Canadian National Railway Company (CN), Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and the Midwest Inland Port (MIP) have announced that collaborative logistics and marketing efforts are driving increased container shipments over ADM's privately owned Decatur, Ill., intermodal ramp. CN and ADM have a partnership history on other rail freight opportunities, including shipments to Mexico.
"CN is a supply chain enabler and its collaborative efforts with ADM and MIP through the Midwest Inland Port Strategic Development Coalition is forging new logistics chain and growth opportunities for ADM and other enterprises in Decatur and the surrounding region,” said JJ Ruest, CN executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
"CN brings to the table an unparalleled three-coast network reach, extensive contacts in Asian markets, sophisticated freight-forwarding knowledge, and expert U.S. customs and marketing support," added Ruest.
CN has has seen an increasing number of import containers to the Decatur facility from the Ports of Montreal and Prince Rupert. The railroad delivers products three times a week to Midwest customers at the intermodal facility, where ADM reloads the empty 40-foot import containers with export loads of grain and processed products for global markets. ADM uses CN's rail network and its Canadian port gateways to ship the containers.
Dennis Whalen, ADM's vice president transportation, intermodal freight, stated, "We are pleased to see rising volumes of imported containers arriving at our intermodal ramp via CN for area distribution in Illinois. The resulting empty container capacity is essential to our efforts to grow exports of our products to global markets, especially in Asia."
"CN and ADM are helping to grow our area economy, which benefits from CN's connectivity to Atlantic and Pacific ports, our region's uncongested rail network, a good supply of land for development located on the Decatur Central Railroad served by CN, and a skilled, motivated workforce," said Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, which oversees MIP.