Rail supplier news from The Andersons, Carboline, Greenbrier and Savage (Aug. 2)

The Andersons Inc. has signed an agreement to purchase FreightCar America Inc.'s rail-car facility in Danville, Illinois. The Andersons' goal is to turn the former freight-car manufacturing plant into a full-service freight and tank rail-car repair shop, company officials said in a press release. At the updated facility, the Andersons Rail Group will provide rail-car repair, painting, blasting, cleaning, tank-car certification and scrapping. The new plant will be the rail group's 21st U.S. shop. Situated along the CSX network, the 308,000-square-foot facility can store up to 400 rail cars.

Carboline Co. has acquired Strathmore and American Coatings. A manufacturer of high-performance coatings primarily for the rail industry, Strathmore in 2014 acquired American Coatings, which provides interior and exterior coatings to industrial manufacturers, contractors, tank builders, floor coating applicators and equipment owners. Strathmore will remain a stand-alone brand within Carboline, according to a company press release. Financial details of Carboline's acquisition of Strathmore weren't disclosed.

During the first two months of its fourth fiscal quarter that began June 1, The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. received orders for 5,000 units valued at more than $425 million. The orders comprise a range of rail cars, with an emphasis on double-stack intermodal units and box cars, as well as automotive-carrying rail cars, gondolas, covered hoppers and tank cars. Greenbrier officials are observing "particular strength in intermodal," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Furman in a press release. Nearly all orders originated from North America.

Savage Cos. and grain and milling firm Bartlett and Co. have completed their merger to form Savage Enterprises. Together, the firms aim to become a "leading global provider of supply chain and industrial services" for the agriculture, energy, chemical and environmental sectors. The combined businesses have nearly 4,800 employees spread out among 280 locations across the United States, Mexico, Canada and Saudi Arabia. Established in 1946 in Salt Lake city, Savage has expertise in the rail, truck and marine transportation sectors, as well as logistics, materials handling and other industrial and environmental services.