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June 22, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chicago, IL – Union Tank Car Company will build a new railroad tank car manufacturing facility near Alexandria, Louisiana. When fully operational in 2006, the plant will have the capacity to produce as many as 70 tank cars per week. “Union Tank Car’s market-leading combination of product quality and personalized service has spurred demand for both new and existing UTLX cars,” said Frank Lester, company president. “As the economy continues to improve, customer demand will require us to build even more cars. Our ability to increase market share is currently limited by manufacturing capacity. The Alexandria Plant will allow ‘THE TANK CAR PEOPLE’ to continue to meet … and exceed … our customers’ expectations.” Plans recently finalized with Governor Blanco and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development situate the new plant on a 140-plus acre green field site adjacent to the England Industrial Air Park and Community in Rapides Parish. “We are thankful for the high degree of professionalism and integrity displayed by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development and for the relentless personal efforts of Governor Blanco to bring Union Tank Car to Louisiana,” stated Lester. UP rail service and utilities are already at the property line. Alexandria is the crossroads of four major state highways as well as recently completed I-49 and two railroads. “The Alexandria Plant will be a true assembly-line operation with cars moving from production station-to-station on rail carts,” explained Jim Shirvinski, director, manufacturing engineering. “Like the other UTLX plants in East Chicago, Indiana and Sheldon, Texas, the initial steps in producing the tanks will be highly automated. However, in Alexandria we won’t lift the tanks with overhead cranes. They will move “in-line” from the plate roll all the way through paint and decal.” Lou Kulekowskis, general manager – manufacturing, summed up, “In layman’s terms, this will be the state-of-the-art tank car plant – without equal anywhere in the world.” “We looked seriously at expanding capacity at our other plants,” noted Lester. “But, in the end, Alexandria provided the ideal location, with both rail and highway access, a great full-service business park, a highly effective economic development team and a business-friendly community that made it hard not to ‘Choose Alexandria.’ It will make an excellent long-term addition to the UTLX manufacturing infrastructure.” Union Tank Car Company is the leading designer, builder, and manufacturer of specialized railcars. Including its Canadian affiliate, Procor Limited, it owns a fleet of approximately 85,000 railcars. In addition to manufacturing facilities in East Chicago, Indiana and Sheldon, Texas, the Chicago-based company operates a North American network of repair shops, lining shops and On-Site® Repair locations. Union Tank Car is a member of The Marmon Group, an international association of more than 100 companies that operate independently within diverse business sectors. Collective revenues exceeded $5.5 billion in 2003.
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