As part of the greater Chicago region, Rockford is part of the third-largest multi-modal system in the world and largest in the U.S.  From the Rockford area, businesses can reach 80% of U.S. households within a 24-hour truck drive.  The Rockford Region is withina  one hour drive of O'Hare International Airport, one of three truly global airports in the U.S.  Rockford companies enjoy the local integration of rail, road, air, and IT services.  Read below to find out about the various transportation opportunities to suit your needs. For more information email evoyles@rockfordil.com.

Air - The Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD)

Download PDF Overview of RFD Advantages

Download a Presentation Higlighting RFD Advantages and our Aerospace Cluster

Leading US & International Airport

• 2nd fastest-growing air cargo airport in the U.S.
• 19th fastest growing cargo airport in the world
• 18th largest cargo airport in the US
• 85th largest in the world for cargo tonnage

Modern Facility

• 24/7 FAA Air Traffic Control Tower
• Hard-surface runways of 10,000 ft (primary) and 8,200 ft (secondary)
• Cat III/II Instrument Landing System allows landing in zero visibility conditions
• International Arrival Gate
• U.S. Customs Port of Entry
  De-icing fluid retention and processing facility on-site

Cost Efficient

• Free, no cost aircraft parking
• Landing fees 55% less expensive than O'Hare
• Centralized purchasing of fuel
• Limited toll road costs for ground transportation
• Less fuel burnt
• Uncongested airspace means no stack time
• Approximate 15 minutes from commit to land to cut engines
• No congestion on roads
• Same day onsite Centralized Examination Station (CES) service available, 1-2 days faster than Chicago

Capabilities

• Independent airspace from O'Hare, Midway, Chicago/Gary, Mitchell Field (Milwaukee)
• Accommodates largest aircraft flying: Airbus 380 and Antonov 225
• Non-stop service to Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East and South America

Services

• Foreign Trade Zone Benefits (FTZ #176)
• 24/7 customs and federal inspections
• Multiple FBO's means a full spectrum of aviation related services
• USDA inspections
• 6,600 acres in the Global Trade Park
• 3,000+ acres of airport land for development
• 200+ airside acres
• 2000+ acres for industrial and commercial projects

 Passenger Service Airlines

• Ryan International Airlines (Scheduled and charter service)
• Allegiant Air (Flights to Las Vegas, Orlando, Pheonix, and Tampa/St. Pete)
• Apple Vacations (Flights to Cancun)
• Direct Air (Flights to Ft. Meyers)

Air - United Parcel Service (UPS)

Rockford is home to one of UPS’s seven domestic air hubs where it owns and operates the 9th largest airline in the world. Employing 1,600 employees it can process 160,000 packages per hour. Packages tendered as late as 12:30am can be delivered by 10:30am that same morning to 41% of the U.S. zip codes. Perhaps you have a 2nd shift that could take advantage of this...

Urgent package delivery is just the tip of UPS’s business solution iceburg. Housed on the property is a UPS Freight facility with access to more than 20,000 one– and two– day lanes. Also available in your backyard is access to UPS’s Air Freight capabilities — as the second-largest U.S. domestic air freight carrier, UPS is equipped to transport anything you require.

Here are some helpful links:

• UPS (ups.com)
  • Track Your Package
  • Transit Maps from any zip code (Small Package)
• UPS Freight (ups.com/freight)
  • Rockford LTL Transit Map
  • View the Freight Demo
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions (ups-scs.com)
  • Customs Brokerage
• UPS Capital (upscapital.com)
  • Loans and Insurance Options

Highways and Interstates

Interstate: I-39, I-88, I-90, I-43
Federal: US 20, US 51/251
State: 2, 26, 38, 64, 70, 72, 75, 76, 173

Motor Freight Services
Number of carriers serving area: 40
Number of local terminals: 37

Railroads

Rail Carriers serving area: Illinois Railnet, Iowa, Chicago & Eastern(IC&E); Canadian National(CN); and Union Pacific(UP).

• Frequency of switching service: Continuous
• Intermodal service available? Yes
• Nearest service: 25 Miles

intermodal activity

Major highways and an abundance of rail line in the Rockford area create an efficient system for land transportation. Intermodal service is available in Rochelle, 25 miles to our South along I-39, and at over 20 other locations within the Chicago area just 60 miles away.  The area is also home to the I-39 Logistics Corridor Association. For more information click here.

 
Electricity

ComEd is one of the largest electric utility companies in the country. The owned generating capacity is over 19,179 megawatts. There are five nuclear generating stations totaling 9,407 MW or 49%, eight fossil units totaling 8,343 MW or 43.5%, and three fast-peaking sites having 19,179 MW or 7.5% of the total generating capacity. Record demand for electricity was 21,243 megawatts set July 30, 1999.

• Bundled Tariff Rates: Industrial - 3.875 cents/kWh
• Commercial - 4.247 cents/kWh
• Residential - 8.275 cents/kWh
   

Gas

Nicor Gas provides gas service to 641 communities in the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago, and is the nation’s fifth largest natural gas distributor. The company delivers natural gas to 1.9 million customers in Illinois, including transportation service, gas storage and gas supply backup to approximately 67,000 commercial and industrial customers who purchase their own supplies.
 

Water and sewer

Information on municipal water/public works departments, the Rock River Water Reclemation District, and Illinois American Water.

Telecommunications

Summary of the telecommunication providers and the services they provide in the Rockford area.

FTZ #176

Under a Grant of Authority from the FTZ Board in Washington, D.C., the GRAA administers FTZ #176.

What is a Foreign-Trade Zone?
Each FTZ is a restricted-access site, in or within 60 miles or 90 minutes driving time of a Customs (CBP) Port of Entry. For the purpose of tariff laws and Customs entry procedures, the FTZ is considered outside of the Customs territory of the United States.

How does the FTZ work?
Foreign and domestic merchandise may be admitted into Zones for operations such as storage, exhibition, assembly, manufacture, kitting, assembly and processing without being subject to formal Customs entry procedures, the payment of Customs duties or federal excise taxes. When merchandise is removed from the FTZ (for entry into U.S. commerce), only then are Customs duties and excise taxes due.

What is the impact on the bottom line?
(See attachment for more complete description of benefits).

The FTZ program impacts the duties paid in 3 ways:

• Deferral: No duties are paid on product that has not entered US Customs territory. For some firms, that can amount to a substantial cash flow savings in the FTZ environment. For all end users, it
  will result in a windfall savings during the first year based on the average inventory.
• Reduction: FT Z users avoid duty drawback. Some manufacturers can elect the lower duty rate (raw material versus finished good).
• Elimination: In the case of most scrap materials and all re-exports, no Customs duties are owed.