Unmanned petrol stations are no longer a rarity. In Germany and also throughout Europe, they are gaining in popularity, especially among the medium-sized operators. In many cases, the traditional petrol station/shop is no longer a profitable solution. Especially in rural areas, the increasing requirements of a shop cannot be met without further investment. In addition, there is the desire to fill up around the clock, without spending too much time. A re-think is needed! In this context, the choice of technology plays an increasingly important role. The payment process should take as little time as possible and incidentally, it should also be as simple as possible.

“We recognise that the customer should first familiarise themselves with the process of paying at the machine and in addition, their inhibition threshold has to be surmounted. As Sven Stottmeier, Sales Manager for the DACH region explains, “We can clearly see the trend towards so-called CRID technology (Card Reader In Dispenser). This enables payment directly at the pump”.

The HecStar CRID solution from Hectronic meets the standard requirements for a customer-friendly automatic petrol station. As a provider of automatic petrol stations which are independent of pump manufacturers, we offer the CRID solution for public petrol stations which can be used with almost every type of pump (Tokheim, Wayne, Gilbarco and Petrotec). In addition, it is also possible to manufacture universal inserts as an individual customer solution.

The big advantage of the CRID solution compared to conventional standalone automatic petrol stations is the optimal “customer experience”. Simplified user guidance is largely facilitated by the fact that the person filling his/her vehicle can carry out the authorisation directly at the pump and the selection of the pump (as an operating step) is eliminated. In addition, the pump terminal has an optional 10″ touch display and an integrated voice output. The possible features of the CRID solution are worth taking note of, e.g. an emergency alarm and a service function, which can be selected via the touch display. This means that help is provided directly and a loss of customers is prevented. This feature is a highly regarded and is already one of the test criteria used by the TÜV today.

Several medium-sized operators from petrol station networks are already relying on the easy-to-use solution. For example, AVIA Knittel’s AVIA Xpress filling stations have recently been equipped with HecStar CRID Touch, which has been integrated into a Gilbarco dispenser. The package has proven its worth and the customer is very satisfied.

Of course, the HecStar CRID solution can also be combined with the HecFuel App. Hectronic’s mobile solution for quick and flexible authorisation when refuelling. The respective fleet or ring card is digitised and the refuelling process is made even faster. This combined solution has already been successfully implemented throughout BayWa AG’s entire network of petrol stations.

These and many other networked and digital solutions for the petrol station 4.0 will be presented at the UNITI expo in Stuttgart.

Visit us in hall 5, at stand 5A18!

Our HecFuel App is available on the Apple App and Google Play Store.