During the week of December 5, 2005, Fond du Lac-based Brenner Tank broke at least two sales records when it accepted tank orders for 249 tanks.
“When you consider our total count for all of 2003 was just over 500 tanks,” said John F Cannon, vice-president-sales and marketing, “this is a very good sign that business is turning around in our industry.”
The bulk of this record can be attributed to two customers: a Milwaukee WI-based company ordered 110 tanks; another 115 were purchased by the largest carrier in North America. Before the week of December 5, the largest single order Brenner ever received was for 100 tanks.
One key area of growth for tank fleets and Brenner is in aluminum units. “Impending government requirements for ultra-low sulfur diesel have increased the need for aluminum tanks,” said Cannon. “Also, there's renewed activity in the southwest United States oilfields and the tar sands of Alberta, as a result of the relatively high price for crude oil.”
The tank sales are good news for the Fond du Lac community, too. New equipment demand has resulted in an increased need for qualified employees. “Our plan is to hire approximately 70 new hourly employees - primarily welders,” said Bruce Yakley. “To date, we have about half of those hires completed; we're also anticipating a 10% increase in salaried staff during 2006.”
Brenner is also working to develop its own pool of skilled labor through the Skilled Welder Training program, which combines a mentorship component with on-site training.