Toyota Motor Sales Opens New Lexus Parts Distribution Center in Atlanta
Service for 27 Lexus dealers aims to improve speed and service for customers
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) announced that it has officially opened a new parts distribution center (PDC) in Lithia
Springs, Georgia. The new Atlanta PDC will employ up to 30 employees in 107,000 square feet of space. Stocking approximately 43,000
Lexus parts, the facility will serve 27 Lexus dealers in the Southeast, primarily in Atlanta, as well as a five state area that
includes Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee.
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Parts sorted into bins for delivery (Photo: Business Wire)
“The Atlanta PDC will improve service and support for Lexus dealers in the area, as it incorporates best practices learned at
other PDCs,” said Jason Brown, Operations Manager for Toyota’s Service Parts and Accessories group. “With same-day service in
select metro areas and overnight delivery service by the next business day, we can help our dealers get Lexus Genuine Parts to our
customers faster and with more service options.”
The Atlanta PDC offers Lexus dealers a way to place a parts order at the end of the business day and have them delivered before
the start of business the next morning. The PDC will also offer same-day service in some select areas where dealers can place an
order in the late morning and either pick up the part at the PDC or at a centralized meeting point. With this service, dealers can
have a Lexus vehicle back on the road the same day with minimal inconvenience to the customer.
Additionally, best practices that are incorporated at the PDC include:
- Strategically placed “Golden Zone” storage bins for quick and ergonomic access of the most commonly
ordered parts
- The use of Order Pickers, powered equipment that lifts the operator into the air to get parts stored
from the floor to the ceiling, to achieve high density storage
- Rolling deck cages used during delivery to provide damage protection for parts during transportation
and to make the drop-off process more efficient
Following a series of test runs prior to facility launch, dealers have expressed highly positive feedback.
“I love the new ‘decked cages’ and bumper and molding boxes as well! Hats off to you and your team. You have exceeded our
expectations in every way so far. No damage or errors at this point,” said Lexus of South Atlanta.
From around 2000, Lexus dealers in the Southeastern area have received parts through a TMS partnership with Southeast Toyota
(SET), and its facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Considering the growth of their own business since that time, SET needed to
regain parts storage capacity at their Jacksonville facility, which led to TMS opening its own distribution center in the
region.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to advancing
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve produced more than 30 million cars and trucks in
North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than
34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly
2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road
today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility
challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more
people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Toyota
Aaron Fowles, (469) 292-1097
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