Leading Canadian LNG and fuel transport company, Transport Jacques Auger, adopted the Bison C-Lift M Series to lift 53' cryogenic ISO tanks on and off trailers for shipping container repairs and maintenance.
Cost effective, portable, safe and efficient, the M Series ticked all the boxes, equipping TJA to take control of its container handling operations and improve its service offering to clients.
The unique shape of TJA's ISO tanks was no problem either, with Bison customising the carrier frame to integrate with the tank frame structure.
Lift Containers, Anywhere, Anytime
Easy to relocate and set up
Handle Heavy Containers
Eliminate Third Party Lift Charges
Avoid Delays And Downtime
Transport Jacques Auger (TJA) is a leading LNG and fuel transportation company and has been a major partner of the largest oil companies in Canada for many years. With over 35 years of experience in the fuel carrier business, they have established themselves as leaders in the transport of petroleum products across the country.
With over 200 units (trucks and tanks) in their fleet, besides gasoline, TJA transports chemical products, aviation products, ethanol and LNG (or GNL - Gas Naturale Liquefatto), and also provides container tank maintenance services.
A new project presented itself that would require the company to handle very large 53’ GNL cryogenic container tanks for repair and maintenance. The weight of the tanks unloaded came in at 15,800 kg (about 34,800 lbs) per unit and the contract involved handling on average 2-3 tanks per month.
As TJA had no easy way to lift the tanks from the truck chassis and bring them to the ground, they reached out to Bison to ensure an easy, safe and cost-effective lifting system.
As the lifting and offloading was planned to take place both outside in a paved yard area, and indoors for inspection and repairs, a flexible solution was needed. In addition, the shape of the cryogenic tank frame structure was angled, which meant a custom design was needed for the interface between the carrier frame and the container tank.
As TJA had not used lifting systems before and had not had a requirement to ground the cryogenic containers in the past, a new solution was required. Various options were considered, such as borrowing a heavy forklift from a neighbour or renting a forklift short term. However, considering facility limitations (building height), long term rental cost and operational lost time, they found the most cost-effective and efficient way to operate would be to add the Bison C-Lift M20 to their fleet. This would allow them to independently run their operations without having to rely on third party equipment and related cost.
Bison easily customized and re-engineered the carrier frame on the M20 model, so it would sit flush when connected to the angled tank frame structure of the 53’ containers.
The Bison C-Lift M20 requires no power source, apart from the manual labor in rotating the chain hoists. Working in pairs, the local TJA crew efficiently ensures the containers are safely lifted off the chassis for easy maintenance work on the shop floor. The equipment is robust, as it’s made of high strength steel and zinc coated, and it is easy to store when not in use. Maintenance is minimal and easy to perform in-house. Having the C-Lift as part of their in-house fleet, TJA is now able to offer additional project work to other customers.
TJA had a great experience working with the Bison team and having French speaking staff available in their time zone, located at Bison's Houston office, was very helpful.
— Marc-Antoine Auger, Directeur de flotte, Transport Jacques Auger
