Introducing AITX™ Railcar Leasing and Repair

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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American Industrial Transport™ Inc. (AITX™) is the new name and brand of the railcar leasing and repair business of the former ARI (American Railcar Industries), whose railcar manufacturing division was acquired by The Greenbrier Cos. from ITE Management LP (ITE) in July 2019.

AITX, the new name and brand, “is one of many steps in refocusing into a premier provider of leasing and repair services following the sale of its manufacturing business last year,” the company said. “The new name conveys a respect to our longstanding heritage,” which began when American Car and Foundry Co. (later ACF Industries) was formed and incorporated in New Jersey in 1899 from the merger of 13 smaller railcar manufacturers.

The AITX name and brand, which also is the company’s new, standard four-digit railcar reporting mark, “shows an ongoing commitment in shaping the modern railcar leasing and repair business,” the company noted. Headquartered in St. Charles, Mo., AITX manages a lease fleet of more than 17,000 railcars owned by its affiliates and performs repair services for more than 10,000 railcars per year. It describes itself as “a leading solutions provider of railcar leasing and repair services, providing customers across diverse industries a flexible portfolio of leasing options from a railcar fleet, sourced and managed in-house. AITX and its subsidiaries also operate world-class railcar repair services through its specialized repair network spanning across North America. Offering a range of services from full to light repair, AITX’s repair capabilities include full-service repair facilities, mobile service units and onsite-customer dedicated repair operations.”

“With our new name and brand, we’ve rolled-out a forward-looking company mantra, Moving Ahead,” said American Industrial Transport, Inc. President Steve Unger. “This signifies more than a new chapter for AITX, but a renewed promise to our customers to work with them to move their business forward.”

AITX’s railcar leasing business “supplies a young and productive fleet for shipping customers across all industrial applications: agriculture, chemical, energy, and mineral,” the company said. “Coming from a manufacturing legacy, AITX team members are fluent in railcar requirements across industries with the responsiveness and flexibility to meet individual shipper requests.”

Dean Sawyer

“We’ve designed our leasing business with flexibility in mind,  to present efficient solutions for customer situations that are often unpredictable,” said Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing Dean Sawyer, a 34-year rail industry veteran. “We’ve embraced productivity with a young fleet tied to our best-in-class repair and maintenance capabilities.”

AITX’s railcar repair business (named AITX Railcar Services, LLC in the U.S. and AITX Railcar Services of Canada Inc. in Canada), which specializes in tank cars and covered hoppers, “extends across a network of repair facilities and services in order to provide a suite of repair solutions to North American shippers and railcar leasing providers,” the company noted. “AITX’s repair business offers a breadth of options from full to light repair, which includes full-service facilities, mobile service units, and onsite customer dedicated repair operations.”

Patrice Powers

“Our customers want to know that we are there when they need us, whether at our facilities, in the field, or onsite at their operations,” said Vice President Fleet Operations Patrice Powers, a 24-year rail industry veteran. “Ultimately, they are trusting in the expertise of the best team in rail.”

This ACF full-page advertisement appeared in Railway Age in 1940. Eighty years later, the relationship continues:
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