Accenture to build for BPCL digital platform to track sales, distribution

IT firm Accenture said Tuesday it will work with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) to build a digital platform for India’s second largest oil and gas company’s sales and distribution network.

The network called IRIS will integrate real-time data from across BPCL’s countrywide network of more than 18,000 fuel outlets, 25,000 tank trucks, 75 oil installations and depots, 52 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants and 250 additional industrial and commercial locations to give the company a consolidated view of its operations.

IRIS, by using analytics based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, will trigger automated alerts and actions, like rapid a response to equipment failures or hazardous situations.

The new platform will be capable of accepting more than three million inputs per second from automated sensors, cameras and Internet of Things (IoT) devices deployed at all key locations, tracking performance based on key parameters such as fuel stock, safety, compliance, equipment health and boosting asset uptime. BPCL’s field workforce and partner network will have a seamless experience thanks to support from a portal, mobile app and call centers in Noida and Chennai.

“We believe our industry expertise and extensive digital capabilities can help BPCL drive the next wave of growth and gain a distinct advantage in the market. The powerful combination of human and applied intelligence will facilitate transformative change to ensure BPCL’s operations are safer, more secure and more efficient,” said Piyush N. Singh, India Market Unit Lead at Accenture.

IRIS will also empower the BPCL workforce of more than 100,000 across the country to make faster and more accurate decisions, including preventative maintenance.

This can help increase sales at fuel retail outlets by minimizing infrastructure downtime and ensuring consistent fuel quality, as well as improve the experience for customers.

“With the deployment of this highly automated command and control platform called IRIS, we will not only bolster our digital capabilities significantly, but also improve customer experience and transform operations at scale. It will further ensure consistent and uniform delivery of BPCL’s brand promises of innovation, care and reliability to our customers,” said Rahul Tandon, Head, Digital Transformation, BPCL.

“Digital transformation opens up new opportunities for the oil and gas industry. As an organization passionate about embracing change and leading the charge, we look forward to leveraging technology to unlock tremendous value, sustainable growth, and improved efficiency,” said Arun Kumar Singh, Director (Marketing) and Director (Refineries), BPCL.