Measurement Instrumentation

Eliminating Inventory Uncertainty in a High Density Tank Farm

April 1, 2026

Customer Snapshot

_{Industry: Liquid fertilizer manufacturing

Operating Footprint: Multi site manufacturing with 130+ indoor/outdoor storage tanks

Challenge: Inventory discrepancies driven by manual level checks and unreliable measurements

Solution Type: Wireless tank level monitoring and inventory visibility

Key Outcomes: Labor savings, inventory confidence, reduced product loss, future ready tank monitoring}

Nachurs Alpine Solutions operates a large scale tank farm supporting liquid fertiliser production and storage, where increasing inventory volumes and product value made real‑time visibility across more than 130 tanks essential to eliminating manual checks and reducing overfill risk.

Manual tank checks consumed significant operator time and still failed to provide consistent accuracy. Discrepancies between reported and actual inventory reduced confidence in planning, increased the risk of overfilling high value products, and created operational inefficiencies across the site.

The Challenge

The customer managed a high density tank farm with more than 100 outdoor tanks and additional indoor storage holding raw materials and finished goods. Inventory levels were verified through daily or weekly manual checks that required operators to physically visit tanks across the site.

These checks were labor intensive and susceptible to variability caused by temperature effects, equipment limitations, and human factors. Inventory slippages became common, particularly on high volume and high margin products. At the same time, the tank farm was scheduled for a multi year relocation, making traditional wired instrumentation costly and inflexible.

What was at Risk?

Inaccurate inventory data impacting production planning and customer fulfillment
Overfilling tanks containing products valued at five to ten dollars per liter
Excess labor hours spent on routine manual measurements
Additional capital costs to rewire tanks during relocation
Continued loss of confidence in reported inventory levels

Accurate and repeatable level measurement across all tank types
Reduced reliance on manual inventory checks
Real time inventory visibility accessible across the site
A solution that could scale gradually within maintenance budgets
Minimal infrastructure changes during tank farm relocation

The wireless network delivered continuous level data to a centralized interface, enabling real time inventory visibility without the need for new wiring. As tanks were added, upgraded, or relocated, the system scaled easily while maintaining reliable measurement performance.

Why Lakeside

Lakeside partnered closely with the customer to validate the solution through a field trial, then expand it at a pace aligned with operational priorities and budget constraints. By focusing on reliability, scalability, and practical deployment, Lakeside helped transform inventory measurement from a recurring operational challenge into a dependable, future ready asset.