FLO-BIN Rentals
FLO-BIN Rentals, a company serving major refineries and plants in the oil and natural gas industries through intermediate storage and catalyst packaging, recently released FLO-BIN Mobile, a smartphone app that aims to provide transparency throughout the bin rental process.
The app, which has been under development for four years, is now available to all of FLO-BIN's customers on both iOS and Android platforms. FLO-BIN Mobile allows customers to access a real-time view of bin rental data, tracking the exact location and status of rented FLO-BINs throughout the supply chain.
Alistair McCartney, operations manager at FLO-BIN, developed the app alongside the company's experienced IT team. He explained how he worked hand-in-hand with customers to offer a level of transparency that had been missing from the rental process until now.
"It was very important for us to provide an app that customers needed -- something that was designed specifically for their processes and their needs," McCartney said. "The app provides real-time data of every open purchase order with FLO-BINs on rent to our customers. They can see where the FLO-BINs went and when they were shipped, all from the palms of their hands."
FLO-BIN Mobile, which is powered by Microsoft technology, was designed to be exceptionally user-friendly and require very little training. Customers can scan bins directly with their smartphone cameras and instantly access the same data used by FLOBIN's operations team.
"Previously, there was a disconnect whenever FLO-BINs were shipped off-site to a processing facility," McCartney said. "It's almost 'out of sight, out of mind.' They move onto the next project and continue to get rental invoices. Now, they have a real-time view of bin rental data. We developed this app to provide exactly what our customers needed to fill the holes in the supply chain."
The benefits customers receive through the app include:
- Reduction of bin rental exposure. Customers can accurately record shipments of full FLO-BINs to processing facilities.
- A transparent account summary.
- Automated email notifications of FLO-BIN movements and inventories.
- Time savings from no longer recording serial numbers manually, eliminating errors.
FLO-BIN Mobile adds value to every department of its users' businesses, including procurement, engineering, accounting and environmental, McCartney added.
"Procurement can see exactly when they put an order into our system. Engineering can see when an order is arriving at their facility. Accounting can see how many bins are still on rent and more easily manage purchase orders. Environmental can track when and where they shipped the FLOBINs off-site. All of this really provides transparency to the supply chain. This is a value-added product we are providing to our customers, and we are committed to enhancing our customer-focused services," he said.
FLO-BIN Mobile already has multiple users actively using the app in their turnaround and catalyst packaging processes, and the company welcomes feedback and plans to update the app as the needs of its customers and the industries it serves evolve.
For customers interested in utilizing the app, FLO-BIN offers an introductory presentation upon request and 24/7 customer support.
For more information, visit www.flobin.com or call (888) FLO-BINS [356-2467].
