Technotrade’s PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller Unlocks Pan African Growth for Kenyan Fuel Station Automation Providers
Solution #
Kenya has earned global recognition as one of Africa’s premier technology and startup hubs, often referred to as the “Silicon Savannah.” The country’s innovation ecosystem is driven by fintech and mobile money solutions, rapid cloud adoption, growing demand for digital services, and government-led digitalization initiatives. This momentum has allowed Kenyan IT businesses to expand across the continent, influencing diverse sectors - including fuel retail.
Technotrade supports the idea of “developed for Africa in Africa”. The company provides hardware tools that empower local software developers and system integrators to build solutions for the fuel retail industry such as payment and self-service systems, e-invoicing, POS and ERP platforms, loyalty programs, and fuel-on-demand applications.
Fuel management software developers need direct, remote, real time communication with station equipment such as pumps and ATG systems - without manual input. The challenge lies in handling the wide variety of equipment, scaling across multiple sites, and delivering services at lower cost.
The PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller addresses these challenges by serving as a single interface for more than 200 brands of fuel dispensers, ATG systems, price displays, RFID readers, AVI systems, and various sensors. Built by developers for developers, PTS-2 provides a documented API and a JSON-based data exchange protocol, enabling continuous communication with any forecourt equipment through one unified approach.
The PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller can connect to remote servers without requiring a static IP using either the server’s IP address or domain name. It transmits all data in JSON format, and supports continuous communication via WebSocket for full remote control. The PTS-2 Controller uploads pump transactions, customer tags, tank measurements, deliveries, errors, alarms, GPS records and real time equipment status. Remote servers can also send commands such as updating fuel prices, managing attendant tags, authorizing or stopping pumps, retrieving tank data, and generating reports.
The PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller acts as the central hub between fuel dispensers and payment systems. It establishes direct communication with dispensers, allowing payment terminals or mobile applications to authorize fueling sessions securely. Once a transaction is approved, PTS-2 Controller automatically manages the dispenser operation, records the fueling data, and ensures the payment process is completed.
This setup enables self service fueling, where customers can pay at the terminal or via mobile app and immediately start fueling without staff intervention. For operators, it simplifies control, reduces errors, and integrates all transactions into one streamlined system.
The PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller is well suited for e-invoicing because it automatically captures each fuel sale and transfers the data directly to fiscal software or, where required, to the fiscal server. This process ensures compliance with regulations, eliminates manual entry of sales information, and guarantees that every transaction is properly recorded in real time.
One of the distinguished features of the PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller is its ability to operate in parallel with existing fuel management systems. This architecture empowers software developers to deliver add on solutions to already automated gas stations without disrupting current operations. Installed between the available POS or controller, PTS-2 Controller smoothly provides data to the add on fuel management system while continuing to support the functions of the existing solutions.
There is a clear trend in the fuel retail sector that oil marketing companies are increasingly developing in house fuel management systems to gain tighter control over operations. The PTS-2 Forecourt Controller supports this transformation by providing a unified interface to multiple sites across different geographies, collecting live operational data from each location.
With real time visibility into dispenser activity, tank levels, and sales transactions, oil marketing companies can achieve better stock planning, accurate sales tracking, and efficient decision making. By bridging site level equipment with their own software solutions, PTS-2 empowers companies to optimize resources, reduce costs, and strengthen competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market.
The PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller performs automatic tank calibration by continuously collecting data from fuel dispensers and ATG probes, without stopping station operations. It automatically calculates and updates calibration charts to reflect the actual state of each tank, ensuring precise fuel volume measurement and reliable inventory management. This process eliminates downtime, reduces costs compared to manual calibration, and ensures accuracy for fuel inventory, deliveries, and temperature compensated volume calculations.
The PTS SiteViewer console is a compact, all in one solution that integrates the PTS-2 Forecourt Controller, touchscreen display, and computer board into a single metal enclosure. It enables convenient monitoring and control of fuel dispensers and tank gauges directly at the station, while also supporting remote management and reporting.
Technotrade’s PTS-2 IoT Forecourt Controller is not just hardware - it’s a driver of innovation across Africa’s fuel retail industry. By unifying communication with diverse equipment, PTS-2 Controller delivers the flexibility, scalability, and reliability needed to build next‑generation solutions.
Technotrade is a global provider of automation and fuel management solutions for petrol stations, storage depots, and fuel delivery fleets. Since 1993, the company has automated more than 30,000 stations in over 140 countries.