- Business
- American Railcar Industries, Inc. (ARI), now operating as American Industrial Transport (AITX), specializes in railcar leasing and repair services within the North American freight rail sector. The company leases and manages over 16,000 tank and covered hopper railcars serving the petroleum, chemical, food, agriculture, fertilizer, and plastic pellet markets; its tank cars transport liquid and liquified gas commodities including vegetable oils, asphalt, chemicals, LPGs, and petroleum products, while covered hopper cars carry grains, plastic pellets, flour, sugar, and minerals. AITX provides comprehensive repair services through seven full-service shops located in Brookhaven and Bude, Mississippi; Goodrich and Longview, Texas; North Kansas City, Missouri; Sarnia, Ontario; and Tennille, Georgia, supplemented by mobile repair locations in Emmetsburg, Iowa; Gonzales, Louisiana; Hastings, Nebraska; Hudson, Colorado; LaPorte, Texas; and Mounds, Illinois.
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri, ARI originally manufactured hopper and tank railcars, components, and provided fleet management before shifting focus following key transactions. In December 2018, ITE Management acquired the company, retaining the leasing and repair operations while selling the manufacturing business to The Greenbrier Companies in July 2019 for $430 million, which included facilities in Paragould and Marmaduke, Arkansas, and operations in Jackson and Kennett, Missouri. In July 2020, the entity rebranded to American Industrial Transport (AITX), emphasizing leasing flexibility and responsive maintenance; more recently, in 2023, AITX acquired SMBC Rail Services LLC, integrating it to expand service capabilities. AITX targets shippers, equipment lessors, and railroads across North America, offering full-service and net lease packages alongside engineering and fleet management solutions.