D E C AT U R I N T E R M O D A L R A M P O P P O R T U N I T Y F I N A L R E P O R T A U G U S T 3 1,

Transcription

1 D E C AT U R I N T E R M O D A L R A M P O P P O R T U N I T Y F I N A L R E P O R T A U G U S T 3 1,

2 Agenda Executive Summary Terminal Overview Shipper Opportunities and Requirements Conclusions and Next Steps 1

3 Project objectives and approach Purpose of Study Soybeans and processed soybeans are major export commodities in international containers from central Illinois Railcars and empty containers are generally brought into central Illinois to be loaded with soybeans for export from locations such as Chicago and the east coast Increasing the volume of imports coming through the Decatur, Illinois intermodal terminal would increase the local supply of containers and railcars for outbound export soybean shipments Having a larger supply of equipment locally should result in lower costs and improved equipment availability This study was performed in order to assess importer interest in shipping through the Decatur ramp and to better understand their requirements Study Approach Zubrod/Clair conducted an analysis of PIERS data to assess overall import volumes to central Illinois and to identify major importers PIERS data is a product of IHS Company PIERS data is based on import and export shipping manifests Analysis was conducted of the 4/1/2014 to 3/31/2015 period Central Illinois considered to be zip codes (at 3-digits) 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 625, 626, 627, which includes Peoria, Normal, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, Springfield, and Mattoon Analysis performed in May and June, 2015 Zubrod/Clair conducted interviews of leading containerized freight importers to central Illinois to better understand their current supply chains, interest level in shipping through the Decatur ramp, and any requirements/inhibitors Interviews were conducted by phone between June and August,

4 Key findings The Decatur terminal is currently underutilized, and could provide a lower cost shipping option for soybean exports The Decatur terminal location could be a good option to ship to central Illinois locations Based on PIERS data, there are an estimated 21,500 containers imported to central IL, split across US port on both coasts Most companies interviewed are very interested in having Decatur as a viable option for container imports Interviewees see the main advantage as being lower drayage cost versus Chicago Many interviewees would be open to having longer transit times and less frequent intermodal rail service Caterpillar, the biggest container importer to central Illinois, has developed a transload model in the Chicago-area, and is unlikely to shift to the Decatur terminal ADM and the Midwest Inland Port team are trying to address barriers to Decatur ramp usage and further educate potential customers The ISA and Illinois soybean farmers should support efforts to increase import volumes through the Decatur terminal 3

5 Agenda Executive Summary Terminal Overview Shipper Opportunities and Requirements Conclusions and Next Steps 4

6 The Decatur terminal is owned and operated by Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) The intermodal terminal was developed by ADM and opened in 2013 The terminal includes access to three Class 1 railroads Canadian National Railway (CN), CSX Railway (CSX), and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) These three railroads connect to other North American Class 1 railroads Together, CN, CSX, and NS provide rail access to Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coast ports Decatur has good access to major roadways, including I-55, I-57, I-72, I-74, and US Highway 51 Arial View of Decatur Terminal Source: Google Maps 5

7 Soybeans and other agricultural products are key export commodities in intermodal containers Soybeans are shipped in international containers from central Illinois to Asia Illinois accounts for 66% of containerized soybean exports Soybean exports take advantage of the low cost backhaul move to Asia The move from Asia to the US with consumer goods is the high paying headhaul move Containers from the US to Asia are inexpensive, because a low paying load is better than shipping the container back to Asia empty (with no revenue) Containers are attractive for some Asian customers because of the lower shipment size Intermodal containers hold about 20 tons Containers are loaded and remain intact for identity control Intermodal transit times are typically faster than via bulk transport Source: PIERS database of central Illinois exports, 4/1/2014 3/31/2015; Zubrod/Clair analysis Top Central Illinois Export Commodities Commodity Container Volume % Total DDG 14,465 26% Seed Grains 12,899 24% Soy Soybeans 3,616 7% Corn 1, % Corn Gluten Meal 1, % Sugar Syrup 1, % Paper 1, % Better Yellow Corn % Lysine Amino Acid % Soybeans % All Other 15,850 29% TOTAL 54,592 6

