So we made it to another year. As we embark down the first few steps of this New Year make sure you stay ahead of what issues or other hot topics could/will/might have an impact on the material handling industry. We forecasted intermodal, and rail in particular, as a more desired choice, and definite area of interest in 2013, and by the chirpings in the media the interest in this area is going to continue into 2014. Read on to discover what’s hot on the newsstands for the material handling field and pick up a great tip for rail loading/unloading thanks to Kelley’s HRL Hydraulic Rail Leveler.
In fact in a very recent article found on www.ProgressiveRailRoading.com the following areas are all highlighted as being pressing topics for 2014.
- Crude oil
- Domestic intermodal
- International intermodal
- Frac sand and other drilling materials
- Automotive
- Grain
Progressive Railroading asked six CEO’s in the rail industry a series of questions and the responses all point to major growth for the intermodal rail industry. Union Pacific Railroad President and CEO Jack Koraleski explained that they had pumped over $21 billion of capital investment into improving infrastructure with new and continued projects still going on.
Are there any obstacles that could hinder growth for this area?
Although this is an area that is seeing impressive growth there is still some recovery needed from the damages left by the recession in 2007. In order to fully recover, some of the CEO’s interviewed indicate that their success will depend on manufacturing success. In other words, as business manufacturers more, more product is made available that needs transportation so the two go hand-in-hand.
Overlapping areas of interest
If you look at that list above you will notice that all of these areas overlap to some degree. The more hydraulic fracking that is taking place, the more sand that will need to be delivered to specific fracking locations across the country it’s somewhat like a domino effect. The companies that are operating in these transportation markets are experts at forecasting trends in order to stay ahead of manufacturers. It keeps everything chugging along.
What’s the most efficient way to move loads from rail cars?
The HRL Hydraulic Rail Leveler from Kelley was designed with this very industry in mind. The HRL was developed to offer customers a powerful and reliable means of spanning the gap that exists between a rail car and the facility. This leveler includes a constant pressure button, which powers it down to working range; standard 20” lip with quick cycle powered-in/out activation and available manual or powered side shift for precise positioning. In addition to all of these features, the rail leveler comes with many safety features e.g. 6” high run off guards.
An industry that is experiencing growth deserves the best, most innovative equipment in town. Why? Well for one it means you will be ready to ‘handle’ continued growth at peak performance levels. There’s nothing like being left behind because your equipment is causing holdups.
For more tips like this follow @4Frontes
Say hi to us on Google+
Interested in technology? How about technology for this industry? Check out our new blog 4SIGHTInsight.com 4SIGHT is the intelligent software that powers iFAN!
