Gestion PBT - Success in a new market

When the co-owners of Distributions Cuisi-Lam in Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada, bought two storage containers for their business in 2004, they certainly did not think their decision would mean a birth of a new enterprise. Today, however, Gestion PBT is a flourishing business that distributes a few hundred containers a year, all over the area. Most are destined for storage, but increasingly containers are also turned into offices, laboratories, dormitories or even restaurants.

Pierre Bérubé, one of the co-owners of Distributions Cuisi-Lam, explains that the first two containers ordered for the original business were resold before their delivery.

"We realized that there was a huge potential for container storage”, he says. “That is why we started buying, modifying and reselling containers to other companies in the region.”

The business grew quickly and soon Gestion PBT realized that loading and unloading containers often posed a problem. Sometimes, space was limited. At other occasions, the driver had to wait until a crane was available to lift the container. That is why the company started looking for a long-term solution to provide fast and secure container handling service for their customers.

Solution

“We scanned the market for possible solutions”, says Pierre Bérubé. “Sideloaders seemed to be the answer so we contacted a few manufacturers to learn more. Hammar provided by far the best service of them all.”

Personnel from Gestion PBT were invited to Hammar headquarters in Sweden to view the production and learn more about Hammar solutions.

“When we ordered our first Hammar sideloader in 2016, nobody in Quebec knew what it was”, says Pierre Bérubé. “But the word soon got out and visitors started coming from all over to take pictures and even film our sideloader in action.”

“People were really impressed”, says Pierre Bérubé. “Suddenly everybody was calling to help them move containers. Next year, we ordered a second sideloader from Hammar, and the year after yet another one.”

Results

Today, Gestion PBT owns 6 trucks. Three of them are equipped with a Hammar sideloader and since the operations are running at full capacity, the company will soon order a fourth sideloader.

“In my opinion, sideloaders are the fastest and most secure way to load and unload containers”, says Pierre Bérubé. “Hammar provides really great quality. Many of our customers are military bases and aluminium producers with extremely high safety standards. With our Hammar sideloaders, we can be sure to fulfill these standards.” “Also, we really appreciate the treatment we have received from everyone at Hammar. Just like us, Hammar people are extremely customer-oriented, not to mention friendly. They really take their job seriously and show commitment in everything they do.”