THE PAST year brought two new cargo tank repair shops for Brenner Tank Services LLC. Both were developed in cooperation with QualaWash Holdings LLC.
The first of the two new Brenner Tank Services locations opened in June 2011 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, followed by the second new facility in July in Chicago, Illinois. With these two new shops, Brenner Tank Services has three repair shops leasing space at QualaWash facilities.
“Our arrangement with QualaWash has been very beneficial,” says Rick A Peterson, president of Brenner Tank Services. “We help QualaWash, and they help us. We make it possible for QualaWash facilities to offer one-stop services to customers wanting tank cleaning and tank repair services at the same location.
“This has been a great arrangement for us, and we hope to partner with QualaWash at other locations. We're definitely looking to add more cargo tank repair shops during 2012.”
With the two newest shops, Brenner Tank Services now has a network of six locations. A shop in West Memphis, Arkansas, was the first to lease space from QualaWash. Other tank repair shops are in Houston, Texas (Brenner's largest repair facility), and Mauston, Wisconsin. Brenner Tank Services also has a parts sales operation in Ashland, Kentucky.
The new Baton Rouge shop is at 6741 Airline Highway and occupies what once was the maintenance shop of a truck dealership. Peterson says the Baton Rouge location has done well in the short time it has been open. “We're ahead of plan for this facility,” he says.
The three-bay shop is staffed with three mechanics and two parts sales specialists. Two mechanics are certified cargo tank inspectors and one is a truck mechanic. The parts specialists handle inside sales and parts delivery to customers throughout the area.
“It didn't take long for this shop to get busy,” says Chris Morgan, Brenner Tank Services facility manager in Baton Rouge. “We're doing plenty of cargo tank inspections and tests. We're doing tractor and trailer preventive maintenance, and we may add a code welder in the future. Next month, we will purchase a tractor to allow tank trailer pick-up and delivery service.
“We are selling a wide range of cargo tank and trailer parts, especially gaskets and seals and parts for valves and vents. We're doing a lot of work on general chemical trailers. We also sell a lot of parts for acid and crude oil trailers.”
The Chicago shop is at 801 East 120th Street and has 2½ bays. It is staffed with two mechanics that handle truck and trailer repairs and two parts sales specialists.
Like the Baton Rouge shop, the Chicago location provides range of cargo tank services, including VIK inspections, tank re-jacketing, suspension repair and replacement, and brake repair and adjustment. The Chicago shop also delivers parts throughout the area. ♦
