Tanker Carrier Reduces Downtime by 20% with Unibloc Pumps

Background

Founded as a family-owned citrus broker in 1961, Oakley Groves excelled in the agricultural sector. As the company grew, it diversified into harvesting and distribution, becoming the largest citrus hauler in the state of Florida. By 1986, Oakley Transport, Inc. was formed and became a dedicated food-grade carrier of liquid, dry, and refrigerated foods. Today, Oakley is the premier leader in food-grade transportation, serving the contiguous United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Oakley Transport is the first liquid food-grade transportation company to achieve both ISO 9000 Quality and ISO 22000 Food Safety certifications. The company owns and maintains a fleet of more than 1,400 trailers, most of which are hygienic, MC-307, and DOT-407 tankers equipped with in-transit heat systems. Oakley also offers dedicated supply chain logistics, rail and barge transfers, pre-loading and staging, storage, specialized tank washing, and emergency response services. Headquartered in Lake Wales, Florida, the company owns and operates ten terminals in the US, with additional sales, distribution and service centers located throughout North America.

Challenge

Among Oakley’s wide variety of dry and liquid food-grade cargo, the company hauls fruit juices, alcohol, liquid sweeteners, and vinegar. Scheduling the cleaning and sterilization of the tankers after each load. Pete Nativo, VP of Fleet Solutions purchases, sells, and tracks equipment, establishes maintenance schedules, and manages any incidents that may occur while the fleet is on the road through their enhanced breakdown department. Oakley Transport had been using a well-known brand of hygienic?pumps for many years. And like so many fleet operators, Pete came to accept pump seal failures were commonplace. Given the acidity and viscosity of the products it hauls, along with the detergents used in tanker cleaning, Oakley was getting six months from its pump seals at best. On the dedicated vinegar tankers, seal life was reduced to just two weeks. Should a driver become distracted during unloading, running dry also caused the existing pumps’ o-rings to melt, resulting in more downtime, delivery delays, and the risk of product loss. Pump seal failures are typically not noticed until unloading. When that happens, the unloading process is halted, and the trailer is taken to a service center for pump repair. Downtime could be as little as 4-5 hours or as much as a day or two, depending on the nearest service location. Not only does that leave the customer without needed ingredients, but it also hurts the carrier’s reputation for quality and reliability. All the while, temperatures must be maintained, and unloading has to happen before the product expires. In the transportation industry, of course, if vehicles are in the shop and not on the road, margins suffer. According to some industry estimates, the cost of downtime for a tanker truck can be over $2000 a day, conservatively. But for Pete, with seal failures commonplace, he just assumed that frequent periods of downtime for seal failures was something common to all pumps and just had to accept as an unavoidable maintenance cost burden. In addition to seal failures, Oakley was experiencing quite a few overall pump failures with its previous supplier. Lead times for parts were many weeks long, and the pumps were difficult to repair. Product training historically provided as part of the pump purchase, became a separate line item on the invoice. Pete needed parts, and he needed to train his service technicians on how to repair the pumps. He also needed to train new drivers on safe and hygienic?pump operation. Unfortunately, he wasn’t receiving the level of support required to maintain Oakley’s needs and grow the business. When Pete tried to place a large order for pumps for a newly purchased fleet of tankers, he learned it would take more than six months to fill his order. Pete decided to talk to Unibloc Hygienic Technologies.

Approach

Unibloc Hygienic Technologies assembles and tests all its pumps in the USA. The company maintains a large inventory of in-stock pumps and parts, and as a result, was poised and ready to help Pete outfit his new tankers with a Unibloc Hygienic Technologies hygienic?pump. Oakley started with its most demanding application, first trialing the Series 551 on a few of its vinegar tankers. These positive displacement, rotary lobe pumps feature o-lip shaft seals made with a proprietary composite material that is highly resistant to corrosion and won’t burn up if left to run dry. “The seals themselves are much longer-lasting,” said Pete. “We knew if they could withstand our vinegar loads, they would last a lot longer in the field with our other products, too,” he added. The 551 ran trouble-free for three months, at which time Oakley decided to replace the seals out of an abundance of caution – not because they started leaking. After the successful trial, Pete ordered more 551 units for his new tankers. That order was delivered immediately from Unibloc's on-hand inventory. During the next three years, Unibloc worked closely with Pete to customize the 551 unit for Oakley’s needs. Enhancements include the Drop-In-Fit bracket, which mounts directly to the existing competitive bracket, and a welded pressure relief valve that eliminates a common wear item. The Unibloc 551 also features frontloaded seals that can be replaced in less time than it takes to pour a cup of coffee. There is no need to break down the gear housing to get to the seals, and front shimming simplifies adjusting the lobe tolerances. Unibloc Hygienic Technologies also answered Pete’s call for training. Representatives are sent to Oakley’s facilities twice a year at no charge to ensure its team stays current on all the pump’s design features, operation, and maintenance. Unibloc Hygienic Technologies also works closely with Pete on training new hires.

Results

There are currently more than 400 Unibloc 551 hygienic?pumps operating on Oakley’s fleet of food-grade tankers. Every new trailer purchase is equipped with a Unibloc pump. As the existing competitive pumps fail, they are upgraded to the Unibloc pump. Pump service breakdown calls are down 20% from previous years, and that number is expected to grow as the existing fleet is retrofitted. Unlike before, there have been no overall pump failures, and the long-lasting seals have resulted in less downtime and lower repair costs. That reliability helps Oakley increase its profitability. “The Unibloc units are readily available when I need them. Their customer service is phenomenal. They ask what we need, and they respond,” said Pete. “They make our business and our life easier, and that’s a number I can’t put a value on,” he added. “It’s important to us to provide exemplary service to our customers. When Pete calls, we answer. And we do that with everyone,” said Eric Soderstrom, Sales Engineer for Unibloc Hygienic Technologies. “The feedback from Pete and the Oakley team has helped us to create a superior product. We greatly value those relationships.”

Interested to learn more about truck pumps from Unibloc? Join us at two upcoming truck shows to see the latest in pump technology this September! Visit our booth at the IAA show in Germany or NTTC in Charlotte North Carolina to discover how our innovative solutions can improve your operations with efficiency and reliability. Don’t miss your chance to meet our team, get hands-on with our cutting-edge pumps, and learn how Unibloc can power your success on the road. Stay ahead of the curve—see you there!"