OmniTRAX marks groundbreaking on A&R Logistics' export facility

OmniTRAX Inc., A&R Logistics Inc. and Georgia officials gathered late last week to mark the opening of the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub and the start of construction on A&R's global export operation.

OmniTRAX is the master developer of the 2,700-acre industrial park, which is owned by the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority. A&R retains a lease for a new 610,000-square-foot facility at the hub, with an option to expand it to 1 million square feet, OmniTRAX officials said in a press release.

As part of the A&R project, OmniTRAX will construct more than 7 miles of rail infrastructure for the park, a multi-customer centrally located rail yard and a 200-car dedicated rail yard for A&R.

The rail infrastructure will connect the industrial hub's tenants to CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway lines. Completion of the project's construction and building development is slated for fourth-quarter 2020, OmniTRAX officials said.

"A&R’s state-of-the-art export operation is the ideal anchor-tenant to demonstrate Savannah Gateway’s world-class operational efficiency and premier eastern seaboard location,” said OmniTRAX Chief Executive Officer Kevin Shuba.

A&R's facility will house equipment to support its supply-chain operations that serve plastics producers worldwide. The export operations will include receipt of inbound materials, packaging and outbound shipment to international destinations.

“The southeast Georgia market is very attractive for our export business because of the infrastructure, access to great team members and an overall low cost of operation," said A&R President and CEO Mark Holden.