Behind the Scenes: All Chemical's Ingenuity
Addressing the Problem
One of our customers hired another bulk liquid transportation company to ship Maleic Anhydride from Texas to Illinois from the shipper’s tank to the customers. It wasn’t the multi-state nature of the job that was presenting the biggest problem; it was the temperature-sensitive nature of the product.
The original carrier found this out the hard way. When they attempted to transfer the product in preparation for shipping, they failed to keep the temperature as precisely controlled as it needed to be. Sure enough, the product coagulated rapidly, thickening on the valve and halting the process completely.
To illustrate, imagine sticking a long, stainless-steel straw through a snowbank, trying to siphon water from a container on one end of the straw to a container on the other end. Since the straw isn’t insulated, any water flowing through it would freeze as soon as it’s exposed to the cold.
At that point, the carrier threw up their hands and said the job was a no-go, leaving him with a trailer full of coagulated product and no way to get it shipped to where it needed to go.
We’ll take it from here…
Finding a Solution
Immediately, our team jumped on board and started brainstorming with our bulk liquid intermodal services.
After returning the coagulated product to the correct temperature, how could we engineer the transfer process to guarantee success? Suffice it to say, the factors involved were complex; and with a product this temperamental, we knew we had a narrow margin of error if we wanted to get this done right.
Our team was determined to figure out a solution. Led by our resident problem solver, Director of Operations’ Jim Notarfrancesco, we workshopped a variety of solutions to land on an ingenious workaround.
The a-ha moment: retrofit our trailers to suit the demanding product specifics to keep it at a consistent temperature.
The solution we engineered was two-pronged.
-
- We circulated engine coolant through a coil to keep the product warm by moving heat from the engine directly through the trailer.
- We kept the valve stem warm throughout the journey to avoid it being clogged with the product.
As we discuss next steps with our customer, the trailer is in Channahon, Illinois. It’s on a steam pad to bump up the temperature to the required range while we steam the rear valve to loosen any coagulation that could possibly form around it. Delivering safely and efficiently is about getting into the most granular details of crossing our t’s and dotting our i’s.
No Matter What, We Deliver
Our commitment to innovative problem-solving, even in the face of complex challenges, is our industry calling card. Our customer’s distress call wasn’t the first time we’ve been asked to step in and fix a supposedly unsolvable issue that another carrier couldn’t handle.
Trust us to deliver solutions that safeguard your product and ensure a successful outcome…every time.
Stay tuned for more innovative solutions from our team. If you’re looking for a reliable and resourceful partner for your bulk liquid shipping needs, contact All Chemical today.