In the world of infrastructure projects — from bullet trains and metros to highways and airports — vendors often promise transformation through technology. But there's a crucial difference between simply digitizing operations and truly digitalizing them. At Aether, we believe that success comes not from installing sensors, but from reshaping behaviors, preventing losses, and optimizing operations. Here's the story of how we make that happen.

Chapter 1: The Baseline - Digitization in Practice

Let’s start with a real-world example. A large infrastructure company operates hundreds of construction assets — transit mixers, cranes, piling rigs, and more. Two vendors, including Aether, install IoT gateways and fuel sensors. On the surface, both provide similar hardware and reporting. But the difference lies in what happens next. The other vendor focuses purely on digitization: ensuring 100% of the assets report data, then exporting that data to the client. This is digitization — converting analog inputs into digital form. Yet, this process often fails to create real change. Operators find ways to tamper with devices. Fuel pilferage continues. Reports become unreliable. The system exists, but impact fades.

Chapter 2: Aether’s Approach - Digitalization as a Process

At Aether, we go further. Our goal isn't just to collect data; it's to create sustainable, accountable, and optimized systems. We partner with field teams, not just to monitor but to manage. We build workflows that prevent tampering, engage site teams, and enable decisions based on verified data. Even if only 85% of assets report, the data is trustworthy, actionable, and backed by process rigor. That’s digitalization: embedding digital systems into workflows, decision-making, and culture.

Chapter 3: The Three Objectives of Digitalization

We break digitalization into three core objectives:

• 1. Stop Pilferage: Fuel is often stolen during or after refueling. We identify these events using real-time fuel sensors and share alerts with site teams. But beyond that, we work with teams to create local processes — verifying fuel volumes, reconciling with purchase records, and penalizing repeat offenders.
• 2. Stop Misrepresentation:Many operators manually log hours or mileage to claim fuel under contract norms. With our data, we catch inconsistencies: inflated usage, fuel purchased without consumption, or assets logging hours without moving. We don’t rely solely on the system; our teams manually verify and escalate anomalies.
• 3. Optimize Utilization: Once pilferage and fraud are under control, we help clients run leaner. Our data showed that even with fewer transit mixers, concrete production stayed high while fuel consumption dropped. That’s the power of optimization through verified insights.

Chapter 4: The Six Stages of Resistance

Digitalization isn’t just technical — it’s behavioral. Operators and vendors typically follow six stages of resistance: Ignore: Business as usual continues; draining is rampant. Discredit: When alerts are shared, data is aggressively challenged. Tamper: Devices are unplugged or blocked to stop reporting. Hack: Operators drain small quantities, hide theft in idle times. Delay: Assets are kept offline to salvage value before compliance. Accept/Exit: Eventually, either the operator adapts or leaves. At every stage of this journey, the data speaks — but only if you know how to read it. The behavioral resistance of operators leaves behind patterns, and these patterns manifest as different types of draining. For instance, in the early stages, we often detect large and obvious drainings tied to refueling events — we call this R&D Draining. As scrutiny increases, behaviors evolve. Operators start draining in small amounts while the engine is running or during operational cycles, which we only detect through meticulous manual audits. This is what we categorize as Manual Draining. By Stage 3, as hardware tampering rises, more deceptive tactics appear — such as return pipe draining, where excess fuel is redirected mid-operation into jerry cans. It bypasses automated detection, revealing the lengths to which some will go to maintain their gains. And when none of these can be confirmed definitively, yet the consumption patterns defy operational norms, we flag these as Suspicious Draining. These signal unresolved anomalies requiring further human verification. Not all drainings, however, are malicious. Planned Draining events, initiated by the client's own P&M team for testing or maintenance, are communicated in advance and excluded from any penalty or analysis of pilferage. Thus, draining types are not just labels — they are reflections of behavioral adaptation. Each type signals a deeper stage in the resistance journey, and our ability to detect and respond to them proves the difference between passive digitization and active digitalization.

Chapter 5: A System That Evolves

Every challenge teaches us something. When operators tamper, we identify failure points and close them. When site teams fall short, we support them. When systems are bypassed, we create new detection mechanisms. We treat digitalization as a living system — not a one-time install, but a continuous evolution of technology, policy, and people. Conclusion: The Future Is Digitalization Digitization may give you data. But digitalization gives you control, efficiency, and results. It’s not just about installing IoT. It’s about integrating technology into workflows, holding stakeholders accountable, and building systems that grow stronger with use. At Aether, we take ownership of that outcome. Because transformation isn’t just about dashboards — it’s about discipline.

FAQ

How is the calibration impacted by the tank’s shape?

For tanks with a constant cross-sectional width and height, two points suffice – full and empty. Such shapes include a perfectly rectangular tank (with no roundings) and a vertical cylinder (not horizontal!).

How often should a fuel tank be calibrated?

The fuel tanks must be calibrated every five years. A 3D laser searching and data analysis method can be used to calibrate the fuel tank.