Stellantis North America officially commemorated the recent opening of a new, state-of-the-art Mopar Parts Distribution Centre (PDC) today in Brampton, Ontario, with a ribbon-cutting event at the facility. The PDC represents an investment of $25.1 million CAD ($18.2 million USD / €16.9) and will employ more than 170 Canadian workers.
Executives, including Mike Koval Jr., senior vice president, head of Mopar North America, Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, national and Unifor local 1285 leaders provided remarks to commemorate the PDC opening in front of various Canadian federal and provincial government officials, Stellantis dealer representatives and facility employees.
“The opening of our new Mopar Parts Distribution Centre in Brampton represents a significant milestone for Mopar and Stellantis and is further proof of our ongoing investment in enhancing operational excellence,” said Koval. “We’re bringing the latest technology and innovation into our facility to support our dedicated Unifor-represented employees. This new, state-of-the-art workplace will improve efficiency for our dealers and customers while ensuring that we can quickly deliver the right part at the right time every time.”
Built strategically to support Stellantis dealerships and customers in Ontario, Quebec and Eastern Canada, the 513,000-square-foot facility houses close to 55,000 parts and has capacity to ship up to an estimated 2 million orders annually.
“The opening of the new Mopar Parts Distribution Centre is a tremendous milestone for the City of Brampton,” said Mayor Patrick Brown. “This state-of-the-art facility not only highlights Stellantis’ commitment to innovation and operational excellence, but also brings significant economic benefits to our community by bringing over 170 jobs to Brampton. Congratulations to the team at Stellantis for being at the forefront of technological advancements that align with sustainable practices, reinforcing Brampton’s position as a hub for cutting-edge industry developments.”
State-of-the-art AutoStore technology and service training
The new Mopar PDC in Brampton is the first Stellantis facility in North America to use the innovative AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system.
Cutting-edge tech used in industrial warehousing globally, the AutoStore system in Brampton uses 27 robots equipped with advanced picking functions to navigate tracks built above a 16-foot-tall grid stocked with parts. The robots quickly retrieve various parts from one of 43,000 bins stacked within 11,700 square feet of storage space. The robots transport the chosen parts directly to various production stations where PDC employees pack and process the final shipments.
The AutoStore system significantly increases the speed, precision and reliability of parts procurement within the PDC, leading to on-time shipping while also reducing the floorspace needed to house the immense supply of parts.
A state-of-the-art service training centre located within the new Brampton PDC offers 12,000 square feet of dedicated space for classroom teaching and garage space for hands-on technical instruction.
Dare Forward 2030 Strategic Plan
The Mopar PDC in Brampton is one of 21 current facilities in North America that supply replacement and custom parts to dealerships and aftermarket customers. To support Stellantis’ goal of reducing its carbon emissions as outlined in its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Mopar has tactically reduced the parts storage footprint in the Eastern Canada market by combining the former Montreal and Mississauga PDC facilities into one, while further reducing the physical footprint needed for the Brampton PDC using the AutoStore system.
“We’re truly committed to better serving our customers and caring for the environment as part of this market for the long haul,” added Koval.
SOURCE: Stellantis
