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The Circuit – March 2025 Newsletter
News from Our CEO
Tariffs are here!
No matter how you feel about the current administration’s trade negotiations strategy, one thing is clear: we can expect a lot of turbulence in our supply chain over the next several months. The recent wave of tariffs imposed by the U.S. on imports from key trading partners—including China, Mexico, and Canada—has sent ripples through various industries. Among those poised to feel the impact are gas station owners and service providers responsible for maintaining point-of-sale (POS) systems, fuel dispensers, and automatic tank gauging (ATG) systems.
Many essential spare parts—such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), receipt printers, and payment devices—are sourced from international manufacturers, so these new tariffs could significantly increase costs and disrupt operations. In this month’s edition of The Circuit, I will explore the impact of supply chain disruptions and offer some insights on how you can reduce your exposure and control your operating costs.
Why Tariffs are a Major Concern for Gas Stations Owners, Operators and Service Providers
Several tariffs have been imposed on countries that dominate the manufacturing of critical components used in fueling stations. Here’s how these tariffs affect the key products and suppliers:
PCBs
China, which accounts for over 54% of global PCB production, is subject to additional U.S. import tariffs. These components are essential in POS terminals, fuel dispensers, and ATG systems.
Printers
Leading manufacturers like Hengstler and Citizen produce receipt printers for fuel dispensers and POS printers. Many of these are manufactured in Asia and the EU, making them susceptible to tariffs.
Payment Devices
Due to import restrictions, devices from Verifone, XAC, and Invenco, widely used in EMV-compliant payment terminals, could see price increases.
Over the past decade, major OEMs like Dover Fueling Solutions (Wayne), Vontier (Gilbarco Veeder-Root), Verifone, and NCR have reduced their remanufacturing capabilities. Instead, they have focused on offering new replacement parts, expensive alternatives that are now even more impacted by tariffs.
What Can Gas Station Owners and Service Providers Do?
- Switch to remanufactured parts wherever possible: Avoid excessive costs and delays by opting for high-quality remanufactured components from Freedom Electronics. Since we remanufacture in the US, tariffs or supply chain delays have little to no impact.
- Explore OEM alternative parts: Freedom Engineered products—new aftermarket parts we design and manufacture in-house—are a cost-effective alternative to OEM with the quality you can trust and lower exposure to tariff-driven price increases.
- Stock Up on Critical Components: Secure essential parts ahead of time to avoid price spikes and supply shortages. Blanket POs can lock in pricing and ensure steady supply while minimizing large up-front payments.
- Invest in Preventive Maintenance: Proactively maintaining fuel dispensers, ATG systems, and POS terminals can reduce emergency repairs and dependence on costly new OEM parts.
- Monitor Policy Changes: Stay informed on tariff updates and supplier trends to make strategic purchasing decisions.
The Freedom Electronics Advantage: Lower Costs & Reliable Availability
Avoid Rising Costs with Remanufactured Parts
Freedom Electronics specializes in remanufacturing OEM parts, providing a high-quality, cost-effective alternative to new, tariff-impacted components. By choosing remanufactured parts, you can avoid many price hikes associated with international supply chain disruptions and tariffs while ensuring the same level of performance and reliability.
Reduce Lead Times and Downtime
With tariffs causing potential delays in the supply chain, waiting on OEM parts could mean longer lead times and costly downtime. Freedom Electronics offers a steady supply of remanufactured parts, reducing dependence on back-ordered OEM components. This means faster turnaround times and less disruption for your fueling operations.
Save Big with Freedom-Engineered Parts
Freedom-engineered parts provide tremendous value over OEM parts for those who prefer new components. These parts are designed with the same level of quality and compatibility as their OEM counterparts but come at a much lower price. Since the total cash outlay is significantly lower, tariffs have less impact, making them a smart choice for gas stations looking to save money without sacrificing performance.
Service Providers Can Pass on the Savings
As a service provider maintaining fuel dispensers, POS systems, or ATG systems, switching to remanufactured or Freedom Engineered parts allows you to offer more competitive pricing to your customers. This can strengthen customer relationships while maintaining healthy margins in an increasingly challenging economic environment.
