A&R Logistics has opened a 615,000-square-foot facility near the Port of Charleston in South Carolina. CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) partnered with A&R Logistics in bringing the facility to fruition.
The facility is targeting high-volume, export-seeking plastics producers that are looking for a shipping alternative to the U.S. Gulf Coast. A&R Logistics provides dry bulk and liquid chemical transportation services to chemical companies. The company also offers warehousing and packaging, distribution, export and third-party logistics.
The warehouse was built on a CSX “Select Site” in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, a pre-certified property aimed at fast-tracking development.
“One of the things that I am most proud of is our evolution as a transportation service provider to focusing more intently on developing last-mile solutions for our customers,” said CSX Senior Vice President of Sales Arthur Adams. “This is a manifestation of that, with many more to come.”
According to CSX, the facility has two high-speed packaging lines that will be used to prepare resin pellets for export. The pellets come from Texas and Louisiana producers and they are used in plastics production.
At the warehouse, the pellets will be unloaded, bagged and loaded into export containers before heading out through the Port of Charleston. Rail tracks run along the building’s south side to facilitate the offloading of product from railcars, while the north side of the building features 72 dock doors for the loading of product for export, A&R Logistics said.
“A&R’s new facility provides our customers with unprecedented optionality and the highest level of quality and service,” said A&R Logistics President Chris Ball. “With two high-speed packaging lines, sea bulk operations, liquid transload capability, rail service via CSX and proximity to the Port of Charleston, we provide supply chain solutions specifically engineered for the chemical industry. Every step of the build-out was done with an eye toward safety, quality, sustainability and innovation, which are of the utmost importance across our entire operation.”
The facility was developed in close cooperation with the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) and the state of South Carolina, A&R Logistics said.
“SC Ports is thrilled to celebrate the opening of A&R Logistics’ import and export transloading facility in Berkeley County,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. “Their sophisticated warehousing and packaging operation will further support growth in the chemical industry. A&R Logistics selected the Port of Charleston as one of their East Coast load ports due to SC Ports’ efficient operations, ample capacity and knowledge of the petrochemical industry. We welcome the company to South Carolina and look forward to our continued partnership.”
A&R Logistics isn’t the only company involved in exporting resin pellets, or plastics pellets, from South Carolina ports. Frontier Logistics also exports pellets from the Port of Charleston.
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