Americold Kicks Off Collaboration With CPKC

Rendering Courtesy of Americold

Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (Americold) on Feb. 22 announced plans to develop its first facility through a strategic collaboration with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), which will co-locate Americold warehouse facilities on the Class I’s network in Missouri.

The two companies first reported their intent to build the first facility in Kansas City, Mo., last June, which will bring together “cold storage and value-added-services with expedited intermodal transportation solutions connecting key U.S. Midwest and Mexico markets.”

According to Americold, the company is investing $127 million in the 335,000-square-foot facility and plans to create nearly 190 new jobs in the region. Pending local approvals, the company plans to begin construction in the first half of 2024.

“We are excited to kick off our strategic collaboration with CPKC through our new Kansas City cold storage facility, expanding Americold’s presence in an important U.S. transportation hub,” said Americold CEO George Chappelle. “Combining our cold storage capabilities with CPKC’s extensive rail network enables Americold to deliver a differentiated offering to support more customers across North America. We look forward to further collaboration with CPKC to provide world-class service to more customers and strengthen the food supply chain.”

The new facility, Americold says, will support CPKC’s Mexico Midwest Express (MMX) service, North America’s only single-line rail service offering for refrigerated shippers between U.S. Midwest markets and Mexico. It will also enable “more seamless and efficient” service for MMX customers. “By combining CPKC’s fleet of TempPro™ temperature-protected intermodal containers with Americold’s unparalleled cold storage logistics expertise, both companies will be able to help customers bypass significant truck congestion at the U.S.-Mexico border and reduce transit times, transport costs and food waste,” Americold stated in a release.

“Americold’s Kansas City facility marks the first of many new Americold warehouse facilities we intend to see built on the CPKC network as part of our strategic collaboration,” said CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel. “Our unmatched MMX premium intermodal service will enable Americold customers to transport goods between the U.S. and Mexico more efficiently and effectively than ever before. We look forward to continuing to grow with Americold as we support the cold storage ecosystem.”

Missouri Partnership, a public-private economic development organization focused on attracting new jobs and investment to the state and promoting Missouri’s business strengths, worked with several partners to attract Americold to Kansas City, including: the City of Kansas City; Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri; KC SmartPort, Missouri Department of Economic Development; Missouri One Start; Evergy; and Spire.