A&R Logistics, which provides supply chain services for the chemical industry, recently selected Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub (SGIH) in Effingham County GA as the site for its new global export facility.
The company also said its Export Division will be headquartered in Savannah to support global supply chain development for the chemical industry.
“For five decades, A&R has earned the trust of the dry bulk logistics industry by delivering unparalleled customer service,” said Mark Holden, A&R’s president and CEO. “Along the way, our customers have sought an export partner that provides that same level of reliability and trust they count on domestically.
“With our new export facility in Savannah, we will have approximately 2 million square feet of capacity running up to eight state-of-the-art packaging lines on the East Coast. This level of capacity and flexibility will provide the supply chain infrastructure for the world’s largest chemical producers to compete on a global scale.”
A&R said its packaging and export headquarters will leverage SGIH’s dual Class I rail service and its easy access to the Port of Savannah, the nation’s largest single container terminal, to deliver “best-in-class” shipping efficiency and service. OmniTRAX will build a seven-mile switching operation with two interchanges and a dedicated rail yard to service a 1 million-square-foot, build-to-suit warehouse facility developed by Broe Real Estate Group.
“Congratulations to A&R Logistics on this next step in their operations,” said Georgia Gov Brian P Kemp. “As the Top State for Business six years running, The Port of Savannah and Georgia’s expansive logistics network enable the Peach State to serve as a gateway to the global economy.
“This facility will help us to maintain that status in the years ahead, and I want to thank our partners in Effingham County and with the Georgia Ports Authority for their hard work to make exciting announcements like this possible.”
A&R export customers will benefit from the efficiency of East Coast port shipping, which maximizes uptime by reducing traditional port bottlenecks, delays, equipment shortages and restrictions, A&R maintained. The Port of Savannah’s deep-water access ensures export customers with a steady container volume by consistently attracting the largest ships with the largest number of sailings and first and last call advantages.
“We are excited to welcome the expansion of A&R’s resin-handling infrastructure in our market, as it will bring significant new export volumes to our container trade,” said Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority executive director. “The growing output of refineries in Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Canada will require alternate export capacity, and the Port of Savannah stands ready to serve that need.”
Construction and development are underway, with a forecasted completion date of winter 2020, according to A&R.
