Bison Group

What Bison Group does

Bison Group Limited, founded in 2015 in Dunedin, New Zealand by brothers Greg Fahey (CEO) and Mark Fahey (CTO), designs and manufactures portable hydraulic container lifting jacks and certified portable container weighing systems under the BISON brand. Its product portfolio spans the C-Lift series of lifting jacks — automated (A Series, 32 tonnes), transportable corner-bolt-on legs (T Series), forklift-mounted (X Series, 40 tonnes), manual (M Series), fixed bolt-to-ground (F Series, 32 tonnes), and field-deployable (Mantis) — alongside C-Jacks portable container scales, the VGM App for SOLAS verified gross mass compliance, a self-calibration kit, G Series dollies, and the Scarab transloader. The company's weighing systems hold OIML R76:2006 certification and Type or Pattern Approvals in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, and Central America, making them legal for SOLAS VGM trade use across most major shipping jurisdictions.

Bison monetizes primarily through one-time hardware sales priced on a quote basis, supplemented by aftermarket service, parts, and training. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales (anchored by a Texas regional office and a Houston demonstration site) with a multi-lingual inside-sales function and regional distributors such as SET Weighing in Malaysia. Customers include US Air Force, US Army 835th Transportation Battalion, NASA, Kuehne+Nagel, Hexion, Active Power, ESS Inc., Emirates Team NZ, Talley's, Blue Sky Meats, and approximately 70-country-wide commercial and government accounts. Capital structure is bootstrapped: cumulative disclosed funding of approximately $762K is dominated by Callaghan Innovation R&D grants and a December 2024 Bank of New Zealand facility of ~$580K, with no institutional equity identified.

The core value proposition is operational independence from cranes, docks, sideloaders, and weighbridges: Bison's portable systems replace $250K-$1M+ capital equipment for specific workflows at a fraction of the cost, with documented customer payback under 1.5 years (e.g., Hexion, Morris Equipment savings of ~$50K/year, Masterank Wax savings of ~$900/day, Daltra Greentech savings of $6K-$9K/month). Defense, energy/utilities, and logistics/freight forwarding are the primary verticals, with defense-related use cases explicitly prioritized through products, certifications, and conference participation (Defence Manufacturing Conference 2026).

Name

Bison Group

Legal name

Bison Group Limited

Website

https://bison-jacks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bison Group designs and manufactures portable hydraulic container lifting jacks and certified portable container weighing systems, serving defense, logistics, energy, and industrial customers across 70+ countries from its Dunedin, New Zealand headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Container Handling Equipment

NAICS

Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392), Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Lifting Systems (Hydraulic Gantries, Strand Jacks, Jacking Systems) (IMAHAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Portable container lifting
• Container weighing scales
• Container lifting jacks
• VGM compliance solutions
• Shipping container handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Container Lifting Equipment Sales: Sale of portable container lifting jack systems (C-Lift series: A, T, X, M, F models) providing lifting, weighing, and mobility solutions for shipping containers without requiring cranes, docks, or third-party equipment. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware purchases with potential for accessories, parts, and service packages.
2. Container Weighing Equipment Sales: Sale of C-Jacks portable container scales for weighing containers and generating SOLAS VGM compliance certificates. Includes VGM App software for data management and calibration kits.
3. Service, Parts & Training: Aftermarket revenue from service support, replacement parts, and training programs for equipment operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bison Group designs, develops and manufactures portable hydraulic container lifting jacks and weighing systems (branded C-Lift, C-Jacks, G Series and Scarab) that enable shipping container handling without cranes, docks, sideloaders or third-party equipment. Offerings span manual to fully automated lifting systems with capacities up to 40 tonnes, the world's only portable certified container scale with VGM App software for SOLAS compliance, container dollies and a transloader for on-site mobility. Equipment is sold globally to defense, logistics, energy and manufacturing customers in 70+ countries.

Product overview

Bison Group offers a comprehensive portfolio of portable container handling systems centered on three core capability areas: container lifting (C-Lift series with A, T, X, M, Mantis, and F models), container weighing (C-Jacks portable scales with VGM App), and container mobility (G Series dollies and Scarab transloader). The C-Lift lifting jacks range from manual low-cost options (M Series) to automated systems (A Series) to highest-capacity forklift-mounted solutions (X Series up to 40 tonne), while the F Series provides fixed bolt-to-ground installations. C-Jacks portable container scales enable verified gross mass (VGM) compliance and payload optimization anywhere. The ecosystem is unified through the VGM App for digital weight data management and certificate generation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• C-Lift A Series: Automated lifting jack system for fast container handling with up to 32 tonne lift capacity
• C-Lift T Series
• C-Lift X Series
• C-Lift M Series
• C-Lift F Series
• C-Jacks
• G Series
• Scarab
• VGM App

