With drive-offs a chronic problem for fuel retailers, and law enforcement for petrol and diesel theft all too often lacking, it stands to reason that a new company has identified there is scope for expansion into the industry.
NexPlate has installed its system at 11 forecourts so far, and while the challenger brand’s new-to-market status means it may lack the comprehensive blacklist of vehicle registrations for now, its streamlined installation brings with it a price tag that is clearly swaying retailers.
Rather than rely on bespoke cameras the company can often integrate its tech with site’s CCTV systems, using existing cameras to read vehicle number plates, and significantly reducing installation costs as a result. A subscription model follows installation, though the firm says pricing for this is “clear for the retailer, with no hidden fees”.
As with competitors’ systems, NexPlate’s tech links with DVLA and DVSA databases, giving retailers the make, model, colour and fuel type, plus tax and MOT statuses of vehicles, helping staff spot potential issues before fuel is drawn.
The firm says its blacklist is “continually being updated and expanded” and adds that it is the only company managing no means of payment incidents without an administration charge.
Forecourt operator Pricewatch Group told Forecourt Trader that “there is no cheaper way of doing it” than the system offered by NexPlate, which it says was significantly more affordable to install than rival firms’ offerings.
The retailer added that while the company’s blacklist is comparatively small for now, most of their drive-offs are perpetrated by those living close to their forecourts, making it easy to build up a local list of suspicious vehicles.
The firm has a touchscreen-based user interface, with cashiers being able to add a vehicle to the blacklist simply by hitting the ‘drive-off’ icon. A manager adds information for debt recovery purposes at a later time, allowing for relevant details to be double-checked.
NexPlate co-founder Yogesh Thangamuthu says his firm was “born from our own experience on the forecourt”, adding that he had seen firsthand “how much money retailers were losing and how complicated ANPR had become.”
Thangamuthu says the system uses AI to help spot cloned plates and those that have been tampered with, while using existing cameras allows operators to “save thousands, without the need for heavy installs”.
The company’s other co-founder, Pradeep Manickam, says retailers have told him “they don’t want another complex and expensive system”, and that regardless of whether an operator has one or multiple sites, the company offers a “simple, scalable” solution that is “built to make life easier for retailers”.
