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VGA Director of Aftersales, Mark Fowler

VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia (VGA) has cut the ribbon on a new warehousing facility attached to its national head office in Chullora, 20km west of Sydney.

The parts facility now measures 23,000 square metres in size and will stock more than 1.5 million spare parts for VGA brands including Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi.\

Located behind VGA’s six-year-old head office facility, the new warehousing area added 7000 square metres to the existing floorplan, and will service the distribution of some 90,000 parts per month.

Construction on the expanded warehouse began last year and was completed in April.

VGA director of aftersales Mark Fowler said that an internal audit of spares inventory storage revealed the previous warehouse – which opened at 60 per cent capacity in 2012 – would be full by 2019.

“The size of the business is substantial, and we hold around 1.5 million parts in our warehouse,” he said. “We distribute around about 70 per cent of the national volume from the Sydney warehouse.”

VGA managing director Michael Bartsch with L-R VGA staff members Abdullah Alkurd Lasya Rao and Alexander Nou who opened the warehouse

He also stressed the significance of the parts business to VGA.

“The parts network really is the backbone of our industry, and indeed one of the most significant areas of our business at Volkswagen Group Australia,” he said.

“VGA is proud to be investing in the future of the business, and its people, by expanding operations of the parts warehouse in Sydney, to better support our customers and dealership partners.”

Built by Charter Hall, the space will incorporate electric charging points and an updated automated parts picking system. Around 50 people work in the facility in shifts between 4am and 9pm.

VGA managing director Michael Bartsch, who offered the ceremonial opening duties to young VGA staff members Abdullah Alkurd, Lasya Rao and Alexander Nou, opened the warehouse last week.

The greenfields VGA facility was approved by Volkswagen AG in 2007, with expansion capabilities baked into the original plans for the site. The office comprises some 5900 square metres of office space, along with almost 5000 square metres of technical and training areas for the 200-plus staff on site.

By Tim Robson

 

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