LiuGong Opens European Parts Distribution Center in Poland
LiuGong, a global leader in manufacturing a full line of extreme duty equipment, opened its new European Parts Distribution Center. Guests and officials celebrated the opening of a 3,500-square-meter warehouse in Stalowa Wola, Poland at the LiuGong Dressta manufacturing complex. The distribution facility will supply the thousands of parts needed to support customers; everything from filters and oils to ground-engaging components, to parts for drivelines and hydraulic systems. The new upgraded facility, which now incorporates the parts warehousing and logistical services for both Dressta and LiuGong brands was established at an investment of approximately €8 million euros.
“Our goal is to provide world class parts availability for owners of both, LiuGong and Dressta equipment, wherever they are located” said Piotr Fiszer, parts operations director. The new PDC is the key to supporting LiuGong dealer network and customers throughout Europe. It has incorporated innovative warehouse processes to meet the needs of an expanding customer base:
- 7 m clear height warehouse — Space utilization and efficiency is maximized with heavy-duty racking in narrow aisles & dual level mezzanine for small parts.
- 30,000 line items of inventory — With dedicated shelving and racking optimized for storage and accessibility for parts inventory.
- Advanced warehouse management system (SAP) — provides better inventory management, tracking and warehouse efficiency.
“Delivering parts to our dealers and customers quickly and efficiently will be the norm,” said Natascha van Leeuwen, director of parts, commercial. “When a customer is down on a job-site, there is no time to lose. We must deliver.”
Joining nine other LiuGong PDCs around the global, the new regional distribution center will lead to faster parts deliveries with more streamlined and efficient operations, as well as increased warehousing capacity for both LiuGong and Dressta genuine parts. The PDC provides additional floor space to manage and decant inbound parts, as well as for the picking and packing & checking of orders.
“Our focus at the new PDC is to increase availability and accuracy of parts delivery to customers,” said van Leeuwen. A dedicated parts team provides sales management, customer service, parts technical support, marketing & inventory management and consists of 18 people and 12 warehouse operatives, all of whom are trained in the new warehousing processes and systems to ensure accuracy, productivity, efficiency and quality. The regional distribution centre has a same-day delivery policy to dealers within Poland with overnight and next day deliveries to European dealers.
"We have processes in place for the rapid processing of emergency orders, as well as for stock orders, noted Fiszer. “Agreements are also in place with transport providers for the forwarding and clearing of daily air and periodic sea shipments – ensuring timely supply to dealers and customers."
With the new PDC both LiuGong and Dressta can accurately and efficiently deliver genuine parts to customers, ensuring quality that customers can count on to keep equipment productivity at peak performance.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.