Archive for the ‘rail’ Category

The Green Supply Chain – Rail Freight and Rail Transportation Companies Are Back!

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Do you like the CSX commercial where they claim 900 tons of freight can move one mile with gallon of diesel? Well it’s true! Rail transportation, rail freight, and rail trucking is back and better than ever. It does cost less relative to trucking in some cases. Most of the product carried by rail transportation companies need to be going longer distances, weigh more, and transit time is predicable, consistent and not as important to the producer or the consumer. The additional benefit is reduced congestion on the highways caused by top 100 trucking companies and general trucking. Less congestion by freight trucking companies also means less pollutants getting into the air and causing environmental damage. With the price of oil going through the roof rail has become the new “green” transportation mode for many shippers. At Transport Systems Inc we specialize in handing rail freight, rail trucking, and rail logistics services for our clients. We offer rail transload services in major Northeast, Mid Atlantic and Chicago regions. We have nj warehouse, pa warehouse, chicago warehouse operations in place to handle transloading rail box cars onto trucks and ocean containers to better service your rail freight and trucking freight. Most rail transportation companies only offer a limited service whereas Transport Systems Inc offers an integrated service to provide the warehousing, trucking and container freight management services for our customers. Strategic warehouses located in nj, pa and il is positioned to have freight and inventory closer to your customers in the most economical mode of transport for heavy products such as lumber, steel, paper and other materials best suited for rail transport. The three keys for rail freight are – heavy product, longer distances and flexible but consistent transit time. Looking for a way to convert trucking into rail freight. Look no further than Transport Systems Inc located in Basking Ridge, NJ. They provide nj warehouse, chicago warehouse and are one of the top 100 shipping trucking companies in the Northeast.

Economic Geography

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

Knowing what is shipped, how its shipped, where its shipped and how much is shipped is vital intelligence to any business. Obviously any company either located in the US or abroad knows where their current customers are located. It is as simple as looking at your invoices at any point in time. A company will also know some of their prospect locations. They may also know where their competition is. All of these factors entails knowing something about geography and how it relates to doing business in today’s economy.

A supply chain is described as the point of manufacture (where) to the point of consumption. (where) It can also be expanded upstream to acquiring the raw materials for manufacturing. However for this exercise we will start at the point of manufacture. Once these points are established for each customer or prospect we then need to determine the commodity and quantity (what) shipped and the mode of transportation (how) throughout the supply chain for each customer or prospect. The same can be done from your competitors manufacturing (where) to the point of consumption (where) by using the same model.

So if a company is trying to determine if their supply chain is optimized to reduce cost while maintaining service levels an understanding of economic geography is very much in play. How to approach developing the model with the various components is the key in understanding a final recommendation and implementation of a solution. There will be trade offs between the (where) withing its own category. For example, manufacturing to produce paper near the end user can and must likely be impossible. For instance, pulp (used to make paper) newsprint, paper and paperboard accounted for 22 million tons in the Northeast in 2007 according to the US Census. However, there are very little paper mills located in major Northeast metropolitan cities because of the obvious reason – to produce paper needs wood. So paper mills tend to be located in less populated areas with an abundance of wood to make paper. Thus, Maine is one of the largest producers of paper in the Northeast. Therefore the manufacturing component is less flexible in its location. The Northeast is a large consumer of paper products and primary in major metropolitan areas. Therefore, a paper supply chain will account for a relatively longer distance between manufacture and consumption.

The last component is how paper is shipped a longer distance because of the product and where it is produced and consumed. The longer the distance impacts the actual mode of transport to make it cost efficient and still meet service requirements of the customer. Also the weight of the product will also have an impact on how it is shipped in conjunction with the mode of transport. In the case of the paper industry most manufacturers will locate a warehouse in nj or find a nj warehouse with rail (mode) to accommodate heavy shipments over a relatively long distance. (500 miles or more)

Paper Warehouse in Chicago with Rail Service

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

Knowing what is shipped, how its shipped, where its shipped and how much is shipped is vital intelligence to any business. Obviously any company either located in the US or abroad knows where their current customers are located. It is as simple as looking at your invoices at any point in time. A company will also know some of their prospect locations. They may also know where their competition is. All of these factors entails knowing something about geography and how it relates to doing business in today’s economy.

