Pelican Bus and Coach and Yutong have held a ground breaking ceremony to mark the start of building work on a new 40,000 sq ft aftermarket parts warehouse.
The National Parts Distribution Centre in Castleford, West Yorkshire, will hold more than £7.5 million of Yutong parts when it opens, with capacity to more than double its stockholding as the fleet grows.
This new 12m high warehouse incorporates a large yard parking area and space to support future expansion as the business continues to grow.
The facility has also been designed to meet the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) Excellent standard for environmental sustainability.
Castleford-based Pelican Bus and Coach said the larger facility will improve parts availability, reduce vehicle downtime and strengthen its aftersales, as well as create skilled jobs in warehouse operations, logistics, inventory management and customer support.
It is intended to support more than 2,500 Yutong coaches and buses already in service across the UK and Ireland, with the fleet expected to increase by about 1,000 vehicles per year.
The planned entrance of Yutong electric trucks into the UK market will place further demand on the Pelican parts and support network.
Chris Waine, Head of Aftermarket Parts (Bus and Coach), said: “This investment represents a major step forward in strengthening our aftersales operation and our commitment to delivering exceptional service for our customers.
“Our new warehouse will significantly increase our parts capacity, allow us to respond even faster to our customers’ requirements, future proof our parts operation, strengthen operational excellence and ensure we can continue to deliver the high levels of support and responsiveness our customers expect.”
