Sheetz’s fuel carrier, CLI Transport, is partnering with Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Gravitate, a software company that provides artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled collaboration and decision-support solutions in the refined fuels space.
- Sheetz is No. 13 on CSP’s 2024 Top 40 update to the2023 Top 202 ranking of convenience store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2024 Top 202 in June.
Gravitate’s AI-powered Supply and Dispatch solution will bring a new suite of supply optimization, logistics automation, auto-dispatch and order generation to Sheetz operations, the company said. Gravitate’s capabilities also include best buy optimization, inventory management, auto-dispatch and in-cab application.
The convenience-store and fuel retailer will be able to auto-generate optimal orders for site replenishment, source orders in real-time and automatically allocate loads for in-house drivers, saving dispatchers time and minimizing deadhead miles and the overall costs of trucks and drivers.
“We are already seeing indicators that Gravitate will help reduce CLI Transport’s deadhead miles by 2% to 5%, help to make more dynamic supply decisions and increase the efficiency of dispatchers,” said Tom Hunt, vice president of sales at Gravitate. “We are extremely proud that a best-in-class operator like CLI Transport selected Gravitate to power their business into the future.”
This single-phase project is projected to be completed by the fall of 2024, and as Sheetz looks at future strategies, it will continue to look to Gravitate as a partner, it said.
“For several years we’ve been exploring options for alternative dispatch solutions to satisfy our dynamic needs as a growing company,” said Eamonn Clarke, director of petroleum distribution at CLI. “The market lacked compelling choices until Gravitate emerged. It was in 2023 that we began to seriously consider their offering. Following a successful software pilot, we confirmed that their solution not only meets our business needs but also delivers significant value. As our operation nears the milestone of 1,000 stores, the roles of automation and optimization become ever more critical.”
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