March 3, 2022 - TRA Newswire -
Four Union Pacific siding extensions either under construction or recently completed in Texas are delivering a win-win for the railroad and for some diverse suppliers.
The railroad's strategy of longer passing sidings on its mostly single track main line in west Texas, San Antonio and Houston areas will play a critical role in decreasing or eliminating the time in takes opposing trains to pass each other.
“As these projects reach the finish line, we’re able to unlock our longer train strategy on various routes,” said Mark Allen, director-Track Construction, Engineering, Spring Texas. “Working with diverse suppliers opens up new perspectives on how we do things. It takes lock-step coordination between Track Construction and the Supplier Diversity team to ensure effective projects, and we’re looking forward to more opportunities in the future.”
Diverse suppliers on the four Texas siding extension projects include Latino-owned Macro Z Technologies and Native American-owned Choctaw Construction Services, said Randall Lasenburg, manager-Strategic Sourcing, Supply Chain.
Reducing main line congestion and delays makes the network more fluid and it becomes more efficient, according to the railroad in a news release. "Those capital investments are vital to meeting the transportation needs of our customers and improve our operational efficiency."
“Leveraging diverse suppliers ensures our supply needs are met while allowing us to work with companies who are reflective of the communities Union Pacific serves,” Lasenburg said. “These are large, complex wins. We do not sacrifice quality or safety for diversity efforts. We are always looking for safe, qualified and price-competitive suppliers. Mark Allen and his team have been very supportive and open to taking calculated risks that create opportunities for diverse suppliers.”
Union Pacific's Supplier Diversity team increased diverse spend by 23% ($522 million) in 2021 after a nearly 30% ($95 million) increase in 2020. The 2021 spend represented 8.2% of Union Pacific’s overall supplier spending with diverse vendors. Additionally, the team onboarded 131 diverse suppliers.
Photo credit: Union Pacific
Four Union Pacific siding extensions either under construction or recently completed in Texas are delivering a win-win for the railroad and for some diverse suppliers.
The railroad's strategy of longer passing sidings on its mostly single track main line in west Texas, San Antonio and Houston areas will play a critical role in decreasing or eliminating the time in takes opposing trains to pass each other.
“As these projects reach the finish line, we’re able to unlock our longer train strategy on various routes,” said Mark Allen, director-Track Construction, Engineering, Spring Texas. “Working with diverse suppliers opens up new perspectives on how we do things. It takes lock-step coordination between Track Construction and the Supplier Diversity team to ensure effective projects, and we’re looking forward to more opportunities in the future.”
Diverse suppliers on the four Texas siding extension projects include Latino-owned Macro Z Technologies and Native American-owned Choctaw Construction Services, said Randall Lasenburg, manager-Strategic Sourcing, Supply Chain.
Reducing main line congestion and delays makes the network more fluid and it becomes more efficient, according to the railroad in a news release. "Those capital investments are vital to meeting the transportation needs of our customers and improve our operational efficiency."
“Leveraging diverse suppliers ensures our supply needs are met while allowing us to work with companies who are reflective of the communities Union Pacific serves,” Lasenburg said. “These are large, complex wins. We do not sacrifice quality or safety for diversity efforts. We are always looking for safe, qualified and price-competitive suppliers. Mark Allen and his team have been very supportive and open to taking calculated risks that create opportunities for diverse suppliers.”
Union Pacific's Supplier Diversity team increased diverse spend by 23% ($522 million) in 2021 after a nearly 30% ($95 million) increase in 2020. The 2021 spend represented 8.2% of Union Pacific’s overall supplier spending with diverse vendors. Additionally, the team onboarded 131 diverse suppliers.
Photo credit: Union Pacific