CNH Parts & Service, the product support business of agricultural and construction equipment maker CNH Global N.V., last week unveiled plans to occupy a newly developed 250,000-square-foot distribution center in Portland, Ore. The state-of-the-art parts distribution facility is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2010, the company said.
The facility will serve more than 130 New Holland, Case IH and Case Construction equipment dealerships in the Pacific Northwest, and is expected to bring 35 to 40 new jobs to the Portland area, according to Anu Goel, vice president, North American Parts Operations for CNH Parts & Service. CNH is investing more than $15 million in the new distribution center, which also allows for future expansion.
“We look forward to partnering with the company to support the development of this new facility,” said Bruce Warner, executive director of the Portland Development Commission. “CNH has been working closely with ProLogis, a leading global provider of distribution facilities, to establish the new parts distribution center at Prologis Park PDX, which is located about 2-1/2 miles from the Portland International Airport.”
The new parts distribution facility will extend the company’s next-day distribution capabilities to equipment dealerships in nearly all regions of North America, and marks the completion of the company’s transition of its distribution operations from third-party logistics providers in North America to distribution sites that are managed and staffed by CNH.
“This particular site was chosen for its proximity to the Portland International Airport and port facilities, as well as its access to the major interstate highways in the region,” said Goel. “Once it is operational, we anticipate that the new Portland distribution facility will be a key logistics and transportation hub within our network and our new gateway to the Pacific Northwest market.”
The Portland project also continues the company’s previously announced plans to improve dealer and customer service, improve efficiency and reduce overall logistics costs of its parts distribution network. In February of 2007, CNH opened a 500,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Cameron, Mo.; in September, 2003, the company opened a master depot in Lebanon,
Ind. Once the Portland center is up and running, the company’s parts distribution operations will be handled by 11 facilities in North America.
CNH Parts & Service, the product support business of CNH Global N.V., a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat Group, provides aftersales parts and service solutions for the Case and New Holland brand families, including CNH Original Parts, Case- and New Holland-branded parts, and a wide range of global support services for the Case and New Holland dealer network.
