The Piedmont Triad's strategic location, extensive transportation infrastructure and supply-chain support capabilities combine to make the 12-county region a preferred location for logistics and distribution operations. In addition to the ideal East Coast location at the intersection of several major interstates within the region, other logistics and transportation resources significantly facilitate operations in this field.
Transit Times via Interstates from the Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad International Airport makes air cargo service a central component of the region's supply-chain cluster. The FedEx Mid-Atlantic Hub opened at the airport in 2009, and will significantly increase the 160-million pounds of freight currently processed each year at the facility. At full capacity, the one-million square foot facility will be capable of sorting 24,000 packages per hour, and will be served by 20-25 aircraft each weekday. The FedEx Hub will also ease stress on high-technology life science operations, giving an edge to companies that express ship low-weight, high-value products.
Rail service is provided by Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation and several short line companies. Norfolk Southern operates a north-south mainline that connects the Northeast and Midwest to Atlanta via Greensboro. The company runs an intermodal terminal in Greensboro and a bulk transfer terminal in Winston-Salem. CSX operates a rail-to-truck TRANSFLOSM transloading facility in Winston-Salem.
Rail Lines and Major Ports
Third-party logistics companies, major distribution centers and warehouses, and a large concentration of trucking firms in the region also provide support. Nine percent of the region's workforce, more than 58,000 workers, is employed in the Logistics and Distribution industry.
The industry also benefits from relevant programs of study at the region's educational institutions. Four-year colleges and universities offer business and economics courses along with transportation and supply-chain management, global trade and international business. Community colleges offer programs that include global logistics technology, truck driver training, aviation management, and heavy equipment and transport technology. Our community colleges offer customized training through the North Carolina Department of Commerce's New and Expanding Industry Training programs. Services are made available to companies that create 12 or more new jobs in any one North Carolina community during a one-year period.
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