Month: May 2021

4 Reasons to Choose Groupe Somavrac and Its Handling and Transformation Service

Groupe Somavrac specializes in five distinct services to provide customers with turnkey end-to-end logistics solutions. Product handling and transformation are two of these services. Discover the benefits of calling on Groupe Somavrac for these two services in this short blog post.

Serving a Wide Variety of Industries

Groupe Somavrac serves many industries through its handling and transformation services, including the chemical, construction, agriculture, automotive, water treatment, pulp and paper, oil and gas, mining, aluminum, and cement industries. Thanks to its logistics experts, the company provides services that are tailored to the specifics of every industry it serves.

A Solution-Based Approach

Nothing is impossible for Groupe Somavrac – it’s all about transforming issues into opportunities to develop new solutions. The team of professionals that provide handling and transformation services develop robust, structured, and appealing logistics solutions. Company experts are keenly responsive: from the get-go, they listen closely to develop a solid understanding of customer needs and provide the most efficient and cost-effective logistics solution. The engineering department works closely with operations to develop processes that meet the various needs of the customer base.

“Customers are the focal point of what we do. We are committed to working closely together to solve every issue they may face.”

A Wide Variety of Handling Operations

Products that are handled and transformed can be received in totes, drums, small bags, big bags, or in bulk. Groupe Somavrac experts offer a full range of services for product handling and transformation: the team can oversee bagging, debagging, transshipping, dilution mixing, formula development, toll manufacturing, warehousing, and more. Inventory management is also available to ensure efficient tracking of customer products.

Such varied handling operations are available for a wide range of products. Whether it’s hazardous or non-hazardous chemicals, liquid or dry product, in bulk or in bags, Groupe Somavrac has the experts to meet your needs.

Turnkey Service

Groupe Somavrac’s strategically positioned facilities mean the company can provide multimodal handling services. Company terminals are located near the St. Lawrence River and major highways for turnkey service. Cargo arriving by ship can be unloaded, handled, transformed, then shipped out by rail or truck. Groupe Somavrac professionals have developed renowned expertise in chemical handling and can provide handling and transformation services that meet your every need and expectation.

Keep reading our blog posts to learn more about the services Groupe Somavrac offers!

Saint-Étienne-des-Grès

Municipality: Municipality of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès
Project: pre-wetting of abrasive
Project specifications: custom de-icer
Timeframe: 2014 to 2018

Main customer challenges

Reduce the amount of road salt spread
Have a prepared mix of 18% salt with liquid brine for abrasive pre-wetting
Make the work of snow removal operators easier and eliminate time lost dealing with frozen clumps of sand

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Mix of sand, salt, and liquid using an automated on-site mixer

Results and customer impact

Lower consumption of road salt
Uniform, malleable piles at temperatures as low as -45 degrees Celsius
Less loss through bouncing, as liquid enhances product ground adhesion
Better long-term product effectiveness leading to fewer snow removal operatio

Drummondville

Municipality: City of Drummondville

Project: Pre-wetting of abrasives (5 mm stone)

Project specifications: improve snow removal operations

Timeframe: 2011 to 2018

Main customer challenges

First challenge

Make the work of snow removal operators easier and eliminate time lost dealing with frozen clumps of sand

Second challenge

Reduce the amount of road salt spread
Increase driver safety at lower temperatures (salt begins to lose its effectiveness at -12 degrees Celsius)
Budgetary considerations

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Solution to the first challenge: pre-wetting abrasives with an automated mixer
Pre-wetting abrasive piles with liquid to make handling easier at low temperatures (down to -51 degrees Celsius)

Solution to the second challenge: on-board liquid for abrasives

Installation of an on-site 40,000-liter buffer tank for liquid de-icer storage (29.6% concentration calcium chloride with corrosion inhibitor) for proactive spreader truck refills
Spreader trucks equipped with an automated liquid spray system controlled by operators based on spreading charts developed by the city
Before falling to the ground, the salt and sand in the truck body are sprayed with the de-icing agent for an immediate ice-melting effect

Results and customer impact

30% less salt in the environment
Product effective down to -25 degrees Celsius
Uniform, malleable piles at temperatures as low as -51 degrees Celsius
Less loss through bouncing, as liquid enhances product ground adhesion
Better long-term product effectiveness leading to fewer snow removal operations

Municipality of St-Valérien

Déglaçant, de-icing, ice melter, Somavrac C.C

Municipality: St-Valérien (Rimouski County)

Project: determine the optimum mix of de-icing products, given the spreading surface (number of kilometers) and the benefits of available products (road salt, calcium chloride, abrasives, etc.)

Project specifications: optimum performance and road safety

Timeframe: 2011 to 2018

Main customer challenges

Improve the general condition of gravel roads (potholes and frost boil from freezing)
Reduce the amount of abrasives spread
Abrasive piles are frozen and hard to handle during snow removal operations

Solutions recommended

Mix of salt and gravel, ideal for asphalt roads (no gravel): cover large surfaces in harsher weather conditions (Rimouski-Neigette) for safe roads (excellent for traction)
Reduced amounts of abrasive, since it sticks to ice

Results and customer impact

Significant improvement of road quality
Fewer snow removal operations and less abrasive loss from bouncing through better ground adhesion of the Somavrac C.C. mix
Uniform, malleable piles at lower temperatures
Non-abrasive for the municipality’s salt spreader tank

Ore carryback problem (chloride-free)

Iron Melt, déglaçant industriel liquide, chlorure de calcium, inhibiteur de corrosion, minerai, Somavrac C.C