Final Thoughts
The recent tariffs on key trading partners will likely create a financial strain for gas station owners and the service industry that supports them. Higher costs for spare parts, potential supply chain disruptions, and increased service fees are all challenges that must be navigated carefully. By switching to remanufactured or Freedom Engineered parts, gas station businesses can mitigate the impact of tariffs and keep operations running smoothly. How will you adjust to these new tariffs if you operate a gas station or service business?
Until next time,
Patrick Jeitler
Freedom Electronics President & CEO
Explore our journey and see what’s new on our eCommerce platform!
March Trade Show Easter Egg
Can you name the 3 Gilbarco part numbers the FE-M12893001 PPU replaces?
Replaces:
- M12893A001
- M18902A001
- M18802A001
Product Spotlight
M400 Verifone PIN Pads
Introducing a better value on the popular Verifone M400 M445-403-01-WWA-5 (injected) PIN Pad for Ruby2, Ruby CI, and C18.
M400 PIN Pad
M400 PIN Pad, WIFI/BT, PCI 5 (injection) for Ruby2, Ruby CI, C18
SKU: M400 M445-403-01-WWA-5 (injected)
Benefits
- This is a NEW part
- Enhanced Security: Meets strict PCI 5 standards to protect customer information
- Flexible Wireless Options: Makes payments quick and hassle-free
- Designed for Verifone Systems: Guarantees a perfect fit with your existing setups
Why did we do this?
Others sell parts, or are more expensive. We pass on the savings to you.
Save on M400’S and Bundles
Save $50 on any M400.
Save $80 on an M400 and stand bundle.
Part #STA000-004-01-A
- This includes everything you need to plug and play
- The special is for injected parts
What is included
- Cable and Ice Cube: Ensures easy and reliable connection.
- Power Supply: Keeps your device powered up for continuous use.
- Deployment Fee Included: This is an injected part.
- Outright sale only
(no core credit)
STA000-004-01-A
Low Contour Payment Terminal Stand for Verifone M400, Swivels 180 Degrees and Tilts 80-90 Degrees
Benefits
- Designed to fit M400 Verifone PIN Pads
Price: $75
Call 800-761-9369 to Order
Did You Know
Freedom manufactures private label cash drawers for Passport and Verifone
Freedom Cash Drawer for C18/Ruby and Passport
SKU: FE-P050-01-200; FE-PA01570074; FE-PA01570080
Cash Drawer (Black) NEW with Till included for Passport and C18/Ruby2/Topaz
Benefits
- This is a NEW part
- One part works for Both Passport or Verifone!
- Designed to work with Verifone AND GVR Passport Systems: a perfect fit for your existing setups
- No more carrying stock of both, or hauling around large boxes on the van. One part works in all cases
- No more shipping the old part back for repair. One low price gets you a new part
What is Included
- Cables for both Passport and Verifone. Plug in the correct cable, and away you go
Did You Know
Freedom now offers Cim-Tek filters
Cim-Tek fuel filters
SKUs: 70120, 70106, 70065, 70060, 70016,70015 and more!
The most popular Cim-Tek filters in 400 Series and 300 Series (400MB-xx, 400HS-xx, and 400-xx) are available
Benefits
- This is a NEW part
- Get a great value from the leader in the industry: Cim-Tek
TLS-350 and TLS-450/450Plus
We support all your TLS-350, TLS450 Plus parts requirements!
Enhanced Core Management (ECM)
Purchasing on exchange in the petroleum parts aftermarket offers significant savings by returning a rebuildable core, typically the part you’re replacing. However, managing core returns amidst multiple service calls and tight schedules can be challenging, often leading to increased core charges.
Our Enhanced Core Management (ECM) program simplifies this process by managing your core inventory. We stock your core inventory in our warehouse, so you don’t have to stock it in yours. We collaborate with you to design a program tailored to your needs, providing real-time inventory status via our website and automatically applying cores to orders. This approach ensures you maximize savings without the hassle of core management.
