Bobcat has announced the opening of a new distribution and spare parts center for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in Halle, Germany. As a result of a multi-million euro investment and utilizing the very latest in warehousing and sorting technology, the new center will ensure the speedy delivery of spare parts and other components to dealers and customers throughout EMEA.
Over time, the Bobcat dealer and customer bases in EMEA have grown rapidly, resulting in a significant increase in their needs and expectations. Currently, Bobcat has around 180 dealers in 75 EMEA countries. By investing in the new state-of-the-art facility in Halle, Bobcat will ensure the fastest service for the company’s dealers and their customers.
From Germany to the Rest of EMEA
Located close to Leipzig Airport, the new 43,000 m2Bobcat Aftermarket Service Center covers an area equivalent to 14 full-sized football pitches. Over 150,000 different spare parts and components are stocked in the new center. These are delivered from Bobcat factories (in USA and Europe) and certified suppliers from around the world and made available directly to dealers and their customers in EMEA.
With a current fill rate of 95 percent, the new distribution center has already exceeded the performance level planned for its start-up.
The center is also responsible for supplying aftermarket products to the Parts Distribution Center (PDC) in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai PDC supplies spare parts to Bobcat and Doosan Portable Power dealers in the Middle East and East Africa.
In addition to the excellent connections provided by Leipzig Airport, the door-to-door proximity with the DHL main European delivery center and the motorway network on its doorstep, Halle was chosen as the location for the new building because of the strategic importance of the German market for Bobcat.
Paulo Florindo, EMEA Aftermarket Senior Director, Doosan Bobcat EMEA, comments: “With the high investment in the new distribution center, we are also very clearly committed to EMEA as a region. The new center will enable us to supply our customers even faster and more flexibly with everything they need. With 130 new jobs created, we are confident we will provide the best service.”
Customers and Dealers are Convinced
Customers and dealers alike are impressed by the efficiency of the new spare parts center. “We at Marep GmbH have been Bobcat dealers for over 10 years now and have most of the parts we need in our warehouse. But sometimes it happens that 2 or 3 customers simultaneously register their machines for the same day for review and so it is good that we can order parts from the warehouse in Halle overnight by express, in order to have them the next morning, to continue the work needed as usual,” says Johannes Vlach, Managing Director of Marep, the Bobcat dealer in Northern Germany.
“Thanks to the continuous support of the Bobcat aftermarket team, we have grown as a company, but above all we have been able to create a loyal and stable customer base. By improving the timing of parts delivery, which today we are able to provide in 24 hours, we have met the ever-increasing needs of our customers,” adds Alessandra Silvagni, Marketing and Communications Manager at DMO, the Bobcat dealer in Northern Italy.
“The new distribution center is another step in enhancing our customer service. The high availability of original spare parts guarantees customers a fast delivery of required products and the least possible downtime. We will continue to work on improving our customer service, because customer satisfaction is our greatest asset, which together with our high product quality forms the basis for our success,” Paulo Florindo concludes.