Industry: mining

Project specifications: no chlorides

Main customer challenges

Ore carryback in railcars (down to -5 degrees Celsius)
Looking for a product with anti-adhesive properties for railcar bodies
Looking to use a chloride-free product (natural solution)

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Mixture prepared at the Trois-Rivières Somavrac plant to supply an industrial vegetable-oil-based anti-adhesive (formula developed in collaboration with the customer and a local partner)
Shipping of totes to northern Quebec
Spraying railcars with product using a semi-automated spray system

Results and customer impact

Carryback has fallen from 12 tons to less than one ton

Mining De-Icer

Industry: mining

Project specifications: develop a super de-icer for the customer’s private roads

Main customer challenges

Salt is ineffective at -12/-13 degrees Celsius
Earth roads (with too much sodium, melt and recrystallize): many potholes, costly and frequent resurfacing

Solution recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Development of the right mix of salt and calcium chloride flakes for the customer’s needs
Several tests conducted with the customer to determine the ideal concentration
Residue left on the road acts as a dust suppressant in the spring and helps compaction

Results and customer impact

Lower road reconstruction costs
Product effective at low temperatures
Cost-effective solution
Environment that is dust-free, clean, and safe for road users

Ore carryback problem

Antiadhésif végétal, Bioguard, Somavrac C.C, wagons

Industry: mining

Project: railcar spraying to avoid ore freezing and carryback when unloading

Project specifications: harsh winter conditions (northern Quebec)

Main customer challenges

Loss of product through ore carryback in railcars during the winter
Risk of derailment from the weight of railcars (ore carryback)
Minimizing the material and labor costs required to protect the railcars: approximately 1,500 railcars were equipped with plywood and insulation, which are short-lived, nondurable, and lose their effectiveness quickly
Risks to employee safety, material damage (load weight), and time loss when ore clumps together, which employees then have to break up

Solutions recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Semi-automated system that sprays 29.6% concentration calcium chloride on railcar walls and top (includes a flowmeter to control amount of spray)
Following services: ship unloading, product warehousing in customer tank (pipeline), solution preparation in the tank, and railcar transfer (using the pipeline) performed by the Somavrac C.C. team

Results and customer impact

Less product loss at unloading (prevents the product from clinging to railcar side walls)
Safe railcar travel
Lower costs (material and labor)
Simplified management: product and service included, to avoid having to deal with 2 or 3 separate suppliers.

Ice, dust, and carryback problems

Customer industry

Our customer is a leading company in transportation infrastructure, abrasive production, and general maintenance of the Quebec road network.

Main customer challenge

Summer

Dust issues during road construction or other construction projects.

Winter

Problems with ice on worksites
Problem with bulk materials clinging to dump truck bodies and building up hard-to-remove accumulation. The problem can also make the truck body unstable and lead to serious accidents, even tipping.

Solution recommended by Somavrac C.C.

Dust and ice problems:

Annual delivery of 15 to 20 tons of Xtra85 calcium chloride flakes in 1,000 kg bags to the customer

Carryback problem:

To resolve the carryback issue, Somavrac C.C. delivered a tote of Liquidow liquid calcium chloride to the customer. As needed,

- Somavrac C.C. can deliver the product or refill totes directly at customer facilities.
- Customers can collect totes from Somavrac C.C.

Xtra85 can be purchased for you to dilute for applications such as avoiding carryback.

Customer benefits

85% concentration calcium chloride flakes (for dust and ice problems)

Safe worksites, free of dust or ice, for workers
Spreading handled by customer employees with minimal equipment (spreader truck) both for dust suppressant and de-icer: simple, effective, and cost-effective
Easy-to-store bags requiring only basic handling equipment (lift truck)
Product used year-round, killing two birds with one stone
Certified as a dust suppressant by Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)

Liquid calcium chloride (for carryback problems)

Proactive, efficient customer deliveries (with no carryback) thanks to the product’s effectiveness and anti-adhesive properties

Ease of use: easy to spray dump truck bodies with a multi-use sprayer.

ENVIRONMENT WEEK AT GROUPE SOMAVRAC

As part of Environment Week at Groupe Somavrac, which took place from April 19 to 23, 2021, several activities were held to raise employee awareness of the environmental pillar of sustainable development. In particular, videos and a blog article were shared with all employees by email. Employees also had the opportunity to attend a virtual conference and participate in a friendly competition to identify new ecofriendly measures for implementation.

Awareness campaign

Due to the pandemic, Groupe Somavrac decided to provide its employees with information on environmental care through videos, a virtual conference and a blog article.

Videos aimed at demystifying sustainability and recycling were shared with employees during Environment Week. These videos focused on sustainable development concepts as well as tips and tricks for efficient recycling.

Interested employees were also invited to attend a virtual conference on food waste held by the Earth Day organization. Participants greatly appreciated the conference, which was filled with tips and tricks to help reduce the amount of food waste in the home.

Finally, a blog post on composting was shared with employees to show them that the transition is not as difficult as it may seem.

Friendly competition

To get employees actively involved in Environment Week, they were challenged to come up with sustainable innovations that could be implemented within the company.

A dozen employees sent in their ideas to make the company more sustainable. The ideas have been compiled and some of them will be implemented in the near future.

Participants in the sustainable innovation competition were entered into a draw to thank them for their interest in the project. One of the participants went home with a starter set to help them move toward zero waste: beeswax food wraps, a reusable travel cutlery set, reusable makeup removal pads, bulk bags, etc.