Railroad executive lauds Juniata shop
By William Kibler, bkibler@altoonamirror.comArticle Photos
The Juniata Locomotive Shop is a kingdom of grease and heavy steel, but also "one of the crown jewels" of the Norfolk Southern railway, said company Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman, who was in town Tuesday.
When Norfolk acquired part of Conrail in 1997, management didn't know quite what it had at Juniata or what to do with it, said Moorman, who has been CEO for almost three years.
Now, "it's developed into quite a competitive advantage," he said.
Norfolk is the only Class 1 railroad to do all locomotive maintenance in-house, and Juniata is a big part of that, being much larger than the company's other locomotive facility in Roanoke, company Vice President Tim Heilig said.
The Juniata shops have helped Norfolk achieve the lowest maintenance costs and best safety record in the industry, Heilig said.
"We do a better job for less," Moorman said.
The 950-person work force is key, they said.
Since the Conrail acquisition, the Juniata workers, including rank-and-file, have demonstrated an "unusually keen understanding" of railroading as a business, said Mark Manion, executive vice president for operations.
Their "core competency" is heavy-duty maintenance: They can tear down a locomotive to its frame and rebuild it, Heilig said.
They do it safely, having recently finished a million man-hours without a reportable accident, over about 200 days, Heilig said.
Management has helped create the conditions for the workers' performance, sending a signal it intended to run a first-rate operation by focusing on safety and ergonomics inside and investing heavily in badly needed track repairs, they said.
The excellent condition of the tracks throughout the system and the fine safety record are in contrast to the "old days," Moorman said.
The number of workers in Juniata, about 200 less than when Norfolk took over, has been stable for a few years and promises to remain so for the foreseeable future.
High fuel prices and highway congestion have helped railroads flourish in recent years, and shipping companies have called on railroads to supplement truck transport in intermodal schemes, Moorman said.
The recent lower fuel prices haven't reduced intermodal enthusiasm much, because shippers see the lower prices as transitory, he said.
Still, traffic has shrunk due to the economic downturn.
An aggressive locomotive maintenance program to minimize breakdowns on the tracks will help insulate Juniata from the downturn for the foreseeable future, Moorman said.
Insourcing of work from other firms also helps stabilize employment there.
Norfolk has tried to take advantage of the best aspects of the original NS and Conrail corporate cultures, Moorman said.
Evidence of Conrail's contribution: The former company has produced two of the three regional managers who report to Manion.
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guttertroll
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12-05-08 7:58 AM
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Oh, I worked at PC & CONRAIL for 9 years before securing a better job. Although it was a great job I was surrounded by lazy union workers that ns has eliminated through creative disability retirements. They have hired new workers that HAVE to work and be productive. I hope and expect it may work out.
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guttertroll
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12-05-08 7:54 AM
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Great Point but I heard that same argument on Sam Rea! I hope it stays but don't be surprised.
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EXAltoonan
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12-05-08 1:47 AM
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Ns has poured millions of dollars into Juniata the past five years for equipment upgrades, new machinery, brand new rail and switches. All of these improvements have been made at Juniata because NS knows that they need the workers in Altoona to survive. We have the best tracks in the industry, the best equipment in the industry, the best safety record in the industry. I bet you two are just P#$^ED off that you didn't get hired at NS in the past 5 years with all those that were fortunate to find a job there. You should get on your hands and knees and be grateful that NS has supported Altoona the way it has, cause I can tell you right now, if it were not for NS and all the jobs they have produced lately, Altoona would fade off the map quickly!
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EXAltoonan
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12-05-08 1:42 AM
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I wish you two would take your lower lip and pull it up over your head and swallow it. Neither of you have any idea what you are talking about and needlessly are just trying to spread rumors around. First off let me tell you that the company in no way, shape or form is going to be closing down the shops. I have worked at Juniata for three years until recently moving elsewhere in the company. Juniata is the only facility in the world that produces the work they do. Roanoke could not hold a candle to the work done at Juniata. This past year the employees at the shop almost single handedly won NS their 20th consecutive Harriman award for safety.
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KlausVR
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12-03-08 9:56 AM
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OMG ... they're getting ready to move the operation to Roanoke!
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guttertroll
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12-03-08 7:16 AM
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Next month they might be closing them. All about business!
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