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Two major Midwestern investments are expanding rail-served industrial capacity in different sectors. Ozinga has opened a low-carbon slag-cement mill in East Chicago, Indiana, while CHS is developing a soybean-processing plant in Evansville, Wisconsin. The first is operating; the second remains subject to permitting and is targeted for completion in 2028.
At a glance: two projects, two stages of development
| Project | Status and location | Rail partner | Planned annual capacity | Other transport modes | Stated employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozinga slag-cement mill | Opened October 13, 2026, in East Chicago, Indiana | Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) | 1 million tons of cementitious product | Great Lakes and inland waterways, plus highway | About 50 permanent union steelworker jobs across the mill and Burns Harbor operation |
| CHS soybean-processing facility | Groundbreaking October 7, 2026, in Evansville, Wisconsin; completion expected in 2028 after permitting | Union Pacific (UP) | 80 million bushels of soybeans; about 1 billion pounds of soybean oil and 2 million tons of soybean meal | Rail, river and road | About 80 full-time jobs, plus hundreds of construction and skilled-trade positions during development |
The projects illustrate two ways rail can support bulk industry: moving heavy construction material to regional markets and collecting agricultural commodities for processing and distribution.
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Ozinga’s East Chicago low-carbon cement mill
What the plant makes
Ozinga cut the ribbon on the East Chicago facility on October 13, 2026. The mill is designed to produce 1 million tons of slag cement each year. Its output includes slag cement compliant with ASTM C989 and proprietary CarbonSense blends that meet the performance requirements of ASTM C1157.
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Ozinga said its CarbonSense blends can reduce embodied carbon by up to 80% compared with traditional Portland-cement mixes. “Up to” is important: the figure is the company’s maximum stated reduction, not a guaranteed result for every mix, project or delivery.
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Why rail and water access matter
The site has on-site rail infrastructure and is served by IHB. IHB’s network connects with all Class I railroads, giving the mill interchange options beyond a single railroad. Great Lakes and inland-waterway access allows finished cement to move by barge as well as by truck.
Ozinga says one railcar carries more material than four semi-trucks. It also says one barge carries the equivalent of 17 railcars, or 75 semi-trucks. Those comparisons explain the logistics rationale for locating a high-volume cement operation beside multiple transportation modes: large, dense shipments can move without relying entirely on highway capacity.
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Emissions and jobs claimed by Ozinga
Once fully operational, Ozinga projects that the mill will offset more than 700,000 metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions per year. The company compares that amount with removing more than 150,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road for one year; the vehicle comparison is Ozinga’s framing rather than an independent equivalency calculation.
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The project is expected to create approximately 50 permanent union steelworker jobs across the East Chicago mill and Ozinga’s Burns Harbor operation, where slag is initially processed. Ozinga, a concrete and bulk-materials company established in Evergreen Park, Illinois, in 1928, describes its transportation network as spanning truck, rail, barge and ship terminals.
CHS’s planned Evansville soybean plant
Scale, schedule and output
CHS held a ceremonial groundbreaking on October 7, 2026, for a soybean-processing facility in Evansville, Wisconsin. The project is estimated to cost approximately $700 million. CHS expects completion in 2028, but construction depends on obtaining the required permits.
CHS says the plant would process 80 million bushels of soybeans annually. At that stated scale, production would include approximately 1 billion pounds of soybean oil and 2 million tons of soybean meal each year. Oil can serve food and industrial markets, while meal is a major feed ingredient; the announcement frames the facility broadly as part of domestic food, feed and renewable-fuel supply chains.
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How the rail connection is designed
The plant’s layout calls for an in-plant loop track with three separate loops connecting to UP. The design also specifies 40 truck dumps per hour for incoming soybeans and 17 meal trucks per hour for outbound load-out.
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Jobs and farmer-market rationale
CHS expects about 80 full-time jobs at the completed facility, in addition to hundreds of construction and skilled-trade positions while the project is being developed. President and CEO Jay Debertin said the plant is intended to give farmers another reliable market for soybeans while strengthening domestic supply chains.
CHS’s wider logistics strategy is visible at its Cahokia, Illinois, grain facility, which has more than seven miles of private on-site rail track, direct connections to all six North American Class I railroads and capacity to handle four 110-car trains simultaneously. Cahokia is a separate operation, but its specifications show how CHS uses extensive private rail infrastructure to connect agricultural sites with multiple mainline carriers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the two investments have in common—and where they differ
Shared strategy
- Both projects are built around high-volume commodities that are expensive and inefficient to move solely by truck.
- Each combines rail with water and highway options, creating routing alternatives when weather, congestion or service interruptions affect one mode.
- Both companies present the investments as strengthening domestic supply chains rather than relying on a single import or export channel.
Important differences
- Ozinga’s East Chicago mill is operating after its October 2026 opening; CHS’s Evansville plant is still in development and cannot begin production until permitting and construction are complete.
- Ozinga’s central claim is lower-carbon construction material, with a stated maximum reduction of up to 80% in embodied carbon for its blends. CHS emphasizes soybean processing, farmer market access and supplies of oil and meal.
- Ozinga’s rail partner is regional switching carrier IHB, which interchanges with all Class I railroads. CHS’s Evansville facility is being designed to connect directly with UP.
- The projects serve different geographic demand patterns: cement can move to construction markets around the Great Lakes and inland waterways, while soybean products can flow to food, feed and industrial customers through agricultural and river networks.
What this means for regional economies
The announced employment is concentrated rather than nationwide: approximately 50 permanent union positions tied to Ozinga’s mill and Burns Harbor operation, and approximately 80 full-time positions expected at CHS’s completed plant. CHS’s construction phase is expected to support hundreds of additional skilled-trade and construction jobs, but those positions are temporary and depend on the project reaching that phase.
For businesses and communities, the more durable effect is added bulk-handling capacity. A functioning rail-and-water network can let producers and manufacturers reach more customers, while the multimodal designs provide alternatives when one route is constrained. Neither company’s announcement establishes a guaranteed change in consumer prices, railroad service levels or local tax revenue, so those outcomes should not be assumed from the project sizes alone.
Quick Recap
Key dates and figures
- October 7, 2026: CHS ceremonial groundbreaking in Evansville, Wisconsin.
- October 13, 2026: Ozinga ribbon-cutting for the East Chicago, Indiana, mill.
- 2028 target: CHS completion, subject to required permitting.
- Ozinga capacity: 1 million tons of slag cement annually when fully operational.
- CHS capacity: 80 million soybean bushels annually, yielding approximately 1 billion pounds of oil and 2 million tons of meal.
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