Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3 - 79

freightcar america manufacturing
www.freightcaramerica.com / HQ: Chicago / Employees: 1,200 / Specialty: Rail cars / Rudy Simmons, vice president of supply chain: "The heart and soul of the company
are the welders, fabricators and assemblers at our facility that work tirelessly to produce the cars."

On the Rise
FreightCar is gaining strength with new products and its 'Back to
Basics' strategy. By Alan Dorich
When employees at
FreightCar America
come to work every day,
they do it with a focus
on providing quality and
consistency in every
RUDY SIMMONS
rail car. "It's not an easy
vice president of
supply chain
product to build," Vice
President of Supply
Chain Rudy Simmons admits.
"But they are extremely
committed and get their hands
and uniforms extremely dirty to
build a very colossal-sized, good
product," he says. "The end result
when a fleet of rail cars are being
taken away to our customers is a
great feeling."
Headquartered in Chicago,
FreightCar designs and manufactures steel, stainless steel, aluminum and hybrid-steel aluminum
freight cars. The company started
operations in 1901 and gained a
reputation for its coal cars.
"We were the industry leader,"
Simmons says. "But as green energy took over in the United States
and coal demand significantly
alleviated, we had to come up with
a new plan."
FreightCar adapted by diversifying into the manufacture of a large
variety of rail cars including but not
limited to covered and uncovered
hoppers, intermodal and non-intermodal cars. Today, its clients
include the likes of Norfolk Southern Corp., TTX, BNSF Railway and
several leasing companies.

Back to Basics
Simmons joined FreightCar in 2017
and brought along with him a vast
background in materials management and global strategic sourcing.
He credits the company's success
to its ability to adapt when the demand for coal cars diminished.
"We were able to change figuratively on the fly to design and
start building a variety of other rail
cars," he says, noting that its team
also is critical. "The heart and soul
of the company are the welders,
fabricators, and assemblers that
work pridefully and tirelessly to
produce the cars at our facility in
Cherokee, Ala."
Recently, FreightCar CEO Jim
Meyer launched "Back to Basics,"

The FCA supply chain team
includes (from left) Demetre
Phillips, Tarah Brown, Drew Angel,
Lisa Blansett, Rudy Simmons and
Joseph Horton.

a strategy designed to make the
company's work standardized,
straightforward and simple.
Simmons is following its direction
with his supply chain team.
"We're getting back to basics to
implement the foundational practices that are solid from a supply
chain and business acumen standpoint," he says, adding that this
includes visual management on its
operations floor and material cost
savings initiatives.
FreightCar also is proactively
working with key suppliers to
evaluate parts for cost savings
through form, fit and function.
"We aim to be a centralized
sourcing organization," Simmons
says. "We're not going to buy
VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3 Supply Chain World

79



Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3

Contents
Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3 - Cover1
Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3 - Cover2
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Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3 - Cover3
Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3 - Cover4
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