Viterra Inc., has signed service agreements with Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway which will help increase efficiency for grain movement in Western Canada, the company announced in two separate press releases December 19.

The agreement with CN will see Viterra work with the railway to review supply chain key performance indicators, co-operate on planning and forecasting, and address supply chain issues in a timely manner.

“At CN, we know that what gets measured can be improved,” said Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of CN in a release. “We believe our innovative agreement with Viterra will lead to greater supply chain efficiency, from the Canadian Prairie elevators, to the export vessels.

With CP, the agreement will allow the two companies to work together to ensure supply chain reliability and improve service for both farmers and export customers, according to the release.

“Through our scheduled grain service, enhanced systems for car request management, new productivity tools, and customer service agreements, CP is further redefining its models for service reliability and operational efficiency,” said Jane O’Hagan, CP’s EVP and chief marketing officer in a release. “The results of this work are leading to increased carrying capacity for the railway to the mutual benefit of customers such as Viterra and the entire grain-handling system.”