Jean Savage knew her job wouldn’t be easy when she took over as CEO of Trinity Industries Inc. in early 2020.
“Some of the complaints you hear from customers are the fact that if you don’t have to have it in a hurry, then you can send it by rail,” Savage said. “That’s just something we have to improve on.” At times, when Savage discusses the innovation happening at Trinity, it almost sounds like she is talking about a Silicon Valley technology firm rather than a railcar company.
The tool is cross-platform, meaning it can be accessed on a computer, phone or tablet. It also provides access to data about utilization and includes a savings calculator. Trinity is also leading a coalition of railcar owners that aims to make GPS technology and digital data more widely used across the industry to help shippers.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact the technology initiatives will have. The investment community has not rewarded Trinity yet in its stock price. Currently, Savage said the biggest issue facing Trinity is a labor shortage. Due to the shortage, the company has explored opportunities to implement automation. For example, Trinity acquired Bay Worx Rail in 2021. The deal included a proprietary cleaning technology system and a cleaning facility. Savage said the technology is being used at one maintenance facility right now with plans to expand its usage to other facilities in the future.