We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » UP re-shuffles executive suite amid Fritz's call for better service reliability
transportation

UP re-shuffles executive suite amid Fritz's call for better service reliability

August 16, 2018
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

Western railroad Union Pacific Corp. has announced a sweeping change to its executive ranks in an effort to, in the words of its chairman and CEO, "deliver a more consistent and reliable" service to its customers.

As part of the reshuffling, which was announced late yesterday, Cameron Scott, who had been the Omaha-based company's executive vice president and COO, has stepped away from his dual roles ahead of his scheduled Feb. 28 retirement. Scott will remain a vice president until then, UP said. Tom Lischer, who had headed UP's central dispatching organization, was named executive vice president, operations, effectively succeeding Scott in the COO role.

Kenny Rocker, who had run UP's industrial business, was named executive vice president, marketing and sales, and will oversee the company's agriculture, energy, industrial and premium service lines, as well as UP's Mexico business, which accounted for approximately 11 percent of the railroad's total 2017 volume. Kari Kirchhoefer, who among a number of past roles has run UP's Streamline intermodal marketing subsidiary, was named vice president, industrial. In her new role, Kirchhoefer will be responsible for customers in UP's broad industrial service lines, which consists of construction, lumber and paper products, metals and ores, specialized markets, minerals, industrial chemicals, plastics and soda ash.

In addition, the company's network planning and operations function will now report to Lynden Tennison, executive vice president and chief strategy officer. Network planning and operations had been part of UP's operating department and had reported to the COO position, the company said.

All of the changes are effective immediately, UP said.

In a strikingly candid public comment on the state of UP's operational performance, Lance Fritz, who also holds the president's position along with being its chairman and CEO, said the railroad "must deliver a more consistent and reliable service product for our customers, and we need to further engage employees" to go beyond the company's current metrics.

It is unusual for the head of a large company to take such a critical view of its current state of affairs, especially in a communique that mostly addressed changes in top personnel. However, two sources outside the company said Fritz's comments were justified. "UP is in total disarray right now," said one, noting that the company is not delivering the service reliability it is typically known for. The other source said that UP is having serious issues with its intermodal network, laying a good part of the blame on the company's overemphasis on cost at the expense of service.

Through last week, the average speed of UP's intermodal trains slowed by 2 miles per hour from the end of the third quarter of 2017, according to weekly performance metrics submitted to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) by all large railroads known as "Class I" except for CSX Corp. Over that same time period, UP's terminal dwell times, or the number of hours that a train sits in a terminal, was reduced by less than an hour, on average, across its 23-state system.

UP is the second Class I railroad to announce a major re-alignment in the past 10 days. On Aug. 7, Jacksonville-based CSX said it had created an east-west management structure to run its three main businesses, and had promoted four executives, including Amy Rice as vice president of intermodal.

Transportation Rail Intermodal
KEYWORDS CSX Corp. Union Pacific
  • Related Articles

    Retailers call for better customer service in last-mile delivery

    Intermodal rates seen firming in wake of new UP–CSX service offering

    Tied up in traffic? Call your congressman

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

Logistics gives back: February 2023

Intermodal sector weathered a “challenging” year in 2022, IANA says

Nocturnal robots stock store shelves

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Schneider welcomes first battery-electric truck

  • Fred Smith is not worried about Amazon

  • RJW LOGISTICS GROUP EXPANDS RETAIL LOGISTICS OPERATION TO DALLAS

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

Now Playing on DCV-TV

5afe63a5 7125 4318 b851 1e5738df1c91

Patterson Fan Co. | HVLS V-Series Ceiling Fan | Staging Area Air Movement

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
The Patterson V-Series is a high-volume, low-speed industrial ceiling fan that is designed to circulate a lot of air at a very low speed. ​These fans, ranging in diameters of 8’ all the way to 24’, are perfect for large, open spaces such as staging and shipping areas. One 24’ fan can generate a cooling effect of 6...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing