Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) yesterday opened an
intermodal container freight shipping and receiving facility that will
enable businesses to tap into the company’s deep transportation and
logistics expertise and provide a platform for economic growth in
central Illinois.
The intermodal ramp, located on 250 acres of land at ADM’s Decatur
processing complex, offers direct access to three Class I railroads and
close proximity to four interstate highways and a major U.S. highway.
For importers and exporters, this unique interchange offers ready access
to coastal and export markets. And for all customers, the location
provides proximity to 95 million customers within a day’s drive. The
facility itself has two high-capacity cranes that can handle 50,000
containers per year, with room to grow to 150,000.
Intermodal containers can be loaded with virtually any type of product
and are transported by truck, railcar and ship. Their flexibility and
standard size have made them popular worldwide; there are an estimated
17 million intermodal containers in the world today, and the American
Association of Railroads reports that between 2010 and 2012, U.S.
intermodal container freight volumes increased nearly 10 percent.
“ADM’s new intermodal facility will offer businesses of every type the
ability to access markets anywhere, at any time, and do so quickly and
cost-effectively,” said Scott Fredericksen, president, ADM
Transportation. “Our deep logistics experience, vast global
transportation network and commitment to outstanding service can offer
businesses in and around Central Illinois an unprecedented level of
access and reach.”
“ADM is one of the key reasons Illinois is the largest exporting state
in the Midwest, and this new facility will help even more businesses get
their goods to domestic and foreign markets more easily and cost
effectively,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. “Expanding markets for
Illinois products creates jobs here at home and drives our economy
forward.”
“We are optimistic that businesses in our region will join us to help
drive the economic growth this facility is capable of catalyzing,”
Fredericksen added. “With strong support from our leaders in Springfield
and Macon County, we’ve been able to get this project off the drawing
board and into operation quickly. We look forward to seeing it reach its
full potential, and to helping Illinois achieve its goal of doubling
exports by 2014.”
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company
(NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs.
Today, 30,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn,
wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and
energy uses. With more than 265 processing plants, 460 crop procurement
facilities, and the world’s premier crop transportation network, ADM
helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 140 countries. For
more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2013