Media Middle East

General Motors Makes Long-Term Investment in Middle East Distribution Center

2012-02-22

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DUBAI - General Motors has demonstrated its commitment to the region with the investment in a $70 million Middle East Parts Distribution Center located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai.

The distribution center stocks and supplies GM replacement and service parts for its line-up of vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC brands. It employs 150 office and warehouse staff who deal with more than one million parts orders every year to ensure all GM customers across the region can be supplied with any required vehicle part within 48 hours.

GM Middle East signed an agreement with DHL and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority to purchase the 40,300 square meter facility for $10 million. It stocks over 80,000 different parts with an estimated inventory value of $60 million.

The parts are sourced from more than 300 suppliers on five different continents and distributed to 55 Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC facilities across the Middle East; and a further 26 locations in Africa.

GM Middle East opened the parts distribution center in August 2003, which was initially leased from DHL. Today, it receives 3,000 container shipments by air and sea every year. The distribution facility benefits from its location in the Jebel Ali Free Zone and its proximity to Jebel Ali Port and the recently opened Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport.DUBAI -

GM’s Middle East Parts Distribution Center is one of the most efficient facilities of its kind in the world. It is also renowned for its safety. It reached a significant safety milestone in November by achieving 2,000 consecutive days without a ‘lost day’.

“This investment in the GM Middle East Parts Distribution Center further demonstrates that General Motors considers the Middle East to be a key global market,” said John Stadwick, President & Managing Director of GM Middle East Operations.

“We plan to grow our business in this region by making continued investments in our showrooms, service centers and training academies. The purchase of the parts distribution center complements these investments and forms part of our commitment to provide all our customers in the Middle East with a world-class shopping, buying and ownership experience.”

The GM Middle East Parts Distribution Center in Numbers:

• 80,000: The number of different GM replacement and service parts in stock.

• $60 million: The estimated value of the parts in stock.

• 81: The number of facilities in Middle East & Africa serviced by the distribution center.

• 300: The number of parts suppliers to the distribution center.

• 3,000: The number of air and sea container shipments received by the distribution center every year.

• 150: The number of office and warehouse staff employed by the distribution center.
  

About General Motors
General Motors Company (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM), one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling.  GM’s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Italy. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation.  More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

In the Middle East since the 1920s, General Motor’s vehicle brands sold in the region are Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC supported by a unique set of customer-focused services. GM parts and accessories are sold under the GM Parts and ACDelco brands. The regional office in Dubai covers the company’s operations in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE and Yemen. For more media material about GM in the Middle East, please visit http://media.gmarabia.com.