A supply chain is described as the point of manufacture (where) to the point of consumption. (where) It can also be expanded upstream to acquiring the raw materials for manufacturing. However for this exercise we will start at the point of manufacture. Once these points are established for each customer or prospect we then need to determine the commodity and quantity (what) shipped and the mode of transportation (how) throughout the supply chain for each customer or prospect. The same can be done from your competitors manufacturing (where) to the point of consumption (where) by using the same model.

So if a company is trying to determine if their supply chain is optimized to reduce cost while maintaining service levels an understanding of economic geography is very much in play. How to approach developing the model with the various components is the key in understanding a final recommendation and implementation of a solution. There will be trade offs between the (where) withing its own category. For example, manufacturing to produce paper near the end user can and must likely be impossible. For instance, pulp (used to make paper) newsprint, paper and paperboard accounted for 33 million tons in the Midwest in 2007 according to the US Census. However, there are very little paper mills located in major Midwest metropolitan cities because of the obvious reason – to produce paper needs wood. So paper mills tend to be located in less populated areas with an abundance of wood to make paper. Thus, Maine is one of the largest producers of paper in the US. Therefore the manufacturing component is less flexible in its location. The Midwest is a large consumer of paper products and primary in major metropolitan areas. Therefore, a paper supply chain will account for a relatively longer distance between manufacture and consumption.

The last component is how paper is shipped a longer distance because of the product and where it is produced and consumed. The longer the distance impacts the actual mode of transport to make it cost efficient and still meet service requirements of the customer. Also the weight of the product will also have an impact on how it is shipped in conjunction with the mode of transport. In the case of the paper industry most manufacturers will locate a warehouse in chicago or find a chicago warehouse with rail (mode) to accommodate heavy shipments over a relatively long distance. (750 miles or more)

The Right NJ Warehouse for Your Storage Needs

Monday, June 25th, 2012

You should definitely look into some NJ warehouse options if you feel like you would benefit from having a safe place to put your goods when you do not have room for them at your place of business. You should definitely look into these things if you’re someone who actually limited yourself from making large purchases because you didn’t know what you’d do with all of your things. If this is the case, then you definitely should go to some resources to learn more about all of the storage facilities in town.

The reason you’ll want to look into a couple different NJ warehouse choices is that some cater to specific industries or products that others do not. For instance, some of the best warehouses specifically cater to people trying to store and ship paper goods, while others might specialize in larger items that would be difficult to store in most facilities that are not as large.

You should also think carefully about finding a good warehouse if you know you’re only going to need it for a couple of months rather than an entire year. Why waste your money on a warehouse for months on end when it’s essentially going to sit empty during that time? This is something you’ll obviously want to avoid at all costs, so make sure that you make sure you can sign a short-term contract.

Another one of your needs might involve someone doing some cursory inventory management for you, or helping you receive shipments that go directly to the warehouse as opposed to your retail storefront. There’s no reason to go to the trouble of transporting these things to the warehouse if they just as easily could go to this location in the first place.

Beyond that, you’ll definitely want to make an effort to find a storage facility with rates that are well within your price range, just so that you do not run into any difficulty with maintaining the space. It would not be wise to choose one that’s beyond your range because if something comes up that truly requires you to have the space, you will need to be certain that it’s accessible to you at all times.

PA Warehouse – Why Do It!

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Ever consider moving? Most people move because of a reason. Better schools, more shopping, smaller or larger home etc. Same goes for warehousing. Most people look at the disadvantages or advantages of moving their product to a better situated method of storing their merchandise. Most companies prefer to reduce their overall supply chain costs by doing some of the following – reduce transportation expense by having product closer to their customers. Reduce operating costs of a warehouse by reducing rent, rent related costs, labor costs etc. So how do you go about doing all of this while justifying the transition cost and disruption to your business?

