FCA US Mopar Center Line Parts Distribution Center Earns Bronze Status in World Class Logistics

The Mopar Parts Distribution Center (PDC) in Center Line, Michigan, earned Bronze status in FCA's World Class Logistics (WCL) methodology, making it the first FCA distribution unit in North America to reach an award level in the program.

Similar to the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodology, WCL empowers distribution operations through FCA US LLC to systematically reduce waste and improve quality by focusing on 10 technical and 10 managerial key pillars.

"We are committed to being all in service of the people who drive us," said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA. "To fulfil our brand promise, we need to deliver the right part at the right time with the right quality. One way to do this is by becoming more efficient and holding ourselves to high operational standards. This is why I want to congratulate the nearly 300 employees at the Center Line PDC, who have embraced the WCL principle and are now striving for Silver, as we continue to spread the WCL methodology throughout our global parts supply chain."

The Center Line PDC, located in Metro Detroit, earned its Bronze status during a recent two-day audit. Dr. Luciano Massone, lead auditor and former president of the World Class Manufacturing Association, along with WCL auditor John Weist, commended Center Line for its workplace and logistics integration to improve productivity. The auditors also recognized the achievements in safety and quality, as well as the overall approach toward the development of cost-effective parts distribution processes.

In 2017, the warehouse quality in Center Line improved by 16 percent, energy consumption decreased by 11 percent and productivity gains reached five percent, with further improvements in 2018.  

Center Line shipped close to 72 million parts last year and is one of more than 50 Mopar PDCs around the world, with 23 located in North America.

Last year, FCA US opened two new Parts Distribution Centers in the U.S., with a combined investment of $22.6 million generating more than 170 jobs.

Mopar-first Features
During the brand's 80-plus years, Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• wiADVISOR: first to incorporate a tablet-based service lane tool
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals on a smartphone app

About Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service, parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era, with Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, and expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, the Mopar brand's global reach distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for all FCA US LLC vehicle brands. Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles, offering a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com.

SOURCE FCA US LLC

Related Links

http://www.fcanorthamerica.com