A GLO (Ground-Level Operated) system for tank containers is designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of the loading and unloading processes of hazardous or volatile materials from ISO tank containers and is primarily used in the transportation and storage of liquid or gaseous substances. The purpose of the system is to unload the tank without needing physical access to the top of the tank by the operator for increased safety and efficiency.
The Pelican GLO system with vapor relief is made up of three basic elements:
- a multi-way remote control
- a PTFE-lined cable with a bracket
- and a piping system with a pressure vent and pressure gauge monitoring for vapor relief.
This tank modification can help create a safer workplace for tank operators because the tank container can be operated from ground level. When operators are not accessing the top of the tank, the risk of falling is reduced by 100%.
Pelican can supply all the individual components necessary to build GLO systems for ISO tank fleets or for the repair/refurbishment of existing systems. We also collaborate with our customers to create customized prefab systems containing installation-ready sections of the total piping system. These sections require only cutting to size and installation with mounting brackets which can be quickly and easily accomplished at a depot.
Components and piping sections help customers create the GLO system that is best for their application.
Pelican Houston hosted our Annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament on the beautiful Forest Course at The Clubs of Kingwood on April 27, 2023. This annual golf tournament is a truly fun event that serves to demonstrate how much we appreciate our customers. Sponsored activities were available at many of the tee boxes such as our featured tent with Hands-Only CPR instruction from American Heart Association team members, team photos, the longest drive contest, closest to the pin contest (complete with a ball cannon!), and a spinning wheel game that tested each participant’s luck. The tournament was a huge success and bested last year’s fundraising by a significant amount.
For the second year, the Pelican golf tournament raised funds to benefit the American Heart Association. Donations and sponsorships resulted in a total contribution of $17k which was presented to Morgan Faiella-Smith Corporate Development Director and Rosa Argueta Corporate Development Manager. This significant contribution will assist the AHA in its commitment to educating the local community on heart health and supporting the fight against heart disease and stroke.
Morgan and Rosa were joined by Tracie Morden of the American Heart Association at the CPR Education Booth to give live demonstration and instruction in hands-only CPR. The Houston Heart Challenge has a goal of training 1,000,000 people in hands-only CPR by 2024 and we are thrilled to be a part of meeting that goal. If you are interested in learning more about Hands-Only CPR, there are courses, downloads, and other resources hosted online by AHA.
As many of you know from our report on the 2022 tournament, Tate Chapman, son of Pelican Houston President Tommy Chapman, was born with a heart defect and had open-heart surgery at only seven days old. He is our inspiration for our continuing charitable partnership with American Heart Association here in Houston. Thanks to medical research, Tate received his life-saving operation and has matured into the healthy young man he is today. This year, his surgeon, Dr. Emmett Dean McKenzie attended the celebration after the tournament to give a short speech on the importance of continuing funding for medical research as well as helping accept the $17k donation to the AHA.
Enjoy this fun video highlighting our Pelican staff and customers enjoying the day and helping make a significant contribution to heart health education and heart disease prevention. All of us at Pelican are so thankful for the fantastic turnout including the incredible donation to the American Heart Association and our community at large. #Partofit #Partofourcommunity
courses, downloads, and other resources = https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits/hands-only-cpr/hands-only-cpr-resources
Leaking valves can result in contaminated or degraded freight and are a potential environmental or liability risk. For these reasons, routine inspection and basic maintenance of the tank trailer are necessary to expose unsound valves. During service, a simple visual inspection of the valves for physical damage and awareness of any strong chemical odor while the valve is still installed in the tank could help prevent future downtime or even a hazardous situation.
