Perkins opens Kentucky logistics center

Perkins has opened a new regional logistics center in Elizabethtown, KY. The facility is located within 37,000 square feet of dedicated floor space in the 400,000-square-foot UPS-SCS multi-client Kentucky Distribution Center. It stocks more than 7,000 spare parts, each of which has been ordered at least three times in the last three years, Perkins said. Less frequently ordered parts will be shipped directly from the Perkins distribution center in the UK.

The Elizabethtown location was chosen both for its proximity to the UPS Worldport facility less than 50 miles away at Louisville International Airport and its access to the U.S. Interstate highway system to facilitate ground shipments across the U.S. and Canada, the company said. The proximity of the Perkins regional logistics center (RLC) to the UPS Worldport means that customers in the Eastern U.S. can place orders for next day delivery until 8 p.m. and West Coast customers can order until the end of their business day also for next day delivery.

Perkins noted the RLC also is an ”integral part of Perkins on-line parts ordering system accessed via the perkins.com/shop website.” Targeted at end-users of Perkins powered equipment, rental businesses, repair and engineering shops plus mobile service and repair engineers, perkins.com/shop allows U.S. customers to purchase genuine Perkins parts over the internet. Most of those parts will be shipped from the RLC to expedite delivery to the customer.

“The RLC is just the first step in implementing a new business model for our global aftermarket business,” said Nick Morgan, supply chain and operations manager for Perkins. “The future will be driven increasingly by data generated by engine telematics like our Perkins SmartCap and the Perkins My Engine App. That data will let us more precisely forecast what parts will be needed and when and where to support stocking decisions for facilities like the RLC.

“A big advantage of the data driven approach is that it brings us a lot closer to our end-customers so we can get feedback directly and use it to improve our service. Customer service engineers can live chat with customers in real-time. The future of parts and service is proactive and that’s where we’re going.”