MOVING THE FUTURE Essex Terminal Railway Company ESSEX TERMINAL RAILWAY / MORTERM LIMITED CANADIAN BOSS Moving the Future: Essex Terminal Railway and Morterm Limited

Morterm discharges international cargo from an ocean-going vessel at its dock in the Port of Windsor. ESSEX TERMINAL RAILWAY / MORTERM LIMITED CANADIAN BOSS

ETR crews on Engine #108 pass adjacent train of LPG cars

Windsor-Detroit Bridge Project

Since 2004, plans for a bridge that would create efficient traffic flow across the Canadian/US border and connect the industrial areas of Delray and Brighton Beach have been in the works. Pringle shared that the bridge will be built, it’s just a matter of time. ETR/Mortem anticipates several benefits from the new international crossing, such as the ability to handle the construction materials that will undoubtedly be required for such a large project. It also would provide a better traffic flow at the busiest border crossing in North America, which positions Morterm well as a central distribution point for manufacturing, construction, and agricultural processing firms.

Unpredictable weather, for metal, industrial, chemical, stevedoring, warehousing, United States and Mexico, the keep their freight moving,” vessels that can navigate the millions of dollars in cargo, agricultural, renewable and outbound shipping by companies are positioned well said Tracy Pringle, director St. Lawrence Seaway and and the possibility of the energy, and lumber industry rail, road, or river. Morterm to capitalize on opportunities of business development. deliver to ports in the Great smallest delay throwing the sectors to connect freight routinely handles steel, bulk and ensure not only stability, “Because larger and larger Lakes Region, like Morterm.” whole delivery system out of to the Canadian Pacific products such as raw sugar, but continued growth. vessels are being used to 100+ Years of Success whack: welcome to logistics. Railway (CP), Canadian and project cargoes like wind transport international goods, “Freight patterns are changing “To stay successful in logistics, For The Essex Terminal National Railway (CN), and turbine components—which the traditional ports are a bit. We are starting to see you have to be responsive, CSX Corporation (CSX). are big and heavy but still Railway Company (ETR), cargo offloaded at different congested. Large vessels flexible, and adaptable to require precision handling. these are only a handful of ETR’s sister company, ports, sometimes smaller take longer to unload, and new environments, new issues the company deals Morterm Limited (Morterm), With the combination or further into the seaway ships can wait days to be cargo types, and new with on a daily basis. But for is the only full-service general of services between the instead of the large ocean unloaded and cargo is at a methods of transportation,” the past 113 years, ETR has marine cargo terminal two companies allowing ports such as Vancouver, standstill. We are seeing our said Pringle when asked proven itself time and time in the Port of Windsor customers to reliably and New York, and Los Angeles customers find new ways and about the company’s 113- again as a reliable, quality providing a range of material efficiently ship freight by rail as shippers look for ways means to move their cargo; year history. “Regarding short-line railway in Ontario handling services including to every corner of Canada, the to avoid congestion and sometimes using smaller our success? We pay great

4 | Supply Chain BOSS | 2015 2015 | Supply Chain BOSS | 5 ESSEX TERMINAL RAILWAY / MORTERM LIMITED CANADIAN BOSS

attention to our customers. For example, finding and create a regulatory burden Without customers, you retaining skilled staff can be and increased costs to the don’t have a business.” incredibly difficult due to the companies. Companies like nature and environment of ETR/Morterm are forced to While ETR and Mortem’s the industry. Marine terminals invest heavily in terms of attention to detail regarding in the Great Lakes can’t manpower to stay on top their customers is a big part accept vessels for about of legislative and regulatory of their continued success, three months of the year changes and need a dedicated there are several other factors. because the St. Lawrence team member (or members) Mortem understands that Seaway closes from the end to manage. However, it truck freight literally drives of December until generally means companies involved the industry—most cargo the beginning of April due in logistics have to invest companies in the industry, to ice conditions in the heavily in staying on top of like ETR/Morterm handle Lakes. Morterm is a 12-month the legislation. The most go-to destinations not operation with the ability to recent overhaul has been directly located on a rail receive cargo by truck and by the Safety Management line or accessible by ship. rail as well as by vessel, but System, which will enable the Focusing on the needs and typically the winter months railway to demonstrate, in a tight time constraints of see industry-wide layoffs. concrete and visible manner, truck drivers, both delivering The ETR runs seven days its commitment to safety to and receiving freight from a week, 12 months a year its employees, customers Morterm, has provided the but employment levels at and the public and will help company with great results. both companies are largely railways ensure compliance driven by the amount of to regulatory environments. “By respecting the truckers freight at any given time. To At the ETR, Ed Clough, the need to be in and out as overcome staffing challenges, company’s rail superintendent, quickly as possible, we are ETR/Morterm work hard to dedicates a great deal of able to keep them happy, provide opportunities for his time to these efforts. their dispatchers happy and growth and advancement Construction on our customers happy. It also for its employees. means that truckers don’t North America’s mind coming here; in fact Other challenges come in Busiest Rail Crossing some even look forward to it!” the form of the regulatory Most companies wouldn’t environment in which ETR/ relish the idea of repairing Long-term success like ETR/ Morterm operate—specifically a broken rail in the highest Mortem doesn’t come without in terms of safety and traffic-volume rail crossing, challenges. What proves security. Rapid changes to located at the foot of the these companies’ standings legislation and strict rules for busiest international crossing however, is how they handle compliance, while necessary for trade in North America these challenges and move for the prevention of injury, (the Ambassador Bridge forward with the solutions. incident, and cargo theft, in Windsor, Ontario, which

