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January 29, 2003
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This Week:

• "Car of the Year 2003" awards 

• Lincoln Enters The Armored Vehicle Market With Town Car BPS

• Volkswagen opens joint venture for gearbox production in China

• BMW Group Receives Four Awards in Strategic Vision's Total Delight Index

• Scion Announces Media Planning And Buying Partner

• Ford To Open New Parts Distribution Center In Shawnee, Kansas

• GMM Achieves Unprecedented Results During The Year

• Audi's seventh record-breaking year in succession

• Ultrasonic Park Assist world leader Valeo to launch Master-Park(TM)to the Aftermarket

• Ford's 2002 Operating Results Improve By $1.7 Billion Vs. Prior Year

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Ford To Open New Parts Distribution Center In Shawnee, Kansas
 

DEARBORN, Mich. - In a move to deliver vehicle service and repair parts to dealers faster and more efficiently, Ford Motor Company will open a new parts distribution center in Shawnee, Kansas, in November 2003. Ford will lease approximately 223,000 square feet of building space to develop a High-Velocity Center in Perimeter Park at 83rd Street and K-7 Highway in Shawnee. Catellus Development Corporation will oversee the project. In 2001, Ford announced plans to replace its existing group of 10 parts distribution facilities with 21 new centers located around the country. These new centers will create a nationwide network of specialized parts hubs that will allow dealers to order and receive parts every day, instead of the once-per-week standard under the previous system.

The new High-Velocity Center in Shawnee will be one of 19 such facilities opened across the country. These centers will concentrate high-volume parts in locations close to dealers to provide daily delivery and improve parts availability for customers' repairs, while improving dealer inventory performance. Items distributed by these centers - such as filters and spark plugs -- account for more than 80 percent of dealers' needs for customer repairs.

The Shawnee facility will supply vehicle service and repair parts to about 320 dealers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois. Dealers will order from 30,000 part numbers stocked in Shawnee, with 16,500 pieces picked and shipped to customers every day.

The Shawnee center will have about 50 employees, most transferring from other Ford Motor Company facilities.

New distribution centers in Memphis, Tenn.; Manteca (Sacramento), Calif.; Houston; Denver; Fort Worth, Texas; Phoenix; Ontario, Calif.; and Portland, Ore., opened this year. In addition to the facility in Shawnee, Kan., new centers in Menomonie, Wis.; Princeton, Ind.; Davenport, Fla.; and Mebane, N.C., are scheduled to begin operations in 2003. Other centers will be launched in key areas around the country through 2004. Specific locations will be announced as they are finalized.

(Jan. 21, 2003)