Manitowoc Cranes has dedicated a new Manitowoc Crane Care parts distribution center in Jeffersonville, Ind.
The new 141,000 sq. ft. facility will consolidate parts distribution functions previously managed from warehouses in Manitowoc, Wis., Shady Grove, Pa., and Rockford, Ill.
Bob Hund, executive vice president of Manitowoc Crane Care, said opening the new facility would provide cost and time savings to customers.
"Providing superior customer service is a core value at Manitowoc Cranes," he said. "By streamlining parts distribution this way, we are helping improve our response time and reduce costs for our customers and dealers around the world — ultimately adding more value for our customers."
The new distribution center, which will be operated by Cat Logistics, will employ 50 people when fully operational at the end of this year.
The distribution center will be responsible for more than 70,000 unique part numbers. This new arrangement also allows for multi-brand parts shipments to be combined, which not only saves time but also consolidates shipping costs.
The Jeffersonville facility is located near Louisville, Ky., one of the largest air and ground shipping hubs in North America. Because of this proximity, the cut-off time for dealers and customers to order parts has been extended from 5 p.m. Eastern time to 10 p.m. Eastern time. In addition, 70 percent of Manitowoc's North American customer base can now be reached within two days via ground transportation, increased from 50 percent. International customers also will benefit from faster air freight service.
The new distribution center represents a significant investment for Manitowoc Cranes, and plans for the project were put in place more than two years ago before the economic downturn.
But Hund said, despite an economic challenging time, Manitowoc's commitment to its customers has stayed strong.
"Our new distribution center represents a major commitment by Manitowoc," he said. "And despite the economic difficulties throughout all aspects of the construction industry, we have stayed committed to the mission of consolidating our North American parts distribution because we understand that when a crane is down in the field, customers need parts as fast and as economically possible."
Distribution Center Facts and Figures
• 141, 000 sq. ft.
• More than 70,000 part numbers
• 24/7 — on-call service
• 520,000 purchase order and sale order lines received per year
• 600 shipments per day expected
• Average weight of shipment: 16 lbs.
• Maximum weight of shipment: 5,000 lbs.
• 17,000 North American and international delivery addresses served per year
For more information, visit www.manitowoc.com.
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