Grain handler Richardson International plans to spend $12 million this year on expansions at three of its facilities in Saskatchewan and one at Brandon, Man.
The projects are “the latest in a series of significant investments we have made to expand and improve our operations from grain sourcing through to canola oil processing,” Richardson president Curt Vossen said in a release.
“It solidifies Richardson’s ongoing commitment to develop the most efficient pipeline of grain movement in Western Canada, which is essential in helping us bring agriculture full circle.”
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At Brandon, the company said it will double its current grain storage capacity to 20,500 tonnes and expand the site’s rail car capacity to handle a 112-car unit train.
In southwestern Saskatchewan, the company plans to boost its grain storage capacity at Swift Current to 30,000 tonnes, and also expand its rail car capacity to handle a 112-car unit train.
In northeastern Saskatchewan, Richardson said it will upgrade its rail car capacity at Crooked River, about 60 km east of Melfort, to handle a 104-car unit train.
Also, at Whitewood, Sask., about 110 km south of Yorkton, the company plans to expand its fertilizer shed to a capacity of 4,800 tonnes, up from about 800 tonnes currently.
By the time these expansions are complete, the company said in its release, a total of 30 Richardson grain handling facilities will be capable of loading trains of 100 cars or more.
Winnipeg-based Richardson last year budgeted $40 million for expansions of 15 Prairie facilities and one at Hamilton, Ont.
During a shuffle of grain-handling assets in 2007 around the merger of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool with Agricore United into Viterra, Richardson came out the second-largest grain company in Canada, boosting its handling capacity by 50 per cent.
