Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (IW 1000/10) celebrated on Tuesday the grand opening of a $40 million Southeast Regional Distribution Center in Roane County, Tenn.
The 459,000-plus square-foot facility will be used for distributing domestic auto parts to global markets for the Chattanooga-made Passat.
The Center facility will begin as a redistribution center to service warehouses and will later expand to include a parts distribution center. The redistribution Master Depot will support the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Germany.
"This new facility serves as tangible proof of the clear commitment that Volkswagen Group of America has to meeting the needs of our dealers and our growing customer base," said Anu Goel, vice president of Parts and Vehicle Logistics, Volkswagen Group of America. "Our continued investment in the U.S. market affirms that Volkswagen Group of America is dedicated to the communities in which we do business."
Highlighting its commitment to the North American market, Volkswagen Group plans to invest more than $5 billion in North America over the next three years in new products, technologies and infrastructure aimed at helping the company reach its long-term goals for the region.
Volkswagen's Think Blue environmental sustainability efforts have enabled the warehouse to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. The building's eco-conscious features include superior insulation, water efficient landscaping, and sourcing regional materials in construction.
The Southeast Regional Distribution Center marks Volkswagen's fifth building in the United States to achieve LEED certification and the first among Volkswagen's warehouses. The others include Volkswagen's headquarters in Herndon, Va.; the Chattanooga Manufacturing Factory in Chattanooga, Tenn.; the Electronic Research Lab in Belmont, Calif.; and the Test Center California (TCC) in Oxnard, Calif.
