Salt Lake City, UT-based Savage, a supply chain solutions company, on Tuesday introduced bulk material handling and rail transloading services at the Ohio Commerce Center (OCC) in Lordstown, OH.

With the OCC located in the heart of the Utica Shale, Savage said the location is uniquely positioned to serve the oil and gas markets by rail. The company said it has extensive experience transloading, managing logistics and operating rail terminals that handle oil and gas field products.

“Transloading services at the OCC will allow oil producers in the Utica Shale play a more flexible option to get their products to market,” said Ed Ivey, vice president and business unit leader for Savage.

Oil and gas production from the Utica is coming on slower than many industry insiders expected, but there is still hope. Last month, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) reported that 87 wells in the Utica combined produced 12.84 Bcf of natural gas and more than 635,000 bbl of oil in 2012 (see Shale Daily, May 17). Industry experts said they were disappointed by the oil production figures but added that they believe a clearer picture is beginning to emerge of where the play’s sweet spots for oil are located (see Shale Daily, May 20).

This new Savage operation benefits from OCC’s 500-plus acres of land adjacent to Route 45 and minutes from I-80 and the Ohio Turnpike. It has direct access to the CSX Class 1 rail line and over 10 miles of track to handle inbound and outbound unit trains. Savage’s transload services include the handling, loading and distribution of hazardous and nonhazardous materials. The OCC is currently undergoing an expansion which will equip the facility with loop tracks able to accommodate the loading of unit trains.

For more information on Savage’s services at OCC, contact Dan Price at danielp@savageservices.com.