LPG Spotlight: Miles LP Gas

Cutting back on downtime, closely monitoring propane tanks and smoothing out a well-timed delivery schedule are some of the everyday challenges propane retailers face at their operations as they attempt to improve efficiency.

Miles LP Gas, a multi-location propane retailer in Kentucky, found its avenue to efficiency by simplifying the process of refilling propane cylinders for forklifts.

Mitch Vanover, a co-owner of Miles LP Gas, found a way to tap into the forklift market while also saving time on delivery and making it affordable for customers.

During a trip to the National Propane Gas Association Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo, Vanover met with representatives from Bergquist about a snap-fill adapter and immediately felt the product would benefit his forklift segment.

“The Bergquist bunch were showing [the snap-fill adapter] to me and I thought that it would be a great thing for the forklifts,” Vanover says. “We got to talking about the different applications. I got to talking about how this would be good for our forklift cylinder business. Next thing you know, we’ve got some valves and we are trying them out.”

According to Vanover, Miles LP Gas was using a 1.75-in. ACME pipe to refill the cylinders used to power forklifts at several customer locations. This was a tedious and time-consuming process for the company.

Vanover adds that there is an inherent loss of product using this method because leftover propane in the pipe fitting needs to be bled.

“The benefit of the snap-fill [adapter] is that it basically works pretty similar to a gas pump,” Vanover explains. “Basically, you hold the handle down, snap it into place, lock the handle in and fill the cylinder while you stand there.”

With the snap-fill adapter, Vanover adds, there are two main advantages: little loss of product and efficiency.

“There is very little loss of inventory and the advantage with the handle is you just push it on and it locks in,” Vanover says. “When you’re done, you pull it off and go to the next one effortlessly.”

Vanover says this filling process cuts down on cylinder refilling time by about 50 percent.

“You know when you are busy in the winter time, if you can cut your delivery time down by half, that is awesome,” Vanover says.

In addition to efficient filling, the adapter helps Miles LP Gas charge customers only for the propane they need instead of a flat fee to fill an entire cylinder cage.

According to Vanover, forklift operators will often change a cylinder before starting their workday, leaving leftover propane in the cylinder.

Because most cylinders have some propane still available, Miles LP Gas has metered off its snap-fill adapter to measure the amount of propane actually being dispensed and only charging customers for that amount.

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Miles LP Gas

FOUNDED // 1973

HEADQUARTERS // Owensboro, Kentucky

OWNERS // W.S. Miles Estate, Billy Joe Miles Estate, Debra Seymour, Mitch Vanover

EMPLOYEES // 23

BOBTAILS // 18

WEBSITE // mileslpgas.com