8 The Decatur terminal is currently underutilized, and could provide a lower cost soybean shipping option Most import containers today travel to Chicago-area intermodal terminals and are then trucked to central Illinois Containers also trucked from St. Louis and Indianapolis terminals in smaller numbers International Container Unloading When empty, containers are trucked back to Chicago terminal Currently trains of empty containers are brought to Decatur then loaded and put back on the train for the rail move to the port Increased import volume into the Decatur ramp would create a supply of local containers for soybean exports Source: Midwest Inland Port A local supply of containers should lower the intermodal transport cost 7

9 Agenda Executive Summary Terminal Overview Shipper Opportunities and Requirements Conclusions and Next Steps 8

10 Destination Cities The Decatur terminal location could be a good option to ship to central Illinois locations Truck miles from the Decatur terminal to central Illinois receivers is much lower than from Chicago-area intermodal terminals Traffic congestion in and around Chicago can cause delays that magnifying the mileage impact Estimated Truck Drayage Miles (1-way) Decatur Terminal Chicago-Area Intermodal Terminal Locations LPC (BNSF) Landers (NS) 59 th St. (CSX) Harvey (CN) Bloomington Champaign Peoria Decatur < Springfield Source: Railroad websites; Google Maps; Zubrod/Clair analysis 9

11 Based on PIERS data, there are an estimated 21,500 containers imported to central Illinois An estimated 21,500 containers (36,500 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEU s) were imported to central Illinois from 4/1/2014 to 3/31/2015 Average of less than 100 per day is less than one double stack intermodal train per day Volume is split across a range of ports Los Angles/Long Beach accounted for nearly one-third of volume Seattle/Tacoma was the second largest inbound port, accounting for about 15% Ports on the east coast account for more than 50% of import volume, but no single east coast port accounts for more than 10% of import volume There may also be volume through Canadian ports to central Illinois customers Dispersion of volume could make intermodal service to Decatur more challenging Source: PIERS database of central Illinois exports, 4/1/2014 3/31/2015; Zubrod/Clair analysis Top Import Ports For Central Illinois Imports Port Container Volume % Total Los Angeles/Long Beach 6,982 32% Seattle/Tacoma 2,934 14% Norfolk 2,117 10% Wilmington, NC 1,849 9% New York 1,808 8% Houston 1,477 7% Chester, PA 1,328 6% Charleston 1,125 5% Baltimore 589 3% Savannah 515 2% All Other 785 4% TOTAL 21,509 10

12 Zubrod/Clair interviewed 10 of the top container importers into central Illinois Companies Interviewed ADM Anonymous BRG Sports/Bell Helmets Bunnomatic Caterpillar Komatsu The Libman Company Mitsubishi Rural King ThyssenKrupp Topics Discussed Current import volume and lanes Interest in Decatur ramp and potential benefits Requirements to make Decatur ramp a viable option Potential inhibitors Midwest Inland Port was also interviewed 11

13 Most companies interviewed are interested in having Decatur as a viable option for container imports Most interviewees were interested in the potential for the Decatur terminal One company ships intermodal inbound today as a part of manifest trains Four companies have been in discussion with ADM, brokers, or other stakeholders about using the Decatur ramp If Decatur terminal had competitive offering, most interviewees would be enthusiastic to use it Interest Level in Decatur Ramp Number of Interviewee Mentions 0 High Medium Low Source: Interviews 12

14 Interviewees see the main advantage as being lower drayage cost versus Chicago The primary Decatur terminal advantage interviewees mention was the lower drayage cost Shorter mileage Less congestion Less variability Several other benefits were mentioned by a single interviewee Key Decatur Ramp Advantages Number of Interviewee Mentions 0 Low Cost Dray Lower Carbon Footprint Good for Local Economy Better for Drayage Provider Longer Pickup Times Source: Interviews 13

15 The Decatur service has to be competitively priced on a total delivered cost basis To be of interest to shippers, the Decatur service would have to be equal to or less expensive than options through Chicago particularly if shippers have to give up some degree of service (transit time or frequency) There should be drayage savings due to shorter length of haul and less traffic congestion Rail rates to Decatur have been a sticking point. So far the railroads have not offered rail rates that are competitive with their rates to Chicago Rail rates for interchange moves (involving more than 1 railroad) are likely to be higher and add to the total transit time Conversations continue between the railroads and ADM/Midwest Inland Port Source: Interviews 14

