PIERS® Global Intelligence Solutions, a leading source for data on U.S. waterborne imports and exports, has formed a strategic alliance with Railinc, the Cary, N.C.-based provider of IT solutions and information systems to the nation's rail network.
Under the deal, PIERS, a sister company of RailResource.com and The Pocket List of Railroad Officials, is providing Railinc with information on containerized cargoes shipped through U.S. ports. Railinc is matching the PIERS data with its records of intermodal freight and returning to PIERS the details of where and when the containers began and ended their inland rail trips.
"PIERS and Railinc have teamed up to track containerized imports from overseas point of origin to U.S. discharge and on through the rail network to hubs and market centers across the U.S.," said Lenny Corallo, president and COO of PIERS, which is a company of UBM Global Trade.
"Similarly, linking waterborne and rail container data fills information gaps to give a more complete picture of the intermodal movement of exports from their sources within the U.S. to U.S. ports for departure to their ultimate foreign destinations," Corallo added.
"The extra dimension of information provided by Railinc helps answer questions about what happens to trade goods after they arrive at our shores," said Todd Bolon, Railinc Vice President and CIO. "This is information that is useful to managers of logistics services and supply chains. It can also provide insight into production, distribution and marketing patterns."
PIERS reported imports totaling 17.5M TEUs (twenty-foot-equivalent units--the standard container measure), and exports totaling 11M TEUs in 2008. According to the Association of American Railroads, U.S. freight rail intermodal originations totaled 11.5 million trailers and containers last year.
More information about PIERS' rail freight data or other trade intelligence is available at: www.piers.com/piersproducts.aspx.
This is the second strategic agreement between Railinc and UBM Global Trade. An earlier deal on detailed rail car ownership and specifications powers The Official Railway Equipment Register, a quarterly print publication serving the information needs of railroads, private car owners, leasing firms, car repair shops and shippers.