QC transportation assets are a clear business advantage

QC, that’s where logistics operations and products have a direct path to major U.S. cities in mere hours, not days. It is where four interstate arteries provide a connection to the world through the Midwest crossroads. It is where barges unload and embark on the Mississippi River intercoastal waterway, a low-cost, earth-friendly transportation super highway. And where Class I and Class II rail lines transport goods and products through our region and an international airport serves as host to the delivery of business goods and clients.

Our transportation assets are an advantage to all businesses and Fortune 500 companies – like Arconic -- that call this region home. They enable the constant flow of products and supplies – on the ground and in the air – essential for ImpactLife to achieve its mission. And access to road, rail and river allow Alter Logistics to provide customized transportation and distribution solutions for businesses here and across the world.

From its Intermodal Marine Terminal in Rock Island, Alter Logistics transloads commodities including aluminum, raw metals and resources used in plants, mills and foundries throughout the region. It unloads and stores fertilizer farmers use to feed the crops that feed the world, directs the annual transport of tons of road salt to keep roads and interstates safe, as well as lumber to support development in our rising region.

“We provide businesses with options to move their product,” said Tom Streight, Alter Logistics Vice President of Terminal Sales and Marketing. “The nice thing about the QC and our Rock Island terminal is that we have rail access throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and we are close to major interstates including 80 and 74. If there is a problem with one mode of transportation, say a shortage of truck drivers or the rail lines are congested, we can move product in another fashion,” he said.

“Barge is the most economical way to move a large volume of tonnage and it takes trucks off the road,” he said. The Mississippi River intercostal waterway is a low-cost transportation option that also supports a company’s environmental and sustainability goals. One barge can hold as many as 68 semi-trucks. “We also move commodities imported from other countries and load it to rail to transport it to its final destination. That leads to a reduced carbon imprint as well,” Streight said.

He believes the QC will gain another logistical advantage in the next five to 10 years as the call to allow barges to carry cargo containers on the Upper Mississippi River is gaining traction and support.

The ability to receive equipment via the Mississippi River was an advantage for Arconic. The Fortune 500 company manufactures aluminum sheet and plate for the automotive, aerospace and defense industries in the QC, products that are shipped worldwide.

In 2017 the company invested $150 million in new manufacturing technology to give the QC plant the ability to produce highly-differentiated aerospace and industrial plate. “Some of the parts were too big to ship by truck and built overseas in Germany and South Korea. Those parts were shipped across the ocean to Louisiana, moved onto a barge and transported up the Mississippi River and offloaded onto our property,” said John Riches, Public Affairs Manager at Arconic, Bettendorf. “That is not something we typically do every day but it was helpful to use the river to transport the equipment here in a timelier manner than we would have been able to do otherwise,” he said.

Four interstates and several state highways transverse the QC region. "It provides us easy access to move trucks headed to the East or the West Coast, depending on where they need to go to ship out to the final customer, and it is just as easy to get North or South,” Riches said.

“Getting the product to customers on time is critical and we have the ability to get a large number of trucks in and out of here. We have between 50 and 100 trucks leaving this facility every day and rail is critical for us as well. We bring in a lot of raw materials by rail and some of the larger products for Boeing and other aerospace clients are shipped out by rail. Our QC location allows us to respond to customers’ needs fairly quickly,” he added.

In December 2021, the region celebrated a milestone when the new I-74 bridge opened to traffic. Illinois, Iowa and the federal government invested almost $1 billion to construct the bridge and make corridor improvements; a clear statement of their confidence and commitment to growing the QC. “From a transportation standpoint, the new bridge is a great asset,” Riches said. Traffic crossing the Mississippi River flows freely across six lanes. “For the entire community it has made a big difference in where traffic flows and how it gets across,” he said.

ImpactLife, a QC-headquartered nonprofit community blood center, provides blood products to more than 124 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. With seven distribution hubs and 22 donor centers across the four states, it relies on the region’s transportation assets to save lives.

“Just to serve our service area, we are on the road a lot, traveling across interstates, highways and county roads,” said Kirby Winn, Manager of Public Relations, ImpactLife. “If there is a need for blood, we’ve got to get it on the road from the nearest hub and we go everywhere for blood drives. Easy access is very important because it is our donors who are providing the product and the highest volume of blood donations are processed here in the Quad Cities. Ground transportation is really important for collection and delivering product within our service region. Air transport also is an important element,” he said.

Early this year, ImpactLife joined the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), a group of blood centers across the U.S. that back each other up in times of high and urgent need, such as when there is a natural disaster. Joining BERC reflects ImpactLife’s mission and confidence in the Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA), airlines and the many freight couriers in the region to expedite time-sensitive, lifesaving products across the country without delay.

“We count on the reliability and we put that behind our name. The airport and airline management teams are always very attentive and very responsive,” said Mike Rasso, Director of Sales and Inventory, ImpactLife. “It must be there when we say it needs to be there because a patient is waiting on the other end. Our couriers know delivery is a priority and a response to immediate patient needs. They know it is critical and they find the best schedule to get the product where it has to be,” he said.