April 2018 - October 2018
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Seneca Companies was awarded the contract to remove 284 existing dispensers and install new Gilbarco Encore 700S dispensers for a prominent marketer in Colorado that acquired many stores.
So far, Seneca has installed 219 of the total 284 dispensers. It is expected that the remaining 65 dispensers will be installed by the end of October 2018.
Three, four-man teams have been implemented to accomplish this project in a timely manner. With two construction laborers, an electrician and a service technician on-site, an average of six dispensers are swapped per day.
The typical dispenser swap entails the following: Once Seneca arrives on-site, an electrician disconnects all wires to the existing dispenser, the piping is disconnected and the dispenser is taken off. Seneca then sets on the new dispenser and plumbs underneath it, which involves connecting sheer valves and correct products to the product lines inside the dispenser.
Once that is complete, an electrician re-connects power so a service technician can come through to fire up, purge and calibrate the new dispensers. A large part of Seneca’s success during this project is due to expert electricians who minimize downtime by keeping up with crews disconnecting and re-connecting dispensers.
This project has involved multiple straight piped sites, in which each tank feeds a particular line and there is no blending of unleaded and premium unleaded fuel in the dispenser. When working on these sites, Seneca installs a manifolded tank controller module into the existing Veeder-Root system to tell the tanks that they are now set up to blend inside of the dispenser. In most cases, Seneca must manifold the tanks together, depending on how the product is fed from the tanks.
Seneca has installed the newest version of software in every new dispenser and pre-asseses the existing POS system, making sure it is compatible. Every POS system has its own way of communicating with different types of dispensers, and unique equipment is needed to make them compatible at times.
There were some minor challenges with the card readers during startup at the first few sites. However, Seneca’s knowledgeable service staff worked on the issue with Gilbarco and determined a solution while keeping clear and open communication with the customer. The dispensers are now equipped with EMV chip card readers and are ready for EMV transactions at the forecourt.
Seneca’s large amount of resources and knowledgeable staff have caught problems as they arise. This has resulted in limited downtime and has made the dispenser swap as efficient as possible. As the project reaches completion, the client is satisfied with the work Seneca has done and the top-notch customer service provided.