Employee checking railcars . Photo by Chemours .
As industries fight against the ongoing workforce shortage , another obstacle has become prominent : rail transportation . With higher rates and delayed shipments , the railroad networks have added an increased burden to manufacturers and energy producers . Moreover , the absence of railroad competition only further exacerbates the issue since railroads do not have competitive pressure to remain regulated , so they are slow to fix their rates and delays because the demand for their service stays the same . Chemours , a chemical manufacturing company in Belle , WV , has experienced this firsthand .
“ Rail transportation is inflexible in terms of routings and delivery days , which constrains manufacturing sites and supply chains ,” says Ashley Rine , integrated operations leader at Chemours . “ In addition , there is too much variability currently in transit times , making it challenging to plan production , ensure on time delivery to customers and properly size a rail fleet . In addition , many manufacturing sites only have one rail carrier that can service them , which means these sites cannot be as competitive as sites that have the capability of being serviced by multiple rail carriers , allowing the site to negotiate the best rate . Finally , there is insufficient competitive pressure to regulate rail carrier rates , which is a challenge to being competitive in the marketplace .”
These kinds of challenges make it difficult for all manufacturers and energy producers in every step of their production .
“ Chemours must have a competitive , cost-effective rail transportation network to provide important products to
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