DUBAI, 23 February 2007 — As one of eight planned central depots for Volkswagen Group parts worldwide, Audi Volkswagen Middle East celebrated the recent inauguration of the 10,000sqm Middle East Parts Center for the Volkswagen and Audi brands. Approximately $10 million was invested into the state-of-the-art warehouse facility located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai with an initial stock of 40,000 parts worth $7million. A dedicated onsite management team will oversee the coordination of inventory, ordering and dealer support and has already started the provisioning for the new Volkswagen Eos and Touareg as well as the new Audi TT, R8 and A5.
With this cooperation, Audi and Volkswagen jointly aim to improve their service level for both brands across the region. The initiative will improve parts availability and reduce lead times for parts ordering, decrease return visits to the dealerships as well as promote the use of approved genuine parts as a measure towards greater vehicle safety.
The overall customer service and experience will be further improved through brand specific parts training for the entire dealer network. “It is not only excellent new vehicles that are vital to Audi and Volkswagen; parts and service are the backbone for success in the Middle East and we have now taken the next step towards achieving this target,” said Ernst Hasbach, managing director of Audi Volkswagen Middle East FZE, at the ceremony that was held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid ibn Saeed ibn Rashid Al-Nuaimi, chief of Amiri Court, Ajman, and Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, vice-chairman Dubai World and Group CEO of Ports and Freezones World.
In April 2006 the tender for the Audi Volkswagen Middle East Parts Center was awarded to Rudolph Hellmann Logistics, which has been a partner for the Volkswagen Group for over 20 years in regards to logistics of parts and production line supply.