Emons Logistics Services Inc has expanded its York, Pennsylvania, bulk transloading facility as a result of a joint funding project with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The new $1.5-million expansion is expected to eventually handle 8,000 to 10,000 truckloads of product and over 2,000 railcars per year.
"The success of this expansion will be obtained by collaborating with our three Class I partners, Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern," says Robert Grossman, chairman and president of the parent company. Emons Logistics is a subsidiary of Emons Transportation Group Inc, also of York.
The parent company is a rail freight transportation and distribution services company with $25 million in operating revenues. It serves the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States, and Quebec, Canada. The company's Pennsylvania rail operations include the York Railway Company and Penn Eastern Rail Lines Inc.
Emons Logistics Company, the transloading division of the company, has operated the 23-acre York rail and truck site for about 10 years, opening the latest expansion June 21, 2000. The third-party facility serves dry and liquid tank truck carriers.
"The expanded facility in York allows us to penetrate the markets within a 50-plus-mile radius," says Phillip DuPont, president and chief operating officer of Emons Logistics Services Inc. "With this new state-of-the-art facility, we are enhancing our customer service. This is clearly a big win for off-line customers in south-central and eastern Pennsylvania."
The company transfers liquid and dry bulk products between railcars and trucks for local pick-up and delivery. Among the products transferred at the facility are cornmeal, oils, plastics, fertilizers, chemicals, feed and grain, and aggregates. The facility has the potential to handle other foodgrade products, such as sugars, sweetners, and beverages. No hazardous materials are handled at the facility.
Terminal services include steam heat, temperature monitoring, air compressor, product sampling, and liquid pumps. Railcars can be switched from either end of the terminal to minimize disruption. Central York Warehouse, a 15,000-square-foot dock facility, is available at a separate location.
A 70-foot truck scale is designed with steps and a walkway for driver safety. A computer system with proprietary software designed for the company handles weight reports, as well as inventory control and billing. A railcar scale also is available.
Tank trailers hauling bulk products can be loaded in 30 to 35 minutes, says John Rabenstein, sales and marketing manager. In addition, railcar storage is offered to customers who prefer to delay shipments.
"Emons Logistics prides itself on being able to offer customer service tailored for individual companies," says Rabenstein. In addition to the bulk truck/rail services at the transloading facility, Emons Logistics has developed working relationships with a commodities company and supplies labor to handle products while the other company has installed a building and loading equipment for dump trailers.
"Our plans are to grow and expand this facility," he adds. "We are introducing some special marketing plans that will include railroads and shippers."
The company's shortline railroad, York Railway Company, operates in the York and Hanover, Pennsylvania, areas and connects with Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. It has a commercial connection from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, into Canada with Canadian Pacific through an arrangement with Norfolk Southern. The connections allow the company access throughout the southern, midwestern, and northeastern United States.
In another move for expansion, the company has begun to double the size of its Auburn, Maine, intermodal facility. The expansion will enable Emons to enhance its double stack intermodal container service in the New England and Quebec area. The St Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company, an Emons subsidiary, provides rail service to and from the intermodal terminal. The terminal coordinates double stack service with Canadian National Railway in the New England area. Through Canadian National, customers can access markets in Canada, New England, the Midwest, and Mexico (through CN's alliance with the Kansas City Southern Railway).
"Steamship companies, which are party to a vessel sharing agreement, recently gave notice that they will be cutting back direct service to the Port of Boston," says Grossman. "This will compel shippers to seek alternate ports and routes. We will work with the steamship companies to route traffic through the Port of Halifax via Canadian National and the St Lawrence & Atlantic to Auburn. We are poised for expansion resulting from this, as well as additional business from the other deep-water ports served by Canadian National on the west coast of Canada and in the Gulf of Mexico."
In addition to the York and Auburn expansions, the company is considering further strategies for the future.
"We will consider selective acquisitions we believe to be beneficial to our corporate objectives," says Grossman. Our goal is to increase shareholder value while creating solutions for our customers' success."