Obvious signs that a tank trailer valve needs repair include product leaking from the valve and visible damage to the valve such as gouges or bent components. Physical damage to the valve may point to an impact significant enough to cause misalignment or even warping of the flange which could affect the integrity of the seal. The presence of a strong chemical odor around the tank may also indicate a faulty valve. To review, look for:
- Leaking around valve closure or flange
- Deep scratches or gouges on or near the valve
- Bent or broken components on the valve
- Strong chemical odor even when the valve is closed
Some shops and end users with more experience may be able to use a repair kit to replace worn internal seals, gaskets, and small springs and bearings in a compromised valve. In other instances, a valve may need resurfacing or thread repair that requires special tooling and expertise.
If the valve core is intact, it can be repaired or remanufactured using quality internal components to get it back into service. This is not only a more economical option, but it is a more sustainable one.
Valve Repair can include:
- Repair Kit parts (Seals, Gaskets, Springs, O-rings, Bearings)
- Resurfacing and Polishing
- Thread Repair
- Stem Repair
- Retrofit Flanges or Plates
- Pressure Testing
Valve repair extends the life of tank trailer valves and creates a safer transportation industry. If you need more information about Valve Repair options including repair kits for specific valves, contact Pelican Worldwide to speak with a knowledgeable customer service representative.
Trade events are a fantastic way to bring members of our industry together to demonstrate, display, and possibly even debate the current products, services, and trends. They are also a perfect place to introduce yourself or your business to new customers and catch up with current ones.
Schedule of Events
First up is the WPMAExpo held during Feb 21 - 23 in Las Vegas. For more information: Register Here
Next is the M-PACT Tradeshow held during Apr 4 - 6 in Indianapolis. For more information: Register Here
After M-Pact is, NTTC Conference & Exhibits during May 20 - 23 in Boston. For more information: Register Here
First event of the fall is the, PFCS Summit during Sep 5 - 7 in San Diego. For more information: Register Here
Our last tradeshow event of the year is, NTTC Tank Truck Week during Oct 8 - 11 in Indianapolis. More information to come.
We would enjoy meeting you at any of these events in our exhibit space. Join us in 2023 to connect and learn how Pelican can add convenience and value to your business.
This month we will be exhibiting at the WPMA Expo at The Mirage hotel in Las Vegas, February 21st through the 23rd. Stop by Booth #217 to meet Pelican President Tommy Chapman, Brian Gramling, and Barrett Marler. We would love to see you there!
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We’re doing a little looking back alongside our planning for the new year. Many projects and events that were introduced in 2022 will be expanded as we get ready for what we expect to be a successful 2023.
Our Annual Pelican Golf Tournament, while historically a fun way to express our gratitude for customer loyalty, is also becoming an opportunity to give back to the community. In addition to hopping back into the spring for the event, last year we chose to add The Houston Heart Walk sponsored by The American Heart Association as the charitable beneficiary We raised over $11k which was donated at the closing dinner of the golf tournament. We hope to exceed this donation in 2023 as well as participate with a full corporate team in the Houston Heart Walk itself.
At the 2022 NTTC Tank Truck Week, we used our beautiful new lighted display and created a more customer-centric layout including a lounge area. Look up at the next show and see if you can spot our beautiful Pelican flying high over the exhibits. We hope you will stop by and visit for a while!
In October 2022, Pelican Houston accepted delivery of its largest CNC machine, a PUMA MX 2500 ST. The delivery and installation of the huge machine in the production area took hours. This new CNC Horizontal Lathe is equipped with live tooling and increases the size of items we can manufacture. Along with multitasking capabilities, the specifications include 9 Axes and a 1" chuck size coupled with Cooljet High-Pressure Coolant Systems. Going into 2023, this new machine will increase our manufacturing capabilities and allow us more flexibility to provide for our customers’ needs and specifications.
Pelican Netherlands introduced a brand-new Portal for Parts where extensive data for our Tank Container parts in the EMEA market. Parts images and exploded drawings, dimensions, and even industrial applications are available for customers and internal personnel. When looking at a part in the portal, associated parts are populated along with any related repair or service options. We plan to begin laying the foundations for the same parts portal in our North American markets this year. Though the process will take over 12 to 24 months, we are excited to track our progress and will keep our customers updated.
