Solutions in Action

Extending Market Reach With Rail: Shipping Composite Railroad Ties

Released September 6, 2017

Solutions In Action

What do hard plastics have to do with railroading? In some places, they are the foundation of the railroad — literally.

Connecting Construction Sites to Rail

Released August 2, 2017

Solutions In Action

Have you ever stopped to think about how many materials are delivered to a construction site? Contractors know that in order to get the job done, a very long list of supplies must arrive on time and in the right order. That means the transportation of those materials is critical to the success of the job. But did you know transportation can also help contractors win jobs in the first place?

Thwarting Theft and Damage: Shipping Tequila Safely

Released July 19, 2017

Solutions In Action

Tequila can be a tricky product to ship. For one, the containers are glass, so they break easily. Tequila is also a high-value product, making it an attractive target for theft.

Turning Trash Into Treasure: Helping Waste Haulers Win More Bids

Released May 31, 2017

Solutions In Action

When a building is torn down, have you ever paid attention to what they do with the rubble? Most people don’t. But there it sits: tons upon tons of crushed rock, cement and brick as well as dirt and other debris. Before the site can welcome its new purpose, it all must be removed.

Realizing Railport Potential: Moving Malt to Key Markets

Released May 10, 2017

Solutions In Action

You might have noticed microbreweries have grown in popularity over the last few years. As the craft beer market has boomed, we’d like to say we played a small part in it.

But what does beer have to do with UPDS? While we can’t take credit for the final product, we can take credit for delivering some of its ingredients, like malt. Recently, we’ve helped malt shippers get access to affordable product storage and rail shipping — and that means key markets are getting the ingredients they need to make those delicious brews.

Slashing Demurrage Costs: Leveraging Logistics to Optimize the Supply Chain

Released April 12, 2017

Solutions In Action

Shipping can be a complicated matter. Although most people think it’s a “Point A to Point B" operation, when a company is receiving raw materials to create a product, shipments come from multiple origins — so it’s more of a “Point A, B, C, D, E to Point F" scenario. When these shipments all arrive at the same time, things can get complicated…and costly.

Reducing Transit Time: Bringing Barite to Denver

Released April 5, 2017

Solutions In Action

Recently, barite became the latest product on the UPDS shipping roster. What is barite, you might ask? Barite is a mineral used as a weighting agent in drilling muds (also called “drilling fluids"), which are used to ensure safe and effective drilling of oil and natural gas wells.