Victorian spring water specialist, Black Mount, has long understood the value of maintaining solid client relationships, knowing they can help promote customer satisfaction and moreover, loyalty. Its ongoing partnership with Byford is a true example of that.
Currently, Black Mount runs a fleet of two semi-tankers, seven 19-metre B-doubles and four 26-metre B-doubles. In its most recent purchase from renowned tanker manufacturer, Byford, Black Mount added to its fleet by taking delivery of a new custom-designed 19-metre food grade stainless steel B-double, built to transport fresh spring water to its clients in regional Victoria.
“The B-double simply picks up the spring water from our silos and delivers it directly to the client’s site, before returning to headquarters and following the same process,” says Tim Carey, Director of Black Mount.
According to Tim, Black Mount’s criteria for purchasing new tankers involve employing lightweight, user-friendly and contamination-free tankers. “The keys to this B-double design are capacity and maintaining water quality throughout the transport process; and this combination allows us to haul up to 38,000-litres while meeting all food safety regulations,” he says.
“Byford custom-designed it perfectly to meet the needs of our operation. The two-axle A-tanker is able to load up to 14,782 litres, while the B-tanker can reach a capacity of more than 23,000 litres and also runs on dual-axles, bolted to a stainless steel chassis.
The B-double is fitted with Byford’s Clean-in-Place (CIP) system, which uses high-energy spray ball pins with four internal spray points in the A-tanker and six points in the B-tanker. The CIP is integrated with pneumatically operated vents fitted to the top of both tankers, which are designed to give the tanker vacuum and pressure protection. “The system allows us to sanitise the tankers at any given time so that they remain at a food grade standard and hygienically maintained,” Tim says. “The vents prevent dust from getting in to the tanker, which open when we are loading and unloading; and are sealed tight once the tanker is on the road.”
To maximise stability on every surface, the B-double is fitted with BPW’s ALII tandem air bag suspension system, BPW drum brakes and is finished with Michelin XTE tubeless tyres fitted to Alcoa alloy wheels. In addition, each tanker is fitted with Jost landing legs, while the whole combination also uses two Jost fifth wheels.
“Overall, all these features enable us to consistently meet our payload requirements, while reducing the motion of water while in transit, which reduces the risk of a rollover,” Tim says. “To complete the B-double, Byford has put a lot of emphasis on polishing all stainless steel components on both tankers to improve appearance, which gives us that ‘wow’ factor when people see the combination out on the roads.”
Millbrook-based Black Mount has spent the better part of its 20 year history operating one of the most successful spring water distribution businesses in Victoria. The company not only delivers fresh drinking water, but supplies water to be used in pools or for landscaping projects. This facet of the company services also involves water storage, which Tim says Byford has been instrumental in.
“As part of our partnership with Byford, they have designed eight of our stainless steel water silos at our sources, where we have two types of silos including one that is a single skid stainless silo and an insulated corrugated iron one – with all silos capable of storing up to 100,000 litres of spring water,” he says. “In fact, our initial association with Byford was based around their silo designs and the tankers just happened to factor into those discussions over time.
“Our facilities and equipment operate 24/7. Every single load in storage and in transit is recorded, security sealed and kept fresh right down to the letter. I’m a great believer that the quality of our infrastructure and tankers reflects the quality of our spring water, and for the past five years, Byford has been very supportive of the business at home and on the road.”
Fast fact
Black Mount Spring Water is one of Victoria’s leading bulk water suppliers and has supplied the State’s major bottled water customers for over 20 years, using a fleet of state-of-the art tankers.