Take a shipper who has a warehouse in new jersey or a nj warehouse. The shipper probably has a reason for being in new jersey but the costs to be there may exceed the benefit of a nj warehouse. The shipper could consider spending a little more in transportation if they can offset a move to a pa warehouse. why a pa warehouse? Most warehousing in Pennsylvania is cheaper to operate than a comparable facility in new jersey. Rent tends to be cheaper, taxes are about the same and the labor costs are lower. Tangible items such as workers compensation insurance is almost 50% less than workers compensation in new jersey. For an operation that has many people these savings can add up to big dollars and cents.

To determine if a move is worthwhile for a shipper the best bet is to do some shopping for warehouse providers that operate in both States. Transport Systems Inc is one of those companies that can make an evaluation of the costs to determine if a move is worth the time, effort and expense in doing so. Professionals such as Transport Systems Inc is the way to go.

Win the Midwest with a Warehouse in Chicago

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Are you thinking about expanding your trucking or delivery business so that you can be more profitable? Finding a warehouse in Chicago is a really great option if you have not thought about the advantages that you can get out of doing something like that. When it comes to keeping your business as profitable as it can be in these tough economic times, it is important to remember that businesses are based upon a constant desire to become more and more profitable, quarter to quarter, and year to year. Though expanding your operations may not seem like the most exciting thing to do in a time where expansion seems like it might not work as well as you would want it to, sometimes these sorts of things are important to do in order to be as competitive as possible.

If you are thinking about what a warehouse in Chicago would do for you and your business, you are probably thinking about what it would mean for your access to the region of the Midwest. The central area of the United States is one of the best places to saturate your business because it is so filled with the demand for delivery and trucking services who can bring goods and various items to a rather remote locale, at least compare to either of the coast of the nation. What you may be thinking about is how you can really get involved in this region of the country in order to be that much more profitable and successful for the time to come, and one of those ways is to station your service and your goods in a way that is readily accessible to you and whomever may demand your services.

With all businesses, it is important to remember just how you can be successful, and usually this means that you need to constantly do more than you have done in the past to remain a profitable entity. So if you have not already, you should probably think about what it would mean to expand your business into new territories. To make sure that you are doing all that you can do to keep your business afloat, think about where you want to do more business and begin a plan to saturate that region of the market. This is one of the most important things that you can be doing when it comes to your business is to keep it going no matter what, so do that today.

Make Big Profits with a Warehouse in NJ

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Does your small to medium sized business need a few new locations for which to house your transport vehicles or goods? Well, if you are searching for a warehouse in NJ to hold all of these important business materials, then you are probably thinking about expanding your business in general. And while this may seem like a rather overwhelming endeavor to begin to put into action, it is nonetheless something that is highly important to do in this day and age if you want your business to stay as competitive as it can possibly be. There are simply no excuses these days for not performing at the top level when it comes to your service industry based company, so make sure that you are not letting yourself off easy, because you will be the one to have to pay for it and clean up in the end.

When looking around at your various options when it comes to adding a warehouse in NJ to your overall business assets, make sure that you think about where your biggest markets are and where you have yet to build a stable following. This is one of the most important things that you can do and you can even think about when it comes to make sure that your business stays as profitable as possible and also as competitive as possible. The current economy is one that requires a lot of thought and action in order to keep afloat within it, so make sure that you are doing just that by finding out the best ways to maximize your profits. And sometimes, this means that you have to expand.

With businesses, almost always it requires that it continue to expand and to improve in order to remain on top of all of the competition. And service and trucking industries are no different at all. This is the main thing that all business men and women have to keep in mind as they think how they are going to make the next quarter be the best quarter yet. So if you are not operating with this exact mind frame, it may well be the time to start doing just that. There are really just no alternatives these days when it comes to making yourself be a competitive element of the industry in which you work, so do your best to remain on top by thinking ahead and acting fast.

