Transportation Report INTERMODAL
High Capacity
Spiral
Conveyors
Ryson High Capacity Spirals are in
response to our customers’ need to
go higher and handle more weight.
They handle double the weight capacity
of our standard spirals and can run varied
load sizes at speeds up to 200 PFM.
The new W T Model comes in slat
widths of 30” and 36” and can provide
an elevation change of up to 50 feet
with only one drive.
These spirals can also be configured
to allow the loads to enter or exit the
spirals at intermediate elevations, ideal
for multi-level warehousing operations.
For more information, give us a call or
visit www.ryson.com.
300 Newsome Drive • Yorktown, VA 23692
Phone: (757) 898-1530 • Fax: (757) 898-1580
VERTICAL CONVEYING SOLUTIONS
Visit us at PROMAT Booth S2047
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48 DC VELOCITY FEBRUARY 2019 www.dcvelocity.com
al facilities receive and
allow pickup of contain-
ers 24 hours a day, offer-
ing more flexibility than
marine terminals typically
do. The potential savings
are so attractive that it’s
not unusual for shippers
to locate DCs close to
inland ports, as The Home
Depot, Kohl’s, Rite Aid,
and Red Bull have done
near the Virginia Port
Authority’s inland port in
Front Royal.
One example of a shipper that saw
the potential benefits of an inland port
and made them a reality is the auto-maker BMW. The South Carolina Ports
Authority (SCPA) owned some land
adjacent to a Norfolk Southern rail line
in the town of Greer, 212 miles inland
from the Port of Charleston. Nearby,
BMW has a giant auto-assembly plant
that was moving hundreds of import
and export containers each day by truck.
SCPA had long considered developing
the parcel for intermodal use, but BMW,
recognizing that reliable intermodal service could significantly reduce its costs
and improve transportation efficiency, “pushed us to move forward,” says
Micah Mallace, director regional sales,
South Carolina Ports.
Because Inland Port Greer is open 24
hours a day, seven days a week, the intermodal terminal can quickly process the
200-plus import containers that arrive
every night via the Norfolk Southern,
ensuring uninterrupted availability of
parts at BMW’s plant. Since Inland
Port Greer opened in 2013, the railroad
has moved over 180,000 containers for
BMW, delivering them on a just-in-time
basis to the assembly plant, which is
served via a rail spur—no local trucking
required.
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
While inland ports offer a number of
advantages, importers and exporters
should carefully weigh both the bene-
fits and potential drawbacks before they
make a commitment. First and foremost,
perhaps, is to make sure the intermod-
al service on offer is regular, reliable,
and cost-effective. Indeed, as the New
Harbor Consultants report noted, ship-
pers will use an inland intermodal port
“if transit times, reliability, and cost are
attractive compared to truck.” In many
cases, they are, and the inland ports
consider that favorable comparison to be
one of their major selling points.
Another consideration, JLL’s
Kemmsies says, is whether there may
be service constraints. “A lot of inland
ports will be served by only one railroad.
Will you be getting away from expensive
trucks and labor, only to fall into a situation where a lack of diversification is
not in your favor?” he asks. Kemmsies
advocates retaining the ability to reroute
cargo “to maintain competitive strength
as well as to improve reliability.”
For shippers that are considering locating a DC close to an inland intermodal
port, the availability of reasonably priced
land with easy access to multimodal
freight capacity is critical, Kemmsies
says. But the biggest cost consideration
right now is labor. “You want to know
who else is located nearby. If the area
you’re looking at is not urban, four other
DCs are there, and there’s a limited labor
pool, there will be lots of competition
for labor.” That can raise labor expenses, reducing or possibly eliminating the
area’s cost advantages.
And finally, trust but verify. Some
inland ports do not function as advertised, according to Mallace. “When congestion, inflexible operations, limited
working hours, unpredictable rail scheduling, or other such challenges become
