Caterpillar Logistics Services is planning to open a new aftermarket parts distribution centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as part of the expansion of its Cat Parts distribution network in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EAME). Operations for the new Dubai Distribution Centre, which will be support the distribution of Caterpillar parts for its parent company, are expected to be underway in 2012.
The company already operates an automotive parts distribution centre in Dubai for an unnamed client but the latest facility will be will be exclusively dedicated to Caterpillar parts distribution, said a company spokesperson.
The new 41,800m2 centre will increase warehouse capacity for the regional network, adding to the distribution centres that the company already operates in Grimbergen, near Johannesburg in South Africa and Moscow, Russia. Dubbed the Dubai Distribution Centre, it is designed to strengthen primary aftermarket parts support in the Africa and Middle East region.
Cat Logistics will deploy the SAP Service Parts Management (SPM) system there following a successful implementation in North America at two locations. It is also being implemented at the Clayton, Ohio, Distribution Centre which is under construction and set to open in 2011.
SPM is a global solution that replaces multiple legacy software systems supporting the Cat Parts network.
The company also says that the Dubai facility will contribute to its sustainable development goals by reducing air freight for parts ordered in the region.
Most recently, Cat Logistics opened a logistics centre in Suzhou, China to provide inbound logistics support for Caterpillar’s growing manufacturing footprint in China and for other Caterpillar manufacturing operations in the Asia-Pacific region. The centre serves as a consolidation/deconsolidation hub for the movement of goods in and out of China, supporting the manufacturing of Caterpillar products globally.
