The logistics subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., announced it has opened a parts distribution center in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Caterpillar said the opening is the first of many investments planned to enhance its parts distribution operations in Central and South America.
The 500,000-sq.-ft. facility will employ up to 150 people and is expected to start operating in the middle of 2013. The capital city, San Luis Potosi, serves as an ideal location for a strategic logistics operation, according to Caterpillar. Access to major airports and a rail hub is complemented by a major highway crossroads providing easy access to transportation routes between major cities in Mexico.
The facility in Mexico will be the sixth new parts distribution center in the modernization plan and will join facilities in Central California; Clayton, OH; Spokane, WA.; Waco, TX; and Dubai, UAE. The added facilities represent nearly four million square feet of increased capacity to the overall distribution network, according to a company announcement.
In addition to these new facilities, there are also capacity expansion projects underway at existing Cat Logistics facilities in Atlanta, GA; Grimbergen, Belgium; Melbourne, Australia; and Shanghai, China.
“We are pleased to reach the next stage of our multiyear expansion, and this facility will further enable us to meet the significant growth in this region now and in the future,” said Steve Larson, vice president of Caterpillar Inc., and chairman and president of Cat Logistics. “Our investments in state-of-the-art technology and processes have one purpose - ensuring that Caterpillar and Cat dealers support our customers’ success better than anyone else.”