Why Service in Choosing a Mid Atlantic Warehousing and Transportation Company is Not a Differentiating Factor

Friday, November 5th, 2010

People tend to say service is first when selecting a New Jersey, Chicago or Pennsylvania warehouse or transportation services company. In the past this was true, however in today’s economy logistics decision makers are looking at any way to reduce cost weighted against any impact in service levels. Since it is expense to move and implement a new warehouse or trucking company into an organization any analysis of a third party logistics company has to consider how the costs outweigh any service level expectations or requirements. The Mid Atlantic or Northeast region is a very competitive and expense place to do warehousing or transportation trucking. These costs are in direct parallel to the downward pressure put on logistics companies to further reduce cost and assume service levels will be the same for whoever does the actual warehousing, trucking or shipping for them. The final decision in many cases is cost to the outsourcing company and the rates associated with the warehouse or freight trucking shipping provider in providing what many feel is the same level of service. Not to be mislead that cost reduction by the warehouse or the trucking company is an infinite proposition. Many of the warehouse and trucking companies costs are actually going up because of the relation of utilities and petroleum costs that have bucked the trend and continue to go higher instead. There are many top 100 truck shipping companies in the lower 48 states. They are all going after the same pizza pie that has shrunk because of the economy. Freight shipping companies or truckers are lowering their rates even though their cost has not decreased in relation to the rates. The result is top freight shipping companies riding out the storm and reducing services that many companies don’t want to pay a top freight shipping company. Trucking and shipping seems to continue to be the ugly step child and necessary evil for companies and their kissing cousins the trucking shipping companies themselves.

Find a NJ Warehouse for Your Trucks

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Have you been thinking that it might be time to expand your services to the northeast corridor of the United States? If this is something that you have been considering as of late, then a NJ warehouse may be the best option for you and your business’ needs. If you own a small or medium sized business that deal with any element of transportation services, then you may be thinking about all of the great advantages that you can get from expanding the current outreach of your company. And though this may seem like a rather daunting task to begin to undertake, it is nonetheless something that a lot of people are doing these days in order to stay competitive in this harsh and difficult economy.

If your specific business needs include having a NJ warehouse added to your locations, then you may be thinking about exactly which company to use in order to make this expansion actually happen. This is the kind of thing that can really take a business to the next level so that they can really make an impact on the various markets and regions that they serve. Your company or trucking business can do just that so long as you make the effort and take the time to do the appropriate actions that will put such a system into place in the right way.

When you decide that it is time to learn more about what you could be doing to make your business more profitable, make sure that you do some research on the subject. It is so easy in this day and age to learn about just anything that you want to learn about so that you can make the best decisions possible. So if you have been thinking about how to make sure that your company does not disappear with all of the other businesses that are struggling in this tough economy, make sure you are doing your part by covering the most ground that you can.

Depending on the size of your business, opening up a few new locations for you to house your transportation vehicles or various stock merchandise may make a huge difference on the service that you give to your clients and customers. So make sure that you are really maintaining a good and solid place in your industry by covering the right bases and acting in the best way that you know how.

Got Rail Freight?

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

Gone are the days when the daily railroad would pass through town on its way to deliver goods to the local town or region. There were no automobiles or trucks that we now see hogging and clogging the highway. The only way back in the day to transport goods was either by horse wagon, boat or rail transportation. Since the first steam engine began running on steel track back in the early 1800′s rail became a very important mode of transportation and a contributor to the growth of the U.S. Without it the U.S. would not have grown as rapidly as it did. But as the automobile and the National Highway Administration began building nationwide interstates the day of the rail freight transportation declined along with it. Many railroads were abandoned and moving freight by rail declined significantly. Rail freight and rail transportation became an afterthought as big freight moving companies took the majority of the volume via the of new and improved interstate highways. This was even more significant for shorter distances (less than 500 miles) because the freight trucking companies were charging less per mile than the rail freight companies even though more freight can be handled by the rail freight companies. For example, most rail boxcars can handle the equivalent of three full truckloads of cargo. In spite of three truckload moves per railbox car the net cost was still lower moving by truck than by rail. As the growth of the top 100 trucking companies continued the distances that made rail freight attractive further increased to around 750 miles or more. Another contributing factor of switching from trucking to rail freight was the optimization of the supply chain by decreasing the days between the time an order for goods was placed and the time it was required to be delivered to the customer. Weeks of time turned into days and hours. Since rail freight takes longer to be delivered from producer to consumer more freight was switched to trucking companies because it was much quicker to pickup and deliver than if it went by rail transportation companies.

Transport Systems has rail served warehouses in nj, warehouse in pa, warehouse in chicago to serve its customers.