2015 | Supply Chain BOSS | 7 Crews replace broken rail at North America’s busiest border crossing. ESSEX TERMINAL RAILWAY / MORTERM LIMITED CANADIAN BOSS

routinely handles $300 million machine applicable. In was a sight to behold and required for maintenance. The machine in trade per day; 25 per cent layman’s terms, it creates a something we won’t see again is extremely user-friendly, intuitive, of all commercial volume load-bearing, flexible levelling in our lifetime—we hope!” and flexible, allowing a single operator between Canada and the US; grout for the elastic fixing to change the attachments from and over 10,000 commercial of grooved rail, creating a Technological Innovations forks to a ram in under five minutes. vehicles per day) and having floating surface for rails. This Morterm has developed Typically, a change like this would need to shut down traffic two is invaluable for weather a proprietary terminal three men for an hour. The size of the weekends in a row. With changes that cause the rail inventory management machine is also deceiving—it carries the frequent freeze-thaw-freeze and surrounding material software—fondly referred payload of a machine twice its size. cycles through the winter to expand or contract, as to as TIMS—to manage its “As a smaller, privately-owned company, and hot, humid weather in well as for the volume of customers’ incoming and we are able to be agile and also benefit the summer, a piece of the traffic this particular crossing outgoing inventory. Users from watching the larger Class 1 Railways rail in the crossing had split sees on a daily basis. of the Terminal are able invest in research and development, and and needed to be replaced to log in 24/7 with unique London Trackwork President then follow the technological trends to ensure against any danger usernames and passwords Geoffrey Richey and Vice and deploy quickly,” shared Pringle. of derailment. The ETR was and view customer reports President Charles Richey, “In terms of shipping everything is up for the challenge and such as inventory on hand, the developers of the new moving at a rapid pace in technology— worked with partners OWS orders placed or pending, technology, were on hand we continue to monitor and evaluate Railroad Construction and and loads of material inbound to witness and ensure the where we should upgrade and invest.” Maintenance and London and outbound. The specially success of this once-in-a- built software program is Trackwork to complete the What’s Next? lifetime repair. “The hard unique to Morterm and repair and deploy the first While the ever-growing logistics and work, dedication, planning, acts as a differentiator installation of their Icosit shipping industry evolves towards a and efficiency of the team from their competition. technology in North America. tighter regulatory environment, ETR responsible for the repair and Morterm aim to be key players Sika Icosit KC 340 is a two- ensured that the project was The company’s most recent in moving North-American destined pack Polyurethane grout for done not only on time, but purchase, a $500,000 freight from the EU, especially into rail fixing and is a flexible both weekends, the road investment into a Kone ROBINSON TRANSPORT the Greater Toronto Area and Midwest two-component polymer was open to vehicular traffic 70,000lb forklift, will Strategically located close to U.S. manufacturing regions. the Windsor, ON/Detroit, MI grout based on polyurethane earlier than anticipated,” said help Morterm improve border. We specialize in resin, which is hand and Pringle. “The entire operation efficiencies and time flatbed hauls and can handle “It will take focus and time to establish almost any size of load. ourselves as a player in that market,” Pringle mentioned. “Our companies will have to approach each segment separately—the freight can be We are committed booked directly by the customer, to our clients and our community by the manufacturer, or producer, and we guarantee by a shipping company or by a great service. third-party logistics provider. Each market segment requires a strategy, Family Owned & Operated since 1954 market development, and business HARROW, ON | | WWW.ROBINSONTRANS.COM development as well as developing the niche position for the company.” 2015 | Supply Chain BOSS | 9 Terminal East View 1601 Lincoln Ave Windsor, ON N8Y2J3 Phone: 519 973 8222 Essex Terminal Railway Company Fax: 519 973 7234 E-mail: [email protected] etr.ca

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