Supersize parting
Toyota has for decades built a reputation on three things, Quality, Durability, and Reliability. One of the main attributing factors to this reputation is their unblemished approach to after-sales service. This not only includes technical services but also the availability of parts, so much so that there is actually a running joke about being able to find parts for your Toyota at your local spaza shop.
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This is no part thanks to the massive parts facility based in the east of Johannesburg that handles a great deal of supply to the dealers spread out across South Africa. The 40 000 sqm2 NPDC facility that was opened over a decade ago has supplied dealers and clients across SA impeccably and things have just gotten even better.
Bigger and better
Breaking ground in 2020, the expansion of the facility would see a further 40 000sqm2 added to the already impressive building, bringing the total floor space to 80 000 sqm2 without affecting their carbon footprint. This makes the new facility the largest parts handling warehouse in the Southern Hemisphere. A complete overhaul of the interior arrangement of the warehouse streamlined workflow and allows the facility to perform 330 deliveries a day and receive stock items from over 220 suppliers. Those 330 deliveries are of particular interest as they cover not only the 227 South African dealers but those of our border neighbours and essentially all 36 sub-Saharan countries.
Bits and pieces
The facility keeps over 2.7 million items of stock, valued at R900 million, for vehicles going back 15 years, which means everything from Toyota genuine window glass and body panels to engine components and nuts and bolts are available for your vehicle. The sheer scale of the operation is mind-boggling as each piece of the incredible 22 000 line items is hand-picked by one of the 450 employees on site.
Rebranding as the TAPC (Toyota Africa Parts Centre) plans for further expansion has been taken into account with space in hand for further stock storage and green energy. Toyota has plans to conquer the entire continent all the way to Europe and beyond as a super hub for parts supply for Toyota, Lexus and Hino.