Case Study
A customer with numerous service technicians shifted more of their parts spending to exchange options. Consequently, their core charges increased from approximately 15% to over 40% due to challenges in returning cores promptly. We proactively partnered with them to implement better core return processes, stocked their core bank with us, and trained their purchasing team to use our website for real-time core inventory management. Within a few months, their core charges decreased back to 10-15% of their spending, achieving their desired cost savings.
Key Benefits of the ECM Program
- Real-Time Inventory Management: Access your core inventory status anytime through our user-friendly website.
- Automated Core Application: Your cores are automatically applied to orders, saving time and effort.
- Sell Your Cores for Cash: Offer your cores for purchase through our website and receive offers from our purchasing team.
- Customized Solutions: Our ECM program is tailored to support your unique needs, including complex or multi-branch operations.
How to Get Started with ECM
- Implementation
Consolidate your cores and contact your sales representative to coordinate a freight pickup. We will cover the initial shipment!
- Core Return
Ship your cores to us weekly, monthly, or in bulk to resupply your core bank. We handle the inventory for you.
- Use Your Cores
Use our website to place orders and apply your cores seamlessly.
Need Assistance? Are you already an ECM user but not familiar with the website for commercial account holders? Go to https://shop.freedomelectronics.com/. You can log in or request a login to view or apply cores to an order.
Call your sales representative or our customer service at 1-800-761-9369 team for a quick refresher on this simple interface.
Tech Tip
Commander Refresh Units
In late 2021, Verifone introduced the Commander Refresh Unit. The Commander Refresh Unit looks the same as the standard Commander but operates much faster. It has a new Single Board Computer (SBC) which uses a faster CPU processor, a faster SSD (Solid State Drive), and double the RAM (memory). These parts are not cross-compatible with the standard Commander.
Here’s the Differences:
Model:
Site Controller Refresh (Commander Refresh Unit)
- Blue USB-A Port
- SBC PCA149-010-01-A
- 8 GB DDR4 Memory
- 3.10 GHz CPU • 8 GB M.2 SSD
Model:
Commander Site Controller (Standard Rev. 1 Commander)
- White USB-A Port
- SBC PCA149-004-01-R
- 4 GB DDR3 Memory (Our remanufactured units are upgraded to 8 GB RAM)
- 2.20 GHz CPU • 8 GB SATA DOM
Virtual Coffee Break
The Official Classification Guide to Fuel Customers: Part 2
A humorous field guide to the species most likely to damage pumps or wreak havoc at the point of sale.
The POS Poser
Scientific Name: Touchscreenus Confusus
Habitat: Inside the store, struggling to figure out how to operate the self-checkout system.
Distinguishing Behavior: Taps the screen repeatedly, assuming more taps will fix their error.
Call of the Wild: “Can someone HELP ME?!”
The Screen Smasher
Scientific Name: Crackus Maximus
Habitat: Using the pump’s touchscreen like a smartphone from the 2000s—pressing it with excessive force.
Distinguishing Behavior: Leaves behind cracks, unresponsive areas, or a faint aura of despair.
Call of the Wild: “Why isn’t this working?!”
The Mystery Button Masher
Scientific Name: Randomus Guesserus
Habitat: Hitting every button in a sequence that defies logic, hoping something will eventually work.
Distinguishing Behavior: Accidentally locks out the pump or POS system, requiring a reset.
Call of the Wild: “I think I broke it…”
The Emergency Override
Scientific Name: Yankicus Plugouticus
Habitat: Panicking when the pump doesn’t start immediately, pulling plugs, and toggling switches they shouldn’t touch.
Distinguishing Behavior: Leaves the pump completely nonfunctional for the next user.
Call of the Wild: “It wasn’t working, so I tried to fix it.”
Did We Miss Anyone?
What other species have you observed at the pump or POS? Send your best classifications to [email protected], and we might feature them in the next edition of the guide!
Core Charge Refunds
Buy outright or exchange your cores for credit.
Top-Notch Support
We’re experts on fuel dispensers parts.
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