Kawasaki expands UPS distribution arrangement
Kawasaki Engines, a division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., was one of the industry’s early adopters of parts warehouse and delivery outsourcing, and the move to UPS logistics services several years ago has proven to be a major benefit to Kawasaki’s dealer network. The company is announcing an expansion of its arrangement with UPS to include a new full-service warehouse in Dallas, effective in February 2016.
Using UPS warehouses in Hebron, Ky., and Mira Loma, Calif., has shortened the time between dealer order and actual delivery and placed dealers in a better position to provide service to their customers.
“One of our major tasks is to constantly be aware of what tools we can use to strengthen our dealers’ bonds with their professional lawn care customers, and the numbers from UPS tell a compelling story over the past several years,” said Rodger Howe, vice president at Kawasaki. “Adding a Dallas facility will heighten that level of service even further.”
Howe said the addition of the Dallas location should reduce delivery to Gulf Coast and central Midwest states by one or two days. “That’s a major consideration when any equipment downtime is a significant expense factor for professional landscapers,” Howe added.
Howe pointed to the existing infrastructure available through the UPS Supply Chain Solutions option as being key to the success of the program. He said the system is finely honed to offer quick response to business needs.
“That responsiveness is a two-way street — it works for Kawasaki, and it helps our dealers maintain the greatest possible level of satisfaction with their collective customer base,” said Howe.
According to Howe, the new Dallas facility will encompass more than 25,000 square feet and stock in excess of 5,000 SKUs.
Dealers in the following states will be serviced by the new Dallas facility: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.
Kawasaki currently markets more than 40 general-purpose engines, most of which are produced by Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A., in its Maryville, Mo.-based facility, which has turned out more than eight million units.
Kawasaki Engines distributes gasoline engines for landscape, industrial and consumer markets. The division is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. It sells to and services customers through a network of more than 40 OEMs, 15 distributors, and more than 7,400 independent dealers throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and select countries in Central and South America, as well as the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific, including Guam.