2022 also was the year we started our Pelican Worldwide online blog. We hope you have been informed by our content and we will continue adding valuable information over the coming year. Look for more entries in our How-To series as well as find more Pelican and industry news in this convenient blog format. Cheers to 2023!
Pelican Houston was proud to be a Gold Level Sponsor of NTTC Tank Truck Week 2022 and host an exhibit space at the largest tank truck event in North America. This year the event was conveniently held in our hometown of Houston, TX at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
As stated on the NTTC website, the Tank Truck Week seminars focused on safety, maintenance, tank sanitation, and technology, as well as educational sessions from Tank Truck University and the Cargo Tank Test & Inspection workshop hosted by educators from the Department of Transportation. The expansive exhibit hall boasted over 250,000 sq ft of exhibitors showcasing trailer and safety equipment, a wide variety of tank trailers, and relevant solutions for tank truck industries. Attendees benefitted from the many sessions, events, and activities hosted by both NTTC and tank industry suppliers.
The 20x20 sq ft Pelican Worldwide exhibit space was perfectly situated in a busy area of the exhibit hall and showcased our capabilities and products for the tank truck industry. The Houston sales and marketing team enjoyed the personal connections with customers and prospects as well as the opportunity to better understand their challenges. Additionally, because the event was held in Houston this year, we were able to host customer tours of our Houston warehouse and manufacturing facility.
If you missed the event this year, or even if you were there and want to relive the fun, please enjoy the NTTC recap video. We’ve already started planning our exhibit space for October 8-10, 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana. We hope to see you there!
The following video demonstrates how to properly install a manlid seal. Before proceeding, verify the replacement seal or gasket is the appropriate size and material for your application. When possible, remove the manlid from the neck ring and place it on a sturdy work surface for the safest and easiest installation. Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment including ANSI-rated safety glasses and follow the safety guidelines and best practices required by your depot or workplace. The tank trailer or tank container may have contained hazardous materials causing the manlid to require special handling. Used gaskets or seals should be properly disposed of.
Video Recap:
List of materials to install a manlid include,
• a rubber mallet,
• the manlid,
• a replacement seal.
Steps to install a manlid seal:
1. Center the seal on the manlid
2. Push the seal in at four points separated by 90°
3. Tap the seal/gasket in place using a mallet
4. Properly dispose of used seal/gasket
How to install a manlid seal explained | Center the replacement seal onto the manlid and press it in at four points located at right angles (the top, bottom, and on the right and left sides). On a clock, this is at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. Gently push or pull the seal as needed. You may need to apply some pressure to get the seal or gasket started at each of these positions. Using the mallet, work all the way around the manlid and tap down the seal until it is firmly seated.
A helpful tip when installing a manlid seal: If any part of the seal does not easily sit into the manlid groove, you can use a small piece of plastic or a section of spare rubber along with the mallet to tap down any kinks or raised areas.
To finish strong, properly dispose of used seals and return all tools to their assigned locations. This is also a good time to verify your seal or gasket inventory is at optimum levels and place any backfill orders.
Pelican Houston hosted our Annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament on the beautiful Island Course at The Clubs of Kingwood on May 5, 2022. This fun event shows our customers how much we appreciate their business and value our relationships. As in our past tournaments, extra activities were available at many of the tee boxes such as team photos, the longest drive contest, closest to the pin contest, and a spinning wheel game that tested each participant’s luck - or lack thereof. The tournament was great fun and new for this year, attendees made a significant contribution to heart health education and heart disease prevention by donating to the American Heart Association.
This year, the tournament featured a charitable aspect benefitting The American Heart Association (AHA). Participants could purchase hole sponsorships and give donations in various ways which were met with in-kind contributions by Pelican to the Houston Heart Walk benefitting the American Heart Association. Donations and sponsorships up to $5k were matched by Pelican dollar-for-dollar. At the close of the tournament, a total donation of over $11k was presented to local representatives of The American Heart Association, Karla Hoskin Vice President of the Heart Challenge, and Morgan Faiella Corporate Development Director. The AHA provides education and community support to fight heart disease and stroke, saving and improving lives.
