Simplify and Amplify
Day-to-day decisions about fuel supply can be made easier with AI-powered software.
Dec 01, 2020 | 3 min read
This interview was brought to you by support from Gravitate. 
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Market volatility and lower refined product prices have made it more complex for transportation departments to execute supply strategies for laid-in fuel. NACS Magazine recently interviewed Mike Scharf, co-founder, Gravitate, about the importance of having a unified technology platform that optimizes supply decisions and integrates them with dispatch and logistics.
Q: Whether in pandemic times or not, reducing the cost of laid-in fuel is always a good thing for convenience stores, right?
A: Yes. That’s right. Getting fuel in the ground at the lowest possible cost is the ultimate goal of the supply and logistics team. That was the case before COVID-19, and it will be the case after COVID-19. The only thing that has changed during the pandemic are the complexities of achieving this goal. While market volatility and lower refined product prices have created new opportunities for supply teams, it has created more complexity for transportation departments in executing supply strategies. As such, it is more important than ever to have a unified technology platform that not only optimizes supply decisions but also integrates those decisions with dispatch and the drivers.
Q: How does Gravitate help with reducing laid-in cost?
A: Gravitate BestBuy & Dispatch is an integrated supply optimization and dispatch solution. It helps c-stores reduce fuel supply and logistics cost through AI-enabled software. It was built for the c-store business model to optimize fuel supply decisions, dispatch and logistics. We wanted to give users access to better support for day-to-day supply decisions, oversee logistics, and manage transportation, demand planning and route optimization—all on one platform. In essence, we solve for the entire supply and logistics process.
Q: How does that add value?
A: Convenience retailers can experience significantly reduced fuel supply costs, reduce their need for dispatch resources and increase the utilization of their assets. Positive outcomes for retailers include:
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Consistently choose the best supply options, decreasing supply cost by 10-25 points
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Increase truck utilization by 5-10% using our route optimization engine
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Minimize dispatcher and admin overhead by 25-40% by streamlining operational processes
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Improve the data flow and communication with third-party carriers
Q: How is your solution different from others on the market?
A: The Gravitate Best Buy & Dispatch solution is the only AI-enabled supply optimization and dispatch solution on the market. Other systems are great at capturing data on decisions after they are made, but they don’t help c-stores make the optimal decisions at every stage in the process. We are also a design-minded team, which means retailers will find our software simple to use and aesthetically pleasing while driving strong commercial value.
“Simplify and Amplify” is featured in the November issue of NACS Magazine.
Back office Data management Receiving products Replenishment Future technology Supply
