Capital Equipment News October 2017

Caterpillar and Barloworld have officially opened a new, state-of- the-art parts distribution centre in Kempton Park, Johannesburg.

The retail parts operation at the Barloworld Equipment warehouse in Kempton Park.

venture business in the DRC,” says Fourie. “Reducing parts turnaround times is critical to cutting downtime and improving productivity, which is central to Barloworld Equipment’s customer value proposition.” Parts management Caterpillar has developed a parts man- agement system together with SAP which is now used in all its modern parts facili- ties worldwide. The common platform has created global consistency of service with centralised support. The Johannesburg Distribution Centre is the only Cat parts warehouse in Africa. Through the global network, parts can be quickly and effortlessly exchanged between the facility and other Caterpillar parts facilities anywhere in the world. “We have automated and integrated our own SAP based parts management system more effectively with the Caterpillar system to avoid duplication of tasks,” says Fourie. “We will soon be launching an electronic tracking system that records a customer’s progress through the system from the moment of arrival on site. This will enable us to reduce queues, keep customers informed, and make constant improvements based on our customers’ experiences.“ Walk-in customers are also encouraged to call in their orders in advance to avoid delays on collection. Self-help terminals

At the Barloworld Equipment retail facility in Kempton Park (from left): Sonja Cox, parts manager; Msebenzi Nkosi, owner of Msebenzi Transport, the first customer to visit the new facility; parts sales person Nelson Seloana; and Vanessa Potgieter, customer liaison officer at the new parts counter. Msebenzi Nkosi was the first black customer to buy a backhoe loader from Barloworld Equipment in the early 1990s and owns six Cat machines today.

new facility in August 2017. “Our people take great pride in this shared drive for ex- cellence, innovation, continuous improve- ment, an intense focus on customer needs and a dedication to meet those needs with a sense of urgency.” Visit the new parts centre at 7b Lindsay Street, Witfontein, Kempton Park, or call at (011) 929 0407. For an even quicker turnaround try Parts.cat.com

are also available at Barloworld Equipment Johannesburg to help customers familiarise themselves with online ordering of Cat Parts. The online Cat Parts Store, Parts.cat. com, can be accessed via the Barloworld Equipment website as well. “The product quality and superior af- ter-sales support that Caterpillar and Bar- loworld Equipment deliver is second to none in the industry,” said Barloworld CEO Dominic Sewela at the official launch of the

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