Among our many sponsors who staffed tents on the golf course, the American Heart Association had a CPR Education Booth complete with live demonstration and instruction in hands-only CPR. The Houston Heart Challenge has a goal of training 1,000,000 people in hands-only CPR by 2024 and we are thrilled to be a part of meeting that goal. If you are interested in learning more about Hands-Only CPR, there are courses, downloads, and other resources hosted online by AHA.
The catalyst for including a fundraiser with the golf tournament is Tate Chapman, son of Pelican Houston President Tommy Chapman, who was born with a heart defect and had open-heart surgery at only seven days old. Following additional surgeries early in his life, Tate is now a healthy teen living a full academic and social life including participation in team sports. Tate makes time to give back to the AHA by serving as a Heart Ambassador to help educate the community on the life-saving research The American Heart Association provides. We are so glad Tate attended the tournament to present the donation check to the American Heart Association!
See for yourself in this short video how our Pelican staff and customers enjoyed a truly fun day and helped make a significant contribution to heart health education and heart disease prevention. Everyone here at Pelican is grateful for the fantastic turnout and total donation to the American Heart Association and through them our community at large. #Partofit #Partofourcommunity
We don’t know who originally created the following helpful way to remember all the vital information necessary to order a hose assembly right the first time - and every time - but we appreciate their idea and share it here because it works.
The information provided to the hose supplier must include specific data to build, test, and deliver a suitable and safe hose assembly.
STAMPED is the industry-standard acrostic, or mnemonic device, used for remembering all necessary parameters for a complete and appropriate hose assembly for any application. Each letter of the word “STAMPED” is a reminder to include the detail that starts with each letter of the word:
Using this method ensures you don’t start the order and then realize important data is missing, or worse, think these parameters aren’t necessary and any hose assembly will work. Place your hose orders using your unique STAMPED details or call the Customer Service Team and they can help guide you through the STAMPED process.
If you can remember STAMPED, then you are on your way to determining and communicating the details needed to build and deliver the right hose assembly for the job at hand.
The new Pelican Remote Control Cable is more secure during transport and more flexible during installation and operation due to a recent redesign by the Pelican engineering team. The new design Remote Control Cable can be installed vertically or horizontally on the tank frame using L-Brackets via welding or with M10 bolts and remotely operates the 1-inch, 1.5-inch, or 2-inch valve installed at the top of the container inside the spill box.
Because of its unique two-way design, the handle can either push or pull to open the valve. In the default position, pushing the handle will open the valve, and pulling the handle will close the valve. Customized installation can reverse these open and close positions as needed by seating the handle in the upward position before completing the installation on the tank. If the handle is reversed at installation, corresponding OPEN and CLOSED indicator plates are included with the assembly to make operation clear and avoid confusion.
Calibrated adjustments can be made at the bracket to fine-tune the cable tension needed to open or close the valve. The two bolts on the bracket can be set in the position best suited for each tank or for different operating conditions.
To operate the handle, a technician must first pull out the plunger to release the handle. This plunger outperforms the competition with a durable design and long-lasting materials. It serves as a default safety device that prevents the handle from being accidentally opened or closed.
This remote-control cable is easier to install and able to be calibrated at either the valve end or at the remote handle end, or both, for complete accuracy. Our engineers also used a new type of cable in the updated remote control cable assembly. The new cable is stronger and more durable for longer life and dependable operation in more harsh environments.
North American customers can contact a Pelican customer service representative for technical details and place an order by phone or on our web-based estore search for Part Number ABV-994040-6M Remote Control Open Type. Global customers can access the Pelican Portal through the global website for detailed information including installation instructions and replacement part ordering information for Part Number 994040-6.