submitted by United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
When it comes to the rail business and moving goods, the Jones family and their team are setting a high standard in efficiency.
Clayton Jones, President and owner of Canadian Rail Equipment Works & Services Inc. (CREWS), has designed and built a fast-expanding railcar transloading and storage facility. The effective design can be adapted to regions across Canada.
“By the end of this year, we will double our capacity,” Clayton said during a recent tour of Johnstown’s 134-acre, state-of-the-art site adjacent to the main CN line corridor. The operation is expected to go from 560 to 1,000 rail cars per day within months.
“We can bolster and strengthen the supply chain with this model,” Clayton said of the Johnstown location.
CREWS specializes in “first and last mile” services, which include transloading, railcar storage and consulting. Another service is in-plant switching for larger industrial customers, one of which is the Port of Johnstown. Overall, the CREWS site is a relief valve between Toronto and Montreal.
“This is an ideal location. We’re not here by accident,” Clayton said, adding that when he first purchased a smaller parcel at the site seven years ago, he felt confident that it would expand quickly. Initially, it was 76 acres, but more land was needed to expand westward for Phases 5 & 6 of development. They’ve gone from a storage capacity of 100 to 1,000 railcars. Originally, they transloaded about 1,500 cars per year. They are now up to more than 6,000 cars per day.
“We’re just scratching the surface. Now we’re diversifying into other commodities and are very interested in accommodating Eastern Ontario business,” said Clayton.
Clayton also founded and continues to run Jones Rail Industries Ltd., a niche company which, since 2007, designs, builds and maintains rail track for industrial clients.
Clayton credits his family and the dedicated CREWS team for having a strong safety structure in place, the foundation of an effective framework to support the business. He speaks highly of, and is grateful for his partners at CN.
Learn more about CREWS and Jones Rail by visiting their website, see their LinkedIn page, call them at 613-258-6919 or send them an email.