Ohio-based Westerman Companies, which produces a wide variety of products from industrial tanks to custom machining, is supplying $100,000 for the development of a new transload facility in Lancaster, Ohio. Westerman ships approximately 1,000 truckloads of steel into its plant each year, but will need additional truckloads for the planned expansion of certain sectors of its operations.
The Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved a grant of up to $125,000 to the Lancaster Port Authority to restore an old track in Lancaster, Ohio, and to add a self-serve transload facility to the area by Q1 2011.
Officials comment that the new facility will allow for shipments of raw materials and finished products to and from the Lancaster area at a cheaper rate with the additional use of railways rather than trucks.
The facility will be run by the local port authority, which is expected to charge a "per-car fee" in order to cover the expansion, as well as any necessary maintenance to the facility.