Volvo’s wholly owned Japanese firm UD Trucks has joined with its Volvo Group Middle East (VGME) company and expanded its parts distribution and after-sales operations across the region.
Under an agreement signed in Jebel Ali, VGME will provide facilities for a Regional Parts Distribution Center, a Regional Competence Development Center and a Regional UD Trucks Middle East office, all based at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone.
UD Trucks will use the facility as hub for its operations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon.
The partnership will allow UD Trucks to keep a regular stock of 6,800 service parts and an inventory valued at $1 million in the Middle East, which it claims will drastically reduce supply lead times and delivering quick repairs for customers. The new Regional Competence Development Center will also provide after-sales training for downstream stakeholders.
“We target 90% of parts availability from the Regional Parts Distribution Center in order to shorten delivery lead time to our partners from 1-2 months to 5-8 days,” said Gen Yoshida, general manager – product’s management, UD Trucks. “Moreover, our partners will be able to enjoy communication as well as training facilities in local language, local time, local calendar, and local ways of working. This is part of our strategy to reach out to our clients in a manner that suits them best.”
