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Mar 1, 2010 3:59 PM

ArvinMeritor Inc officially opened its new aftermarket parts distribution center in Cienega de Flores, a suburb of Monterrey, Mexico, part of the manufacturing facility that houses the company’s commercial vehicle business operations in Mexico.

The company’s presence in Monterrey dates back more than 35 years to its Sisamex (formerly Dirona) brake, axle, and driveline joint venture with Grupo Quimmco. With the supply of aftermarket parts always in its mission statement, ArvinMeritor previously maintained its aftermarket distribution facility in nearby Escobedo. ArvinMeritor in 2008 established the 400,000-square-foot commercial axle manufacturing plant in Monterrey.

The expanded Monterrey warehouse and distribution center services more than 300 dealer and independent parts distributor locations throughout Mexico and Latin America. It has 28 full-time employees and 3,270 square meters (35,200 square feet) of warehousing space—a 19% increase over the previous facility. The center stocks nearly 7,500 items across 22 product lines, including replacement parts for brakes, front axles, drive axles, and trailer axles. Products are sold under several brands including Meritor, Dirona, and Sudisa.

Other highlights of the facility include:

•Configuration to reduce travel distances between picking transactions. Expected results include a 30% improvement in picking and kitting times, 11% improvement in customer fill rate, and 11% improvement in shipping accuracy compared with the previous facility.

•Increased throughput with expanded shipping and receiving capacity. Six docks are dedicated to shipping and six to receiving, with the ability to expand to 10 docks each. The previous facility had four docks for shipping and receiving.

•Integratation into the company’s ISO/TS 16949 quality standard.