Richardson announces plans to expand eight elevators in Canada on the CPKC network

CALGARY and WINNIPEG — Richardson International Limited and Canadian Pacific Kansas City announced that Richardson plans to expand eight CPKC-served elevators in western Canada, allowing future trains to be moved from these sites under CPKC’s 8,500-foot High Efficiency Product (HEP) model. Work on the elevators in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta will start in the summer of 2023 and be complete by the end of 2024.

“Richardson is committed to Canadian farmers and providing growers with modern, high-efficiency facilities and services,” said Darwin Sobkow, Richardson’s President and COO. “Expanding eight elevators will increase capacity and efficiency, enabling Richardson to further benefit from CPKC’s single-line network reaching Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. We have strongly supported the CP-KCS combination throughout the process and look forward to working with CPKC on additional future opportunities for shared growth.”

Richardson currently ships unit trains from 27 CPKC-served elevators in Canada and one in the northern U.S. The newest Richardson elevator at Carmichael, Sask., a greenfield grain elevator commissioned in early 2023, is their first 8,500-foot HEP site.

“CPKC is thrilled to have these Richardson elevators added to the growing list of already qualified 8,500-foot HEP sites across western Canada,” said John Brooks, CPKC’s Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer. “Richardson’s supply chain and CPKC’s operation will benefit from added efficiency, capacity and fluidity with this investment. Richardson’s ability to run longer trains will mean more grain shipped per train, tighter cycles and more Richardsontrains moving across our expanded, single-line network throughout the season.”

In 2021, Richardson acquired Italgrani USA Inc., including the largest North American durum mill located in St. Louis, Mo. The CPKC single-line network creates a seamless pipeline to the Italgrani mill from the durum-rich areas in Saskatchewan, where Richardson elevators are well positioned. Furthermore, the combined network and markets in the southern U.S. and Mexico are opening new doors to Richardson for their grains, oilseeds and processed products.