Fueltek case study · Local authorities & recycling
Cheshire West Recycling
A phased multi-site rollout built on one consistent fuel management structure.
The relationship began with larger depot equipment and expanded as Cheshire West Recycling took on additional sites. The aim was to keep the same operating logic across the network rather than introduce disconnected systems.
Sector context image
Project approach
From operational problem to working system.
A twelve-week mobilisation window made the five new recycling-centre installations a coordinated extension of an existing Fueltek network.
Mobilise five additional sites inside a fixed handover window
- Five household waste recycling centres needed operational fuel stations within a twelve-week mobilisation period.
- Drivers needed secure access across several locations without creating separate systems and processes at every depot.
- Management needed central visibility while local managers still required access to their own sites.
Standardise the hardware and connect every site to one reporting structure
- Supplied and installed five 1,500-litre tanks with FT4000 Compact units.
- Specified direct-drive pumps, 3.66 m hoses, automatic shut-off nozzles and hydrostatic gauges with pulsers.
- Connected the expanding network to Fueltek FMO so central and local teams could review activity through authorised logins.
Project in context
The brief, explained in more detail.
The project brought together the equipment and operating processes described below. Explore how the installation worked and the considerations for a similar system at your site.
Five additional sites. One consistent operating approach.
The network began with a 40,000-litre bunded tank and FT4000AP Twin installation in 2022. In 2023, we supplied an FT4000AP with a 90 LPM pump at the Ellesmere Port depot. The later expansion added five household waste recycling centres within a twelve-week mobilisation period, using the operating approach already established at the larger depots.
We supplied and installed five 1,500-litre tanks with FT4000 Compact units. This project used direct-drive pumps, 3.66 m hoses, automatic shut-off nozzles and hydrostatic gauges with pulsers. FMO connected the expanding network so central teams and local managers could review activity through authorised logins.
The five sites were commissioned in time for the planned handover. This was both a delivery programme and an extension of the customer’s management structure: drivers needed a consistent way to access fuel across locations, while central and local teams required appropriate visibility of the resulting records.
System architecture
How the Fueltek layers worked together.
A fuel-management project normally has several distinct jobs to do: physically store or dispense product, decide who is allowed to use it, measure what is held in storage, and turn activity into information that managers can review. The cards below show the roles of the systems connected with this case study.
FT4000
Authorised dispensing and transaction control
The FT4000 is the control layer at the fuelling point. It can be used to authorise dispensing, associate a transaction with an approved user or vehicle and create a structured transaction record instead of leaving the pump as an isolated piece of equipment. Where the project configuration captures additional fields such as mileage or identification data, those details can sit alongside the quantity dispensed so later reporting has operational context.
Explore FT4000 →FMO software
Browser-based reporting and multi-site visibility
Fueltek FMO provides the reporting and management layer above the field equipment. Depending on the installed configuration, authorised users can review fuel activity, run reports and manage information across users, vehicles, pumps or depots. On multi-site projects this is particularly important because it allows several physical locations to be viewed through one consistent reporting structure rather than as isolated fuel stations.
Explore FMO software →Complete fuel management
System roles
- Storage
- Dispensing
- Monitoring
- Reporting
Configured together around the site.
Storage, dispensing, monitoring and reporting as one project
A complete fuel-management package is useful where the organisation wants the storage, dispensing, access control, tank monitoring, reporting and commissioning to be designed together. The value is coordination: capacities, pump duties, user access, communications and reporting requirements can be resolved as one system rather than through several unrelated equipment decisions.
Explore Complete fuel management →Operational workflow
From fuel on site to usable information.
The steps below explain the roles of the technologies discussed in this project. The exact operating sequence depends on the equipment and identification process specified for the installation.
Store & receive
Bulk product is received into the site storage arrangement. Tank capacity, product compatibility and delivery access are part of the physical specification before the management system can add useful control.
Authorise
The managed dispensing layer checks that the user or vehicle is permitted to draw fuel before the transaction proceeds. The exact identification method depends on the project configuration.
Dispense & record
Fuel is dispensed through the managed pump or controller. The quantity dispensed becomes a transaction record rather than remaining only as a mechanical pump total.
Review & report
The reporting layer brings field data into a browser-accessible management view so authorised users can review activity without standing at the pump.
Planning a similar project
What should be defined before specification.
The case-study equipment should not be copied blindly. A new installation needs to be sized and configured around the actual operation. These are the main questions We need to understand before choosing the appropriate hardware and software.
Fuel & storage
Which products are stored? What is the expected daily usage, peak usage, delivery frequency and reserve requirement? These answers influence tank capacity and whether multiple compartments are appropriate.
Vehicles & dispensing
Vehicle type, fill-point position, desired flow rate, hose reach and simultaneous fuelling demand determine the practical pump, hose and nozzle arrangement.
Access & accountability
Define whether authorisation should be tied to a driver, vehicle, department, contractor or another operational identity, and what information needs to be captured with each transaction.
Tank visibility
Decide what the site needs to know about physical stock: current level, ullage, deliveries, movement, alarms and how that information should be reconciled with pump transactions.
Reporting & users
Identify who needs reports, whether the organisation is single-site or multi-site, which managers need local or central access and what exceptions should be easy to investigate.
Installation & handover
Existing equipment, electrical and data connections, vehicle movements, groundwork, commissioning windows, staff training and any fixed go-live date all affect the delivery plan.
Apply the learning
What to take into your own project.
For a phased rollout, agree the common user and reporting structure before configuring each site. Physical equipment may differ between depots, but the responsibility for records, access and handover should remain clear throughout the programme.
Read the project outcome →Case-study FAQ
Project detail and specification questions.
These answers separate the recorded facts of this case study from the decisions that would need to be made for a new installation.
What was the main issue this local authorities & recycling project needed to solve?
Mobilise five additional sites inside a fixed handover window. Five household waste recycling centres needed operational fuel stations within a twelve-week mobilisation period. Drivers needed secure access across several locations without creating separate systems and processes at every depot.
Which Fueltek systems are connected with this case study?
This project brought together FT4000, FMO software and Complete fuel management. Each system has a distinct role in fuel control, storage, monitoring or reporting.
Why use both pump records and tank monitoring where both are installed?
They measure different parts of the operation. Managed dispensing records the authorised transaction at the pump, while tank monitoring measures physical stock and movements in storage. Reviewing both gives the operator more context than either source on its own.
Would a new project use exactly the same specification?
Not automatically. A similar project should be specified around fuel type, storage capacity, peak dispensing demand, hose reach, user and vehicle access, communications, reporting requirements, installation constraints and any existing equipment that is suitable to retain.
What should be defined before a site survey or quotation?
Useful starting information includes the products to be stored, approximate daily and peak usage, current tank and pump details, vehicle types, required flow rate, number of users or vehicles, preferred access method, reporting expectations, communications available at the site and any installation or handover deadline.
Project outcome
What changed.
The five sites were commissioned in time for the planned handover, extending an existing Fueltek operating model across the wider network.
Relevant Fueltek systems
Explore the technology used.
Equipment is specified around the site, fuels, users, reporting requirements and existing infrastructure. The links below show the closest current Fueltek product areas connected with this project.
Plan your own system
Have a similar operational challenge?
Fueltek can review your tanks, pumps, vehicles, users, reporting requirements and existing equipment before recommending the most practical route forward.
Customer feedback
“I have always found Fueltek’s service to be both professional and friendly.”
Senior Materials and Engineering Manager, Cheshire West Recycling
Customer feedback from this installation.