16 Many interviewees would be open to having longer transit times and less frequent intermodal rail service Most of the companies interviewed would support the Decatur service even if it required a longer transit time than Chicago Typically one to two days longer was acceptable Interviewees were split as to whether they needed high frequency of trains Three require high frequency to support container flow and consistent shipments Three are okay with service two to three days/week Decatur Terminal Service Requirements Number of Interviewee Mentions Requires Equal Transit Time Requires High Frequency Yes No Source: Interviews 15

17 Interviewees also suggest that having ship lines on board and a supply of draymen are important Having supply chain partners and supporters in place will be important to the Decatur terminal s success Several interviewees suggested that a drayage network will have to be developed in Decatur as well as a chassis pool (chassis are the frame and wheels that the container is placed on for truck transport) Ship lines control the routing of many international shipments (international containers are controlled by the ship lines) so will have to support shipping to Decatur Shipper-friendly rules around storage and free days was mentioned by one interviewee One interviewee suggested the facility should have customs clearance capabilities Source: Interviews Other Potential Success Factors Number of Interviewee Mentions

18 Caterpillar accounted for 40% of import container shipments to central Illinois Top Importers to Central Illinois Caterpillar accounts for about 40% of central Illinois imports After Caterpillar the import volume is relatively widely distributed among a large number of companies There were only four companies with more than 1,000 container imports in the 12-month period assessed Based on interviews, several companies have more containers/ year than the PIERS data would suggest Cumulative additional 2,700 container imports Note: Zubrod/Clair combined similar company names where applicable Source: Interviews; PIERS database of central Illinois exports, 4/1/2014 3/31/2015; Zubrod/Clair analysis Company Container Volume % Total Caterpillar 8,680 40% Mitsubishi 2,739 13% ThyssenKrupp 1,123 5% BRG/Bell Helmets 1,078 5% Komatsu 764 4% Vesuvius USA 569 3% Rural King 539 3% Horizon Hobby 264 1% ADM 210 1% C Preme % All Other 5,359 25% TOTAL 21,509 17

19 Caterpillar has developed a transload model in the Chicago-area that it expect to continue to use Caterpillar has developed a supply chain model based on shipments to Chicago Transload freight from containers to trucks near Chicago Match import and export loads to maximize truck utilization to and from the transload facility Keep containers near Chicago, rather than at production facilities They have assessed the Decatur option in the past and found that it was not as attractive as their current transload model Resulting import volume to central Illinois excluding Caterpillar is about 13,000 containers/year, or about 50/day (based on PIERS data) Source: Interviews; PIERS database of central Illinois exports, 4/1/2014 3/31/2015; Zubrod/Clair analysis 18

20 The Midwest Inland Port and ADM team are trying to address barriers to Decatur ramp use Working to get additional rail service Discussions for rail from the west coast Obtaining ship line support Many of the large ship lines are supportive ADM has program to guarantee a load outbound for a loaded inbound container Improving drayage network ADM drayage company provides service and has a chassis fleet ADM Logistics has relationships with many other drayage companies Planning to obtain customs clearance capabilities Filing for customs port of entry status Can provide service to support even flow of containers Capability to store containers at the terminal and send to customer over several days Source: Interviews 19

21 Potential next steps The ISA, its member farmers, and the agricultural community in the state of Illinois should support efforts to increase import volumes through the Decatur ramp to facilitate lower cost agricultural products container exports Educate and publicize the importance of export intermodal to the soybean and general agricultural supply chain from Illinois Provide support to Midwest Inland Port and ADM in their efforts to solicit involvement from partners and stakeholders, including not only shippers, but also potentially railroads Provide support to Midwest Inland Port and ADM in their efforts to obtain customs clearance status for the facility Provide support to Midwest Inland Port and ADM at events involving stakeholders and other influencers (e.g., tour of facilities for members of foreign consulates the week of October 19, 2015) 20