait time between stops have been
reduced. The service technicians acknowl-
edge when they finish a job, and Pegasus
automatically sends the next call. Calls can
be stacked in advance to eliminate waiting
for the dispatcher,” Mr. Rose said.
VALUABLE REPORTS
Mr. Berntson appreciates the report
generating capabilities in ADD Energy E3.
“The system has a strong database, which
allows you to prepare any report you might
need.” He relies heavily on the exception
reports from E3 to support important
developments and trends. For example,
if an actual delivery varies greatly from the
E3 projected delivery, it could signal equip-
ment issues, account set-up problems or
major changes in the customer’s utilization
of their home.
Mr. Rose relies on the technology to
help him better understand what is cur-
rently happening in the business and do
his job more effectively. “I’m the CEO,
but I’m also the company CPA, so to me
instant operational data is very important.
Current, accurate financial information is
critical to management and the Board of
Directors.”
Investing
for Success
Quogue Sinclair Fuels uses
ADD Systems’ technology
for competitive edge
