FreightCar America is a manufacturer of

freight cars A railroad car, railcar (American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a ...

for the

railway industry Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, headquartered in the United States but manufacturing in Mexico.

History

The company began operations in 1901, and is headquartered in

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, Illinois. It is engaged in the business of building, repairing, and leasing freight cars, largely for the transportation of bulk materials like coal, metals, wood products, and automobiles. In addition to the freight cars it constructs, the company also manufactures parts for use in cars built by other companies. It formerly owned four American factories—one in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, whi ...

,one in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

, one in

Cherokee, Alabama Cherokee is a town in west Colbert County, Alabama, United States. Located near the Tennessee River, it is part of the Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area, known as "The Shoals". As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 1,048. ...

and one in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

. The facility in Roanoke was closed in 2009 due to weak economic conditions, but it was announced on 21 February 2011, that it would reopen after an order for 1,500 coal cars from the Norfolk Southern Railway. In 2008, the company produced 10,349 freight cars, but its output decreased to 3,377 cars in 2009. During

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2010, FreightCar America had a profit of $36.52 million on revenue of $141.3 million. In June 2014, the Danville plant brought back over 100 employees with promises of work and being able to retire from the plant. They were set to be laid off indefinitely the end of February 2016. On October 25, 2016, a shooting occurred at a FreightCar America building in

. Getachew Fekede, a 53-year-old former employee and

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n refugee who moved to the U.S. in 2011, fired ten rounds from a 9mm handgun, killing an employee and wounding three others. He then committed suicide. Police said the shooting appeared to be an act of

workplace violence Workplace violence (WPV), violence in the workplace (VIW), or occupational violence refers to violence, usually in the form of physical abuse or threat, that creates a risk to the health and safety of an employee or multiple employees. The Natio ...

, but added that the possibility of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

would be investigated. In mid-February 2017, the company announced layoffs at its Roanoke plant. This was followed by an announcement at the end of March 2017, that FreightCar America would idle the plant in June. On August 2, 2018, it was announced that The Andersons Inc. had signed an agreement to purchase FreightCar America Inc.'s rail-car facility in Danville, Illinois. The Andersons' goal was to turn the former freight-car manufacturing plant into a full-service freight and tank rail-car repair shop. The Andersons Rail Group would provide rail-car repair, painting, blasting, cleaning, tank-car certification, and scrapping at the facility. Located along the CSX network, the 308,000-square-foot facility can store up to 400 rail cars. On September 10, 2020, after receiving a $10 million

Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a $953-billion business loan program established by the United States federal government during the Donald Trump administration in 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARE ...

loan intended to help businesses continue paying their workers, the company announced it planned to close its facility in Cherokee, Alabama by approximately the end of that year. Employee layoffs were to begin November 9, 2020, and continue in stages through February 28, 2021. The majority of layoffs were to occur in December 2020. Company president/CEO Jim Meyer cited "the depressed rail car market and the devastating impact and ongoing threat of COVID-19" as reasons for the decision. All of the company's manufacturing of new rail cars is now performed in Mexico, and its production of after market parts is manufactured in Pennsylvania.FreightCar America justifies production move to Mexico
FreightWaves, November 11, 2020

References

External links

Official website
Rolling stock manufacturers of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Chicago Manufacturing companies established in 1901 1901 establishments in Illinois Companies listed on the Nasdaq Mass shootings in the United States {{US-crime-bio-stub