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The Benefits of Working with a Transload Facility

A Key Aspect of Corporate Site Selection

We’ve already covered what goes into finding a great location for your business, whether it’s a new site or an expansion. Now, we’d like to take a deeper dive into some of the facilities an existing site may offer. Existing sites often already have your business infrastructure needs available on site. But what about your transportation needs? When selecting the next site for your business, don’t forget to consider the advantages of being located near a transload facility. For businesses that move mass amounts of freight, this is an advantageous opportunity you won’t want to put aside.

What is a Transload Facility?

Transloading equipment transferring goods from rail car to freight truck.
Simply put, transloading is the ability to transfer huge amounts of cargo from one form of transport to another, such as going from railcar to truck. This enables you to keep your transfer times short and gives you greater quality control over the process. Transload facilities are often positioned strategically near distribution routes like interstate and railway junctions. This ideal location means your product gets back out on the road faster.

Growing with Transload Services

Having access to transload services can give your company an advantage few others utilize. In theory, you could park your freight truck near a train and transfer the contents manually. However, transload facilities feature specialized cranes, conveyors and car dumpers work to make every transloading job more efficient. Historically, one common risk associated with transload facilities is the increased handling of goods during transfer. That’s why the specialized equipment featured by sites like the Port of Montana are designed to minimize handling by personnel.

An intermodal container being transferred to a rail car.

Transload services are now an integral part of the global business trade. With developments like the intermodal container, inventory logistics methods have been improved to continue increasing efficiency. As evidenced in the maritime industry, intermodal containers have made transportation of cargo by rail, water, and road easier. This method allows for cargo to remain in the same container for the entire haul. Advancements like this have allowed businesses to become more precise in scheduling distribution, which in turn makes both supply chain management and order fulfillment more timely.

The Port of Montana: A Fully Equipped Transload Facility

It’s important to choose a transload facility best tailored to your distribution needs as they are not all built the same. The Port of Montana, located within the Montana Connections Park, is suited to meet almost every distribution need a business has. With more than thirty years of transload experience, the Port of Montana understands efficiency.

The port features the ability to pick and pack orders and perform cross-docking operations help retail and manufacturing businesses with supply chain management. With its experience transloading commodities like lumber, fertilizer, metals and asphalt, the port has grown into a facility primed to help any company with their distribution needs.

The efficiency provided by the Port of Montana enables businesses to utilize just-in-time delivery to keep inventory carrying costs low, making storage and management easier. On site, the port features services like order fulfillment, rail car storage, shipment coordination. With a max lift capacity of up to 86,000 lbs, no job is too big for the port.

Partnering with a transload facility like the Port of Montana can prime any manufacturing, retail or distribution company for growth. However, there are many more aspects of site selection that ultimately influence the final decision. Access to warehousing and site development services, major distribution networks and business development incentives are important.

While the process of selecting a new site can be daunting, it’s easy to cross off those must-have site requirements on your list when choosing Montana Connections Business Development Park. As for additional bonuses? Butte, Montana offers a promising and educated workforce, lower cost of living, and a no-headache commute. 

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