November 12th, 2019, Dubai, UAE: Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has massively enhanced its aftersales support network across the region with the unveiling of a new 18,000sqmRegional Distribution Center and Training Academy in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai. The state-of-the-art facility is managed by Mopar®, the exclusive service, parts and customer care provider for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles around the globe and will cover a wide geographic spread including the GCC, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen.
The Mopar® Regional Distribution Center and Training Academy expands the groups previous presence from 3,000sqm to 18,000sqm of floor space, making it the second largest warehouse in the EMEA region. It has increased its bin locations by 30%, from 59,850 in2012 to 77,720 today, and its rack locations by 50%, from 12,800 to 19,290, enabling it to store more than 1.5 million units of over 48,000 different parts.
To keep the facility running efficiently, the Mopar® team has grown from 15 permanent employees in 2012 to 55 today, manning the call center, operations and a fully-airconditioned warehouse across two shifts, from 8am to 1am every day, to ensure that orders from dealerships are dispatched as quickly as possible.
“Leveraging its location in Jebel Ali Free Zone close to Jebel Ali Port, our new distribution center is ready to supply spare parts for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, FiatProfessional, Jeep and RAM vehicles in as little as 24 hours. This strengthens our support network for 19 FCA dealerships across the Middle East and Levant, thereby greatly improving the ownership experience for our customers,” said Maher Abdulla, Head ofMopar® at FCA Middle East.“
The facility also incorporates the fully-equipped Regional Training Academy which will allow FCA to provide its dealerships with the highest level of training and skills validation for all their technical, service, parts, and warranty employees to the highest professional standards that customers expect from Mopar® service centers globally,” he added.
The new Regional Training Academy, which will serve all FCA brands under the umbrella ofMOPAR, features six training classrooms, over 400sqm of workshop space with five working bays and lifters, and is equipped it with all tools, components, equipment and cut-away vehicles to assure the highest training standards and technologies to the FCA dealer network, ensuring that they are always able to fulfill their commitment of quality to customers.
Sustainability Initiatives
Careful consideration was given to sustainability as well. The high-tech facility features building Management Systems for controlling functions such as the air-conditioning, which can be adjusted using smartphones or tablets, and automatically switches off after the day’s shifts have ended. In addition, the AC units use ozone-friendly gas, and condensed water from the AC systems is collected and recycled to irrigate the facility’s green spaces.
The center’s carbon footprint is further reduced by the use of battery-operated MaterialHandling Equipment, and the whole facility has switched to energy-efficient LED lights, reducing energy consumption from lighting by 80%. And finally, all cardboard and plastic packaging used in the warehouse is recycled.
Mopar® Heritage
In one of the world’s most famous partnerships between performance engineering and automotive production, the Mopar® brand (an abbreviation of the words “MOtor” and “PARts”) has been closely tied to the Chrysler Group since the 1950s and has a rich history of supplying high-performance parts and accessories stretching back decades.
Mopar’s past tells an impressive story, starting life as a company producing automotive anti-freeze before growing into a performance parts, engines and accessories supplier in the 60sand 70s. As a brand, it became synonymous with racing machines such as dragsters, stockcars and sprint racers, and was involved in the production of classic muscle cars such as the dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda HEMI. The brand’s involvement in motorsport continues to this day, sponsoring events such as the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals held each July in Denver – the longest-running sponsorship in all of drag racing.
Throughout the 80s and 90s Mopar® continued to grow, expanding from just parts and service to include total customer care. The Mopar College Automotive Program (CAP) was established in the 90s and provided the basis for the programs which train FCA staff and technicians across the globe today, including at the training center in FCA Middle East’s new regional distribution center in Dubai.
Looking to the future, Mopar® will continue to expand its global reach beyond the 150+markets it currently serves. From offering convenient service at more than 1,750 Mopar®Express Lanes in over 20 countries around the world to creating parts and accessories that help people design their perfect ride, Mopar® will continue to take FCA vehicle owners on the best customer journey for years to come.
Mopar® recently launched a Regional Communication Management Center which provides a contact channel for FCA vehicle owners and interested buyers to reach for any related queries across the Middle East Region. The Center allows for a wide range of customer service platforms including emails, phone calls, social media engagement and web chats.
It’s suite of customer solutions include the Mopar® Vehicle Protection plans which offer extended warranty, service, and maintenance carried out by fully trained and certified technicians, thereby giving customers total peace-of-mind ownership. These plans are the only ones authorized, endorsed and backed by Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) Middle East and honored at all Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM, Fiat, Abarth, and Alfa Romeo dealerships across the Middle East.
