New Mahindra facility in SA
Mahindra needs no introduction as the Indian carmaker has made a significant impact in South Africa. They are the fastest-growing volume brand for two of the last three years as more new vehicle buyers choose Mahindra. To meet the higher demand, a new Mahindra facility in Gauteng has been designed to significantly speed up the order filling and dispatch process.
Mahindra Investments In South Africa
The new Mahindra facility is a parts warehouse which is the latest in a series of investments starting from 2018. This includes establishing an assembly facility in Durban, a special fitment centre and a new head office in Gauteng. Mahindra also expanded its dealer footprint by putting in place new dealerships in Louis Trichardt, Lephalale and Mahikeng all the way to Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana and Zambia.
According to Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa: “When we opened our vehicle assembly facility in Durban, we said that South Africa is Mahindra’s second home outside India and an important springboard to the rest of the continent. Our subsequent investments have underscored this commitment and placed us in a perfect position to grow further.”
Where Is The New Mahindra Facility Located?
Strategically situated in the Linbro Business Park at the convergence of the three major highways (N1, M1 and N3), the new Mahindra facility is in a prime location to serve South Africa’s economic hub. Although it’s significantly larger than the previous facility, the new warehouse has state-of-the-art technology that tracks all parts in real-time.
It creates a paperless environment that will allow warehouse staff to receive, fill and process orders much faster and more accurately. With all parts being tracked and dispatched electronically, Mahindra can fill orders much faster than before and ship them within a few hours of receipt.
The new Mahindra facility has a special shelving system that more than doubles the available storage space. This means the carmaker can centralise all parts storage in this new location. Mahindra’s new warehouse is an important investment as they needed more space to accommodate the considerable increase in vehicle sales and franchised Mahindra dealers.
South Africa Is Mahindra’s Home Away From Home
While the new Mahindra facility was officially opened earlier this year, it has been in trial operation since November 2020. During the trial run, they moved more than 33 000 parts lines from Jet Park at night and added these to the new electronic system with immediate availability the next day. This was proof that the new electronic system works and avoid any disruptions in delivering parts to dealers.
“When we opened our vehicle assembly facility in Durban, we said that South Africa is Mahindra’s second home outside India and an important springboard to the rest of the continent. Our subsequent investments have underscored this commitment and placed us in a perfect position to grow further” said Gupta.
There’s no denying that Mahindra is growing in South Africa but this facility will take the brand even further. With the new Mahindra facility, dealerships across the continent will benefit greatly from a much-improved order filling and dispatch process.
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