Volkswagen has broken ground on a second regional parts distribution centre in India near Mumbai. The 21,000-square-metre facility, which is expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2014, is being built at Bhiwandi with good access to the Nava Sheva port, as well as Mumbai and Pune. According to VW its location will provide faster lead times for the distribution of parts to its dealers and service centres in the western and southern regions.
Along with the eastern region, the area that will be served by the new centre accounts for up to 65% of parts sales for the company. VW has a total of 230 dealerships in the country.
“The Regional Parts Distribution Centre will deliver on maximum demand for genuine parts within 24 hours to the Volkswagen Group brands dealer network in the western region and 72 hours for Group brands dealer network in southern region, with focus on customer satisfaction,” said Dietmar Hildebrandt, director group service, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited.
Volkswagen, Audi and ?koda brands are currently sold in India but the company is also planning to incorporate Porsche and Lamborghini parts under the umbrella of Group Service to cater its pan-India dealer demands according to Hildebrandt.
The facility will run on warehousing software called ET2000 that has been specially designed for Volkswagen Group India and will employ a team of Volkswagen personnel who will manage operations with a third party logistics service provider.
