The Greenbrier Cos., Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore., opened GBSummit, what is said to be the West Coast's only railcar axle machining facility. 

Jointly owned by Greenbrier and Sumitomo Corp. of Americas, New York, the 80,000-square-foot facility in San Bernardino, Calif., features advanced automation and performs railcar axle machining, in addition to comprehensive axle services such as inspection and cleaning, finishing, machining and downsizing. GBSummit is adjacent to an established Greenbrier Rail Services-owned railcar wheel/axle maintenance facility.

GBSummit can produce up to 12,000 axles per year and deliver them to freight car owners located across North America. It plans to grow its axle production to 50,000 axles per year over the next 36 months.

"We are excited to open GBSummit with Sumitomo, a trusted long-time supplier,” says Rick Turner, senior vice president and leader of Greenbrier's wheels and parts unit. “Our new state-of-the-art facility is the first axle machining location on the West Coast. It supports the growth we see in intermodal rail activity, the largest of all rail loading categories, where loadings have increased steadily in 2017, up 2.4% year-to-date. GBSummit is in a prime location near major intermodal rail operations that serve two of America's busiest container ports—the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro). This facility creates value for our customers and partners, and is consistent with our strategy of creating solutions for our customers over the life of the railcar."