Global leader in produce expects rapid growth with Priya
RAILEX PICKS MOTEK'S MICROSOFT BASED WMS FOR UNIQUE RAIL ORIENTED BUSINESS

Riverhead, NY—June 2, 2006 —Railex, LLC, a new division of Ampco Distribution Services Management, LLC, has announced its selection of Motek’s Priya warehouse management system (WMS) for two new distribution centers currently under construction in Washington state and upstate New York. Priya’s unique ability to support both third-party logistics functions and the produce industry’s special needs was the winning combination Railex needed when selecting its WMS.

 Railex is a new division at Ampco and represents a unique concept in the produce industry. The company will radically change the way produce is transported from the West Coast to the East Coast by using dedicated produce unit trains. Each 55-car train will consist of refrigerated boxcars that can carry as much as four truckloads of produce each. The result will be high-speed travel time, getting produce to the East Coast in five days, compared to the usual 12 to 14 via traditional rail. Faster transport, combined with a dramatic reduction in handling, will result in fresher produce for the consumer.

 The Railex DCs, both greenfield sites, will each be around 200,000 sq. ft. once completed. The Washington state DC will serve as the loading center, while the New York DC will provide unloading and distribution services.

 Railex originally considered some four different WMS packages before selecting Priya. “We liked that Motek had done a lot of business in the produce industry and that they were set up to incorporate third party logistics (3PL) services as well,” says Woody Dunkum, director of operations at Railex. “This is a unique business and Priya had the unique combination that could meet our needs.” 

In addition to a seemingly tailor-made fit, Railex was also sold on the many standard features of Priya, such as radio frequency (RF) configurability, wave planning and the easy implementation process. Priya is highly configurable and Motek is currently developing logic for Railex that will help the company load its rail cars in the most efficient manner possible.

 Another factor that sold Railex on Priya is its easy, rapid implementation process. Called Tycan, Motek’s proprietary implementation process ensures that the system is up and running in months, with no surprises. Railex has begun Tycan and has a target date of August for completion. “We liked the way Tycan spells everything out,” says Dunkum. “It’s a proven method for implementation.”

 “Priya delivers a process-oriented product that meets all of Railex’s unique needs,” says Coreen McCorkendale, project manager at Motek. “This represents a great opportunity for us to put together two of our strongest points—produce and 3PL—for one customer. These two DCs are the first of many to come that Motek and Railex will automate together.”

 ABOUT RAILEX —Railex, LLC, is the newly formed division of AMPCO Distribution Services, a national produce distribution firm established over 30 years ago. Railex’s new DCs will be designed for packing, re-packing, grading, warehousing and freight forwarding a variety of produce commodities in order to accommodate the industry’s “just in time” delivery needs. The rail service will be made available through an agreement between Railex and Union Pacific Railroad’s and CSX Transportation’s new dedicated produce train.