Tip-ex 2018: All the highlights from Tank-ex 2018

Tank-ex 2018 took place alongside Tip-ex and there was a range of wet-bulk and dry-bulk products on display from manufacturers from across Europe – as well as support services such as tanker cleaning. Here are just some of the highlights:

Feldbinder

Feldbinder was at Tank-ex in force, with no fewer than six different tankers on display. Sales manager Shaun Hurst said growth was coming from the need for big silo tankers to move ash. “We areseeing the effects of the government’s move to convert waste into energy, which creates a lot of ash,” he said.

Among the products on display was a non-tipping silo tanker with a 73m3 capacity. Primarily for transporting hydrated lime, it runs on the Lomas Distribution fleet. Also on display was a 65m3 tanker for moving flour and food materials, which runs for customer BP McKeefry. Features include a 50kg-capacity sliding door store container, electric hydraulic tip and a box to cover the release valve – requested by the customer as it keeps the valve clean and retains the integrity of the product on release. And a 36m3 tanker for Cemex featured the operators’ pedestrian safety livery.

Fort Vale Engineering

The Preston-based manufacturer used Tank-ex to launch its Reedley Hot Product Valve. The valve has been designed to meet the demands of discharge for heavy oils, such as bitumen, which can be carried out in temperature critical environments. The valve has been approved and certified to EN 14433 and is designed to withstand a maximum working temperature of 250C at 3.5bar working pressure.

Business development manager Jonathan Parker said that with the valve requiring only 12 revolutions to move from closed to fully open there was a huge time-saving improvement for the driver when dispensing the heated product held in the tanker.

“[Operator] Hoyer came in and was instrumental with the design,” he said.

Ecovrac

Exhibiting at Tank-ex for the first time, French manufacturer Ecovrac showed its range of non-tipping trailers for the UK animal feed market. Its auger delivery system is five times faster than a blower system and, because the trailer does not tip, it is safer, eliminating risks such as striking overhead powerlines. The trailer also comes with a GPS system to map the delivery of feeds via its iVRAC service.

The manufacturer shared its stand with a wood pellet distribution tanker for the biomass sector made by Dutch firm Transmanut as the two manufacturers share the same UK supplier representative – Hooklift Trailer Solutions.

Director David Diack said: “While the auger system is not that well known in the UK, it delivers huge improvements compared with blowing.”

ITS

Integrated Tanker Services (ITS) used Tank-ex to showcase its return to the tanker rentals business, three years after it left the rental market following the sale of the division to TIP Trailers.

ITS will offer tankers from manufacturers Magyar, Van Hool and Road Tankers Northern to operators in the foodstuffs, chemicals, fuel and oil sectors.

Speaking to CM, fleet manager Matthew Hardwick said: “We have always bought and sold new and used tankers, and our yard in Walsall has tankers for rental and tankers for sale. Now we can advise people on what is the right option; to purchase outright or lease. We launched on 1 April and we have a fleet of 25. The aim is to get to 50 by the end of the year.”

Focusing on vacuum tankers, Hardwick said core markets would also include waste – a sector that is buoyant at the moment – and milk.

ITS is the Netherlands distributor for ESVE, the Dutch manufacturer of rear-steer tankers ideal for use in the milk trade.

Van Hool

Belgian manufacturer Van Hool had a 37,500-litre capacity ADR tanker from Aberdeen operator William Nicol, as well as a 26,000-litre capacity fertiliser tanker run by P&S Simpson of Lincoln.

Fred Everiss, head of sales for the UK and Ireland, said: “We produce approximately 450 tankers a year,” adding that major customers included TIP and ITS.

“We deal with a lot of small operators, and we like dealing with small operators. Every tanker is bespoke. We are big enough to deal with the big demands and small enough to deal with individual customers.”