Caterpillar Logistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., last week announced plans for a new parts distribution center in Yatala, Australia. When at full capacity, the 500,000-square-foot facility will employ up to 150 people and is expected to be operational mid-2013. The new facility will be an important link in the Cat parts distribution network and will support the Cat dealers in Australia.
“This investment in a key market for Cat products is the next step in the multiyear expansion of our global parts distribution network,” said Steve Larson, vice president of Caterpillar Inc. and president of Cat Logistics. “We are focused on ensuring our customers’ success through a global, high-velocity network that delivers the industry’s best parts availability.”
Access to major air and seaports complemented by a major highway network make this location suitable for a strategic logistics operation. This facility will be the seventh new parts distribution center in the modernization plan and will join previously announced facilities in Waco, Texas; Clayton, Ohio; Spokane, Wash.; Central California; Dubai, UAE; and recently announced San Luis Potosi, Mexico. These new facilities represent an increase of nearly four-and-a-half million square feet to the overall distribution network and support Caterpillar Logistics’ commitment to providing unmatched parts availability to customers and dealers around the world.
Expansion of existing Cat parts distribution facilities is also taking place in Grimbergen, Belgium; Melbourne, Australia; and Shanghai, China. All of these facilities are leveraging common systems and processes in addition to Service Parts Management, a global solution that replaces multiple legacy software systems supporting the Cat parts network.
“All of these investments have the singular purpose of ensuring that Caterpillar and Cat dealers support our customers’ success better than anyone else,” Larson added.
Headquartered in Peoria, Ill., Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.
