RII is able to listen, evaluate and acess client issues and problem in order to develop the study that best suits their needs. Projects can be broken down into phases if the client is testing markets or can be a combination of several types of analyses for a bigger long-term picture. RII combines analysis and industry knowledge to turn studies into actionable strategies.
Projects
Lynx Phase 1 & 2 Market Studies (Stone Aggregates)
Phase 1 of this market analysis was targeted to developing business for a 1200 acre property located near Barstow, CA. It included contacting 30 area companies and organizations (economic development agencies, ports, railroads, potential customers, partners and competitors) to determine which services would be most successful at the new facility, what types of partners would have the most demand and essentially where to focus a more detailed and strategic market analysis. Results led to Phase 2, which included developing a brochure for the facility, developing a partner contact list for the Client, assessing traffic flows through the area using a combination of URCS 2% waybill sampling, CFS and FAF data on intermodal traffic to and from the southern west coast ports and on mining traffic-the biggest industry produced in the area, a transload market study examining likely commodities to be handled, a Storage In Transit study examining plastics traffic flowing into the Los Angeles and Central Valley areas, including capital costs.
In addition, RII specifically examined the data for aggregate flows, researched growth in 4 keys markets within southern California, and developed the unit train rail costing to these points to develop business for the aggregate quarry on site at the facility. Feasibility analysis for the expected volumes and revenue against the expected capital costs and operations to achieve the new business were developed to determine the return on investment, potential capital shortfalls for investor development, rates and volumes needed for success and capital recovery time. RII was key in bringing the Class I railroad to the table to negotiate these terms in order to make the project successful.
In addition, RII specifically examined the data for aggregate flows, researched growth in 4 keys markets within southern California, and developed the unit train rail costing to these points to develop business for the aggregate quarry on site at the facility. Feasibility analysis for the expected volumes and revenue against the expected capital costs and operations to achieve the new business were developed to determine the return on investment, potential capital shortfalls for investor development, rates and volumes needed for success and capital recovery time. RII was key in bringing the Class I railroad to the table to negotiate these terms in order to make the project successful.
North Carolina Railroads Traffic & Traffic Diversions Analysis
RII was tasked to analyze the traffic on rail lines running through North Carolina in order to develop additional revenue opportunities for state-owned track, develop possible economic development opportunities and assess capacity for growth along lines that host Amtrak routes expected to grow and expand services. Analysis used track charts, Railinc data and other sources to develop traffic volumes, gross ton miles and directional flows for various segments of track. Results were used to examine alternative routes for traffic diversions, measuring volumes that could flow over other routes including the capital costs involved in rehabilitating those routes to handle the same volumes and speeds. Transportation costing was performed to compare the operational costs for moving on the original routes vs. alternatives, including comparisons on existing routes. Work also included identifying business development opportunities along the routes, such as transit-oriented-development, excess property utilization, commercial property value appreciation, growth trends and triggers happening along the statewide corridors and synergistic transportation services.
Infrastructure Materials Market Demand Study (Calcium Carbonate)
RII performed a market analysis and forecast for Calcium Carbonate and Quicklime demand for both the Northwestern United States and Central Canada. The entire study included a survey contacting over 60 producers and users along the supply chain, as well as industry research to develop a forecast for 1-5-10 year increments. The study included transportation costing by rail and truck for pricing and competitive analysis, as well as traffic flow analysis and forecast by state/province in Nevada, California, Utah, Idaho and Arizona then Montana, Minnesota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The detailed report was utilized by our client both for planning and due diligence on new investment projects and as a deliverable to potential investors to show the markets and demand for the materials.
RailPower Locomotives Market Analysis
RII developed a market study for this producer of genset/electric-diesel hybrid locomotives for a specific model when the technology was still new to many players in the industry. RII identified target customers based on their number of locomotives in service or scheduled to be retired, their operations in environmentally sensitive or political areas such as ports or metropolitan areas, and/or their history of green technology usage. In addition, RII was tasked to identify new markets, such as short line railroads and public entities that would be most likely targets. A total of 130 entities were contacted, resulting in a total of 65 interviews, and 42 completed survey forms. Lastly, based on the results of the analysis, RII was able to eliminate certain target groups, develop a contact list for RailPower's sales team and suggested strategies for approaching and developing specific target groups.
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