August 28, 2017

R. J. Corman Railroad Company: Proudly Serving J. M. Smucker

For nine years, R. J. Corman Railroad Company served the J.M. Smucker jelly plant on their Tennessee Terminal, but the plant slowly began to decrease the production of its fruit spreads. Smucker’s announced in 2010 the plan to close the jelly plant in Memphis, Tennessee by the summer of 2013, and instead, was going to invest more into the facility in Orrville, Ohio, where the company is based. However, in early 2013, Smucker’s representatives from Ohio contacted R. J. Corman to gain insight on a potential peanut butter plant site. Immediately we showed them the rail line that was serving the jelly plant in Memphis, Tennessee. There was space for a large expansion to the existing plant, and located in an ideal spot for R. J. Corman Railroad Company to transport their products. J.M. Smucker immediately purchased the property, and quickly began preparing for the new peanut butter plant. 

R. J. Corman began working with builders and architects to design a rail facility for the new plant that would be able to accept up to six railcars of raw peanuts at any given time. It took about a year for the plant to be completed and functional, but in April of 2015, the first rail shipment went out. The change to peanut butter quickly became a profitable investment, and J.M. Smucker came back to R. J. Corman for their shipping needs. In 2015, 244 cars were shipped out of the new peanut butter plant. In the following year of 2016, the Tennessee Terminal hit 418 cars shipped. In 2017, they are anticipating 475 cars, and are moving to ship cars six days a week, which will increase the numbers of cars shipped in the upcoming years.