Gulf Construction Online - Cat starts work on Jafza centre

UAE Focus

Hodel and Al Janahi at the site of the distribution centre.

Cat starts work on Jafza centre

01 June 2011

CATERPILLAR Logistics Services (Cat Logistics), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar, launched construction work last month on a new regional parts distribution centre in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza).

The 450,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art facility, known as the Middle East Distribution Center, will strengthen Cat Logistics’ primary after-market parts support network in the Middle East and Africa region.

A brief ceremony to mark the occasion at the site of the warehouse complex was attended by senior officials from Economic Zones World and Caterpillar, including Jafza deputy CEO and chief commercial officer Ibrahim Mohammed Al Janahi and Cat Distribution Services director Barb Hodel.

Between 100 and 120 people will be employed at the centre, which is being developed as part of an ongoing plan to expand and enhance the Cat parts distribution network in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EAME). Once operational, it will increase total warehouse capacity of the EAME network.

“The new centre is an important part of Caterpillar’s overall plan to develop the global Cat parts distribution network and get parts to dealers and customers faster,” said Steve Larson, the vice-president of Caterpillar and chairman and president of Caterpillar Logistics Services. “We are very pleased to get the construction of this new facility under way in Jafza, which we believe is ideally located for our business. It will improve parts availability in the region, contributing to high levels of machine uptime, which is critically important to our customers.”

“There can be no greater testimony than when a leading industrial manufacturer establishes a global service parts centre with you to strengthen their presence in the region,” said Al Janahi. “Caterpillar Logistics has reinforced their vision and trust in us and Dubai as the region’s premier business and logistics hub. We congratulate and assure them of our full support and extend our best wishes for their further success and growth in the region.”