LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE: GBX) today announced that it has
completed production on its 50,000th covered hopper
railcar. This milestone follows Greenbrier's announcement in
February of the production of its 100,000th intermodal
double stack railcar. These achievements demonstrate Greenbrier's
leadership in innovative engineering and manufacturing excellence
within North America's competitive
freight railcar markets. These landmark events also exemplify
Greenbrier's transformation in recent years from a limited builder
of specialized railcars to a broad-based manufacturer of virtually
all railcar types.
Greenbrier built its first covered hopper railcar over 11 years
ago. Today, Greenbrier builds a full line of small, medium
and large covered hopper railcars with freight carrying capacities
from 3,250 cubic feet up to 6,580 cubic feet. Covered hoppers
are the largest single railcar type in service, comprising more
than one-third of the North
America fleet. Covered hoppers are integral to North
American freight movement, carrying a wide variety of dry bulk
including grain and agricultural products, plastics and chemicals,
and nonmetallic minerals, including sand and cement.
From the beginning Greenbrier has listened to its customers,
building the best railcar for their needs. This has allowed
Greenbrier to make meaningful advancements in covered hopper
technology that enhance rail transportation for a broad range of
commodities. Most recently, Greenbrier has developed two new
medium covered hopper railcar designs. One of the new cover
hoppers is designed to transport lighter weight agricultural
products. It features a carrying capacity of 5,446 cubic feet
with a length of 56 feet and a light weight of 59,500 pounds that
is lighter than existing railcars. Greenbrier's new covered
hopper design for transporting heavy agricultural products is 54
feet long, two feet shorter than its closet competition, with a
carrying capacity of 5,100 cubic feet and a light weight of 58,700
pounds. This covered hopper improves freight mobility through more
efficient railroad operations. An additional enhancement to
Greenbrier's covered hopper railcars includes an updated roofline
that improves loading and unloading access for increased
transloading efficiency.
"Our latest covered hopper railcars are best in class. Both
feature a recent patent-pending design for reduced weight," said
Mark Rittenbaum, Executive Vice
President, Commercial and Leasing. "We are focused on increasing
cubic capacity and reducing length and weight in all Greenbrier
covered hopper designs. Greenbrier prioritizes innovation and
design so that we always meet the needs of our customers and
capitalize on modernization opportunities to achieve market
growth."
"Greenbrier strives to diversify our product offerings and
access new markets. We are relentless about improving the
performance of our railcars to meet the needs of our customers,"
commented William A. Furman,
Chairman and CEO. "This is our second landmark achievement in 2017,
following our 100,000th intermodal double stack unit
produced at Gunderson earlier this year. This latest milestone
highlights Greenbrier's leadership in the railcar industry. It also
solidifies our position as a global manufacturer, with headquarters
in the United States, and major
manufacturing operations on three continents. I am grateful for all
our employees and customers who will always be essential to
Greenbrier's growth and success."
To learn more about Greenbrier, its innovative covered hopper
technology, and its entire line of railcar products and services,
please join Greenbrier at Railway Interchange in Indianapolis, September
17-19, 2017.
Venue: Railway Interchange
in Indianapolis, IN
Greenbrier
Booth: 2931
Contact: Thomas
Jackson, Vice President, Marketing
Email: Tom.Jackson@gbrx.com, mobile phone: (330)
321-6301
Railway Interchange is the largest combined railway exhibition
and technical conference in North
America, attended by nearly 10,000 industry professionals
from around the globe.
About Greenbrier
Greenbrier—headquartered in Lake
Oswego, Oregon—is a leading international supplier of
equipment and services to global freight transportation markets.
Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars and marine
barges in North America.
Greenbrier Europe is an end-to-end
freight railcar manufacturing, engineering and repair business with
operations in Poland and
Romania that serves customers
across Europe and in the
Middle East. Greenbrier builds
freight railcars and rail castings in Brazil through two separate strategic
partnerships. We are a leading provider of wheel services, parts,
railcar management & regulatory compliance services and leasing
services to railroads and related transportation industries in
North America. Greenbrier offers freight railcar repair,
refurbishment and retrofitting services in North America through a joint venture
partnership with Watco Companies, LLC. Through other joint
ventures, we produce rail castings, tank heads and other railcar
components. Greenbrier owns a lease fleet of over 9,000 railcars
and performs management services for 267,000 railcars. Learn more
about Greenbrier at www.gbrx.com.
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SOURCE The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (GBX)