Fiat inaugurates 12-acre stockyard near factory in Ranjangaon

Ranjangaon, March 6, 2013: Fiat Group Automobiles India Pvt Ltd (FGAIPL) has inaugurated a stockyard near its factory in Ranjangoan, Pune.

Designed and constructed by the company’s logistics partner Mercurio Pallia (a 50:50 joint venture between Gruppo Mercurio SPA of Italy and Pallia Transport Company of India), the stockyard is spread across 12 acres and is located within the Ranjangaon industrial premises.

The stockyard has the capacity to park up to 2,000 cars and has a separate loading and unloading area which can accommodate car-carrier trailers. According to company officials, the stockyard has been developed adhering to all the safety, security and environmental norms laid down by the Fiat Group. The facility houses a PDI booth which is equipped with apt tools and equipment for quality inspection of all the despatches. The inauguration of stockyard is in-line with the company’s plan of gradual expansion in India.

To begin with, the stockyard will cater to Fiat’s Linea and Punto models, the only two models on sale in India, while it will also be used for the planned vehicles from the Fiat and Chrysler Group as and when they are introduced in the Indian market. Robert DeCrick, head – supply chain management, APAC, Fiat Chrysler, mentioned that “our objective is to establish a modern, high-quality distribution facility which will support our plan to provide a high level of service to our dealers and customers.”

After the split with Tata Motors on the marketing front in May 2012, the Fiat Group is focussing on its retail strategy and aims to set up around 120 dealers by the end of 2013. Chrysler, on the other hand, is expected to play a pivotal role in Fiat’s resurgence in India over the next 3-4 years.

AMIT PANDAY