Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has announced its plan to open a 6,800-square-meter distribution center in conjunction with logistics expert, Milsped, in Belgrade, Serbia.
The facility will be located alongside Milsped’s corporate headquarters in the Krnjesevci area of Belgrade. Due to open in December, the center will have a storage capacity of up to 400,000 tires. The move is the manufacturer’s second significant investment in Serbia in as many years: in 2012 Cooper acquired a Serbian production plant south of Belgrade in Kruševac.
Primarily serving the Eastern European and Russian markets, the center will also deliver to various territories across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. While the majority of its stock will come from Cooper’s Kruševac and Melksham, U.K., factories, the state-of-the-art warehouse will hold products from all of Cooper’s global manufacturing sources, including the U.S. and China. Cooper says that almost its entire European offering – from summer and winter tires to 4×4 and van products – will be stocked.
Cooper says this will allow it to provide a greater product variety to its customers, with mixed product deliveries from different sources possible. Distribution and delivery services will also improve as the warehouse will allow Cooper to cover 80% of mainland Europe within 48 hours.
Sarah McRoberts, marketing communications manager for Cooper Tire Europe, said, “The new distribution center will significantly improve our service, both in terms of the products available and the speed with which they can be delivered.
“Serbia is a key strategic location for us and we’re very happy to be working so closely with Milsped and to deliver the most complete service possible.”
The Serbian distribution center will officially open in December, when the current Cooper stock located over three warehouses in Belgrade is to be consolidated. From then, a transition period of two to three months will follow, with the center expected to reach full capacity in February 2014. (Tyres & Accessories)
