W&W agrees Commercial Metals latest steel mill

LATE last year, Winchester and Western Railroad (W&W), an affiliate of OmniTRAX, the nationwide supply chain, industrial development and logistics solutions provider, has signed an agreement to serve Commercial Metals Company's (CMC) latest steel mill in West Virginia. CMC, the largest manufacturer of steel reinforcing bar (rebar) in North America and Central Europe, selected Falling Waters, West Virginia after an exhaustive multi-state site review. The strategic site, located along the historic 106-year-old W&W rail line, provides expansive market access and provides expansive market access to two-thirds of the nation’s population.

"The new CMC mill exemplifies the power of pairing rail and real estate together," said OmniTRAX CEO Dean Piacente. "By combining the efficiency of rail transportation with a strategic location that can efficiently reach two-thirds of the nation's population, this new mill is a model of supply chain optimisation."

The CMC mill project was a collaborative economic development effort by OmniTRAX, State of West Virginia leaders, and Berkeley County officials. The W&W supplemented a state and county incentive package with a custom rail service agreement and additional infrastructure investments to secure West Virginia's successful site selection pursuit.

"This new partnership reflects a cross functional team effort to provide CMC with a highly customized commercial service solution. I'm proud of the collaborative work invested to make this day possible," added Piacente.

The new steel mill is projected to generate more than 200 jobs while reducing interstate traffic. CMC anticipates a late 2025 facility opening.