AgGateway Works on Standards for Energy Product Sales; Provides Value Calculator

Energy Sales

AgGateway Works on Standards for Energy Product Sales; Provides Value Calculator

By Susan Ruland, AgGateway Marketing Communications Director

An AgGateway group of agricultural retailers, distributors, energy suppliers and software solution providers is setting the standards to improve the speed and efficiency of data exchange in the shipping and receiving of energy products (e.g., refined fuels, liquified petroleum, grease and lube products), and is inviting other interested parties to join the effort.

“This is another important area where AgGateway teams are working to improve efficiency in ag operations by setting standards that allow companies to streamline common processes for multiple, long-lasting benefits,” said the group’s chair Randy Fry, Data Process and Information Systems Manager at Ceres Solutions.

The group began by creating a value calculator for the ag energy ship notice, which helps demonstrate the benefits of establishing digital connectivity for energy transactions. Next the group will develop and deploy a digitally connected shipment-to-invoice process for ag, commercial and consumer fuels movement. The benefits to multiple parties include:

  • Energy suppliers will gain integrated connections to their distributors and retailers. This will also reduce the burden of generating duplicative forms.
  • Distributors will have improved visibility of product and location data. And importantly, making the digital implementations will eliminate the manual data entry that most distributors now use.
  • Retailers will see improved receiving and invoice matching, and eliminate their manual entry, as well, for better accuracy, tracking and customer satisfaction.

Fry invites other companies interested in the process to review the value calculator, and to consider joining the group. To find out more, contact AgGateway’s Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org.