Mopar opens $10M center in Romulus, expected to create 100 jobs

Mopar, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' parts division, has opened a distribution center in Romulus, which is expected to add 100 jobs.

The opening was officially marked Wednesday during a ceremony at the $10.4 million facility near Interstate-275, southwest of Detroit Metro Airport. The Romulus Parts Distribution Center, or PDC, will be used to replenish other such centers with the 10,000 highest-volume Mopar products, which represent 80% of daily dealership order volumes, according to the company.

"Overall, the facility will use two shifts of workers to handle approximately 45 million parts annually and an estimated 35 inbound and 35 outbound trailers each day," Mopar said in a news release.

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The 500,000-square-foot Romulus facility on more than 60 acres is Mopar's second distribution center opened this year in the U.S. and brings the total number in North America to 23 and more than 50 worldwide. Another Mopar distribution center opened in April in Winchester, Va., near the key north-south Interstate 81 corridor to serve dealerships in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Both facilities are designed to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certified, which designates environmentally friendly buildings.

Pietro Gorlier, head of parts and service (Mopar) for Fiat Chrysler, said the Romulus Parts Distribution Center reinforces the brand's commitment to service.

"This state-of-the-art PDC ensures that we can deliver the right part at the right time and is further proof of our ongoing investment in enhancing operational excellence and customer satisfaction," Gorlier said in a news release. Mopar is 80 years old this year and is a "simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts."

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.