A "one-size-fits-all" approach may work fine for rain ponchos and baseball caps, but it won’t work for everything.
Oftentimes, what’s needed is a custom fit that’s designed to meet exact specifications.
Through its 70-plus years of experience working inside the leading refining, chemical, manufacturing and storage terminal facilities, PSC Group has developed practices and safety programs that customers recognize as some of the best in the industry. These same practices and programs are incorporated into PSC’s railcar maintenance systems and procedures, serving as the foundation for safety and operating excellence across the business.
As experts in the field, PSC Group recognizes that today’s railcar fleet owners need more than the standard, off-the-shelf service for railcar fleet maintenance. With that in mind, PSC Group has recently introduced a three-tiered, multi-faceted approach to railcar maintenance that offers its customers a truly tailored solution.
Tailored railcar repair solutions for client fleets
A PSC railcar repair technician preps a replacement set of wheels at one of PSC’s onsite repair shops.
"We know customers want to work with a knowledgeable and reliable railcar repair company focused on delivering safety, service and operating excellence across the map," said PSC Group CEO Joel Dickerson. "So, we’ve intentionally designed these three distinct service lines of our Railcar Repair Division to do just that."
Onsite shops
What started in 2012 with just a few small operations has grown into more than 20 onsite Association of American Railroads (AAR)-certified railcar repair shops performing over 30,000 repairs annually. Embedded at some of PSC Group’s refining and petrochemical customer facilities from Texas to Pennsylvania, these dedicated shops provide customers with immediate support from PSC Group’s qualified onsite repair technicians. Repair capabilities vary at each site depending on the customer’s typical car type, but in general, PSC Group is certified to perform welding and liner repairs, hatch cover and latch replacements, renewal and repair of wheels, draft gears, trucks and braking systems, C-5 and C-6 certified tank car valve repair and replacement and much more.
Customers have found that they can maximize cost savings and efficiencies by reducing downtime at the loading racks and avoiding costly freight charges for unnecessary transit to offsite repair facilities. They do this by bundling railcar repair with PSC’s product handling and site logistics services, such as rail switching and loading. Many times, a defect isn’t identified until the railcar is spotted at the loading rack. These untimely findings during pre-load inspections can result in production disruptions, double-switching situations, missed shipments and many other problems. When facilities centralize their rail-related services under a single service provider with a dedicated overall leader, customers benefit by being able to respond quickly to those unexpected situations at a moment’s notice.
Brian Camp, VP of PSC railcar repair operations, said, "PSC can handle every aspect of railcar handling for our customers, including inspections, switching, loading and unloading, and maintenance. Our services allow railcars to ship free of defects and comply with railroad interchange requirements, so they reach their destination on time and without bad order repairs during transit."
Tailored railcar repair solutions for client fleets
PSC’s Gulf Coast Mobile Railcar Repair units are equipped with the tools and equipment needed to provide safe, reliable and prompt service 24/7.
Steel Line Rail Services
With the strategic acquisition of Steel Line Rail Services in May 2023, PSC Group expanded its railcar repair service offerings to include offsite project-based Mobile Repair Unit (MRU) work, inspections and an in-house valve shop for the repair, testing and certification of tank car valves. Headquartered in Marshall, Texas, and led by Micheal Henigan, PSC Group’s Steel Line Rail is comprised of second- and third-generation railroaders committed to providing service excellence throughout North America.
Steel Line Rail’s MRU services work directly with railcar owners and lessees to safely address change-of-service projects and lease returns. Since this project-based work typically involves hundreds or even thousands of railcars, this segment of PSC Group’s railcar fleet maintenance offerings is most often performed in offsite storage yards owned by Steel Line’s extensive partner network. With similar AAR certifications and capabilities as PSC Group’s onsite mini-shops, Steel Line’s MRU teams safely performed repairs in 35 states in 2022.
In addition to its MRU capabilities, since its founding in 2018, Steel Line Rail has built a reputation for conducting detailed and comprehensive inspections for railcar owners and lessees. With railcar inspectors strategically positioned throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Steel Line Rail is a trusted provider of new railcar build inspections, Association of American Railroads Billing Repair Card audits, appraisal inspections and repair shop audits.
Frustrated with an ever-growing backlog of valve repairs at other shops, Steel Line Rail established its own in-house valve shop at its Marshall headquarters in 2022. By combining the valve shop with its MRU crews in the field for uninstalling and installing valves, PSC Group’s Steel Line Rail has developed an end-to-end "white glove" service. This is designed to minimize railcar downtime and consistently provide the utmost care for equipment.
Mobile railcar repair
Tailored railcar repair solutions for client fleets
PSC’s Steel Line Rail Services crew works on reconditioning and reinstalling pressure heads at a storage yard in Texas.
PSC Group officially launched Gulf Coast Mobile Railcar Repair in Q3 2023 with a dozen mobile units. Led by 31-year industry veteran, Michelle Tiemann, senior manager of Gulf Coast Mobile Railcar Repair, the new unit is the final piece in the puzzle in creating a comprehensive selection of railcar maintenance service capabilities for customers.
Refining and petrochemical facilities that do not have a shop onsite rely predominantly on mobile railcar repair units to avoid freight charges and eliminate costly delays when repair needs arise. Sensing a need for a true customer-oriented mobile repair provider in the market, PSC designed its Gulf Coast Mobile Railcar Repair business with safety, responsiveness, transparency and convenience in mind.
Recognizing that customers need safe, prompt and reliable service for both unexpected defects and planned repairs, PSC specifically designed its Gulf Coast Mobile Railcar Repair business to optimize convenience for its customers. With a stated goal of providing service within 24 hours, PSC is committed to ensuring that its customers’ railcar fleets stay in safe operating condition while minimizing expensive downtime and maximizing operational efficiency.
"Whether our customers’ fleets consist of tank cars, hoppers, boxes or even gondolas, our mobile crews are trained in all manner of repairs and take pride in keeping the railways safe and operational," said Tiemann. "This is more than just a business to us; it’s a commitment to excellence in safety and in service."
From the smallest repairs to complete overhauls, PSC Group has the tools, footprint and know-how to keep railcar fleets rolling safely down the tracks. Contact PSC Group’s Railcar Repair Services teams today for more information on designing a tailored approach to lowering railcar fleet maintenance costs in almost every situation.
For more information, visit pscgroup.com or call (225) 343-8262.
