Our Focus in 2021
March 19, 2021
Written By Jon Ihler
In August 2020, we made a couple of big decisions at MFA Oil. The first was to move forward with a new point-of-sale system called Energy-Force in our bulk fuel and propane division. We chose to go with Energy-Force because of its ease of use; its ability to provide daily reconciliation; its superior routing, forecasting and optimization capabilities; and its enhanced tank tracking features. While many of these features are geared toward our employees, they will ultimately allow us to better serve you, our customers.
The second decision was to adopt new core values that are aligned with our purpose of driving the success of our customers and communities through exceptional products and services and our more than 90-plus years of heritage. These values are the cornerstones upon which our culture is built. Foremost among those values is putting customers first. By focusing on our service to you, bolstering our community presence and listening to your needs, we can ensure we are always headed in the right direction as a company. Implementation of Energy-Force and our adoption of the core values are our focus in 2021.
While the rollout of our core values was immediate, we’re taking a more measured approach with Energy-Force. In December 2019, we began a pilot program to test Energy-Force at select locations within our southwest district. There have been several unforeseen disruptions that have slowed our progress with broadening our Energy-Force adoption (such as the pandemic), but we are making progress that should lead to better bulk fuel and propane operations and service for years to come.
This project has moved slower than we would like, but we have learned a lot from past mistakes, and we know the best strategy is to take our time and get it right. I’ll admit there have been times where I would have liked to move faster, but this project is too important to rush, and I believe our patience will be rewarded.
While we prepare to introduce Energy-Force to more of our locations, we are standardizing many of our processes and procedures to ensure our operational data is ready to flow through the system accurately and smoothly. I am confident the deployment of Energy-Force throughout our bulk fuel and propane operations will deliver immense value to our member-owners, our broader customer base, our plant employees and the company as a whole.
And beyond the job of implementing Energy-Force, our entire team will be focused on putting our core values into practice on a daily basis. These values—putting our customer first, being tenacious and leading by example—are at the heart of everything we do. To us, they are more than just words, it’s the MFA Oil Way.
Read past Leadership Letters from Jon Ihler, MFA Oil president and CEO