Caterpillar Logistics Services, is to open a new parts distribution centre in Dubai.
The new distribution centre will be the third facility added to Caterpillar’s global service parts distribution network in the last five years. The new 450,000 sq ft facility is part of the multi-year expansion and enhancement of the Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) Cat Parts distribution network.
The Dubai DC will employ between 100 and 120 people and will further strengthen primary aftermarket parts support in the Africa and Middle East region.
“We are very pleased to be adding the Dubai DC to our industry leading global parts network,” said Steve Larson, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for parts distribution and logistics, chairman and president of Caterpillar Logistics Services, Inc. “With the outstanding product support capability of Cat dealers in the region and the improved parts availability this operation will deliver, we will continue providing customers an unmatched level of after-sale support.”
Once operational, the Dubai DC will increase total warehouse capacity for the EAME network, adding to existing distribution centres in Grimbergen, Johannesburg and Moscow.
“We are excited about our overall growth opportunities in the Middle East and Africa markets and, along with our dealers, are investing in expanding our facilities,” said Paolo Fellin, Caterpillar VP with responsibility for EAME Distribution. “The Dubai DC combined with further enhancements to our Johannesburg DC, will allow us to improve parts and components availability and the delivery process to our dealers and customers in this growth region.”
The SAP Service Parts Management (SPM) system will be deployed at the Dubai DC. SPM is a global solution that replaces multiple legacy software systems supporting the Cat Parts network. SPM has been successfully implemented in North America in two locations and is also being implemented at the Clayton, Ohio, DC which is under construction and set to open in 2011.
Since the inception of this plan five years ago, distribution capacity has been added in every region with the opening of the China DC in Shanghai in 2006, the Russia Federation DC in Moscow in 2007 and the Waco DC in Texas in 2009.