Products and services

• C-Lift A Series Automated lifting jack system offering fast container handling with up to 32 tonnes (70,000 lb) lift capacity for transferring containers between ground and chassis; targeted at operations needing automated lifting without cranes.
• C-Lift T Series Transportable container legs that bolt to the corner castings of ISO containers, fold away for transport and enable rapid crane-free deployment in the field with up to 30 tonnes (66,000 lb) lift capacity.
• C-Lift X Series Forklift-mounted hydraulic container lifting system handling up to 40 tonnes (88,000 lb), with intelligent automated load sensing, tilt sensing and synchronization; targeted at the heaviest ISO container handling jobs.
• C-Lift M Series Manual, low-cost portable container lifting jack set with quick setup for lifting containers off trucks and lowering to ground without cranes or sideloaders; suited to basic or remote applications.
• C-Lift Mantis Ready-to-deploy container hoist for field deployment of containerized assets without reliance on cranes or third-party equipment; targeted at expeditionary or remote operations.
• C-Lift F Series Bolt-to-ground fixed container lift with 32-tonne lift capacity and 5-8 minute transfer time, with integrated tilt sensor, weight sensor and counterbalance valves; suited to permanent loading dock installations.
• C-Jacks Portable Container Scales World's only portable, certified container scale enabling container weights to be verified and digitized anywhere and any time, with VGM App integration for SOLAS VGM compliance and payload optimization.
• VGM App Smart data management software for capturing and emailing container weight data instantly, generating VGM certificates and integrating with C-Jacks Container Scales for SOLAS compliance.
• Calibration Kit Self-calibration kit that allows customers to periodically calibrate Bison Container Scales without specialist technicians or certified test weights.
• G Series Container Dollies German-engineered transportable container dollies with carrying capacity up to 88,000 lb (40,000 kg) for moving containers on site without cranes or sideloaders.
• Scarab Container Transloader Container transloader for efficient loading and unloading of containers at facilities without docks, enabling on-site container movement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hexion halved the time it takes to weigh a container after adopting Bison Container Scales
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SET Weighingregional partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Bison's Malaysian sales partner coordinating Type Approval testing by SIRIM and distribution of Bison Container Scales in Malaysia. SET Weighing coordinated rigorous accuracy, repeatability, eccentricity testing with certified test weights ranging from 500kg to 35,000kg.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kalmar (Cargotec): Kalmar is the global leader in container handling equipment — reach stackers, terminal tractors, straddle carriers, and ship-to-shore cranes used at ports and terminals. It is a broad incumbent that competes in the same end-customer workflow (container handling) as Bison, but addresses large fixed-infrastructure deployments versus Bison's portable, crane-independent niche.
• Konecranes: Konecranes is a global manufacturer of lifting equipment — port cranes, reach stackers, forklifts, and hoists — serving ports, intermodal terminals, and industrial facilities. Overlap with Bison is in container lifting and material handling; Konecranes operates at much larger scale and a heavier fixed-equipment model.
• Hyster-Yale Group: Hyster-Yale designs and manufactures lift trucks, container handlers, and material handling equipment under the Hyster and Yale brands. It overlaps with Bison in container handling machinery and uses an extensive global dealer network, making it a potential channel-rich entrant into portable container lifting.
• Terex Corporation: Terex manufactures port equipment, material handlers, and rough-terrain cranes used in container handling applications. Its broad industrial equipment portfolio overlaps with Bison's end-customer use cases, particularly at ports and intermodal yards where Bison also sells.
• Liebherr: Liebherr produces mobile harbour cranes, ship-to-shore container cranes, and earthmoving equipment used at ports and industrial sites. It addresses the same end-customer pain points (container lifting, weighing, transport) but with much larger fixed and mobile capital equipment.
• JCB: JCB manufactures telehandlers, rough-terrain forklifts, and material handlers including dedicated container-handling variants. JCB's product range overlaps with Bison's forklift-mounted X Series in terms of lifting capacity and customer base (logistics, ports, construction).
• Caterpillar (CAT): Caterpillar produces a broad range of construction, mining, and material handling equipment, including telehandlers and wheel loaders used around container handling facilities. Its global dealer network and brand recognition make it a credible long-term competitor if it moves into portable container lifting.

Direct peers

• Manitou Group: Manitou manufactures telehandlers, forklifts, and material handling equipment, including attachments designed to handle ISO containers in confined or field environments. It is the closest direct peer in portable/forklift-mounted container handling, with overlapping customers in logistics, agriculture, and construction.
• Mettler-Toledo: Mettler-Toledo is a global leader in industrial weighing solutions, including container and vehicle scales. It overlaps with Bison's C-Jacks portable container scales business in serving SOLAS VGM compliance use cases at ports, terminals, and logistics hubs.
• Avery Weigh-Tronix: Avery Weigh-Tronix manufactures industrial scales and weighing equipment, including vehicle and container weighing systems. It competes directly with Bison in the legal-for-trade container weighing segment used by logistics and freight forwarding customers for VGM compliance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bison Group