Chicago is one of the most important transportation and distribution hubs in the world
This has led to the construction of hundreds of new distribution centers throughout the region
Many warehouses are built around large "intermodal" centers.
An efficient supply chain is key to a retailer's profitability
- The only location in the hemisphere where all six Class I railroads meet, Chicago transports half the nation's rail freight.
- Seven interstate highways crisscross the Chicago region. Only two states have more interstate highway miles than Illinois. Chicago is a two-day truck haul from 219 million people, or 42% of the continent.
- Chicago is now, by some estimates, the third-largest container port in the world, after Hong Kong and Singapore.
- As a result, almost a trillion dollars worth of goods pass through the Chicago region every year.
This has led to the construction of hundreds of new distribution centers throughout the region
- Chicago has half a billion square feet of warehouse space, making it one of the largest concentrations of warehouses on the planet.
- There are about 150,000 warehouse workers in the Chicago region.
- All of the big-box retailers, such as Wal-mart and Home Depot, have distribution centers in the area.
- Many of the products we see on our retail shelves have passed through the hands of Chicago's warehouse workers.
Many warehouses are built around large "intermodal" centers.
- At these centers shipping containers, most originating from southern China, are transferred from train cars to trucks, and are then taken to nearby distribution centers for unloading and processing.
- With 25 intermodal facilities, Chicago is the number one intermodal container handler in the Western Hemisphere.
- Will County, a community just to the southwest of Chicago, is home to the biggest intermodal expansion. Logistics Park Chicago, a large intermodal terminal in Elwood, IL, was built with over $150 million in public funds. A designated Foreign Trade Zone, companies who ship there pay discounted duty fees. Retailers and consumer products manufacturers, such as Wal-Mart and Bissell, have set up import processing warehouses within the intermodal complex.
- As a result of intermodal expansion, Will County is now home to more than 300 warehouses.
An efficient supply chain is key to a retailer's profitability
- Large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot depend on Chicago's warehouse workers to ensure that products get to the shelves on time.
- But while these retailers make millions, the workers in their warehouses see a very different picture...