CAR-MAKER Nissan has become the first vehicle manufacturer in the UK to fully implement a new high-tech system aimed at improving deliveries of oil to its giant Sunderland plant.

Under the system, Texaco remotely monitors the oil levels in Nissan's bulk tanks by using ultrasonic probes placed inside the containers.

The measurements are then relayed continuously to the oil company's staff via a modem, and deliveries are arranged as needed.

By adopting the system, Nissan has been able to slash almost £100,000 from its costs, making a major contribution to the Sunderland plant's ongoing cost-cutting programme.

Paul Harrison, from Nissan's Parts Control department, led a team of engineers tasked with introducing the system at Sunderland.

He said: "One of the worries we used to have was that the wrong product could be unloaded into the wrong tank through human error.

"As each of our two systems can hold 35,000 litres of oil, any contamination had the potential to be very costly, both in terms of lost stock and interruption to production."

He added: "Because of this we had to insist that trucks made deliveries with just one product on board at any time.

"Now each separate product must match a unique electronic signal to the appropriate tank.

"If an attempt is made to unload the wrong product, the valve will not open, preventing the substance from entering the tank."

Thanks to the new system, Texaco can now carry out deliveries to Nissan with mixed loads, enabling one vehicle to complete a round of deliveries to different customers in the same area in one single trip.

Texaco's logistics manager, Peter Kemp said: "The system enables us to maximise the effective use of our tanker fleet.

"If we have other orders in the Sunderland area we can check the computer and drop oil into Nissan;s Sunderland plant at the same time, sharing with them the savings in fleet operating costs."