PELLA — Vermeer Corp., a maker of machinery for the agricultural and industrial sectors, celebrated the opening of its new Global Parts Distribution Center last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, speeches and tours.

After construction began in 2020, the 312,000-square-foot building on the Vermeer campus in Pella fully opened in January, although it began shipping and receiving operations from the facility in November.

The facility is three times larger than the previous building, and increased the number of dock doors to 23, from just five at its former facility. About 150 employees work in the new center, half in production and half being office workers, including call support. It runs three shifts a day.

The opening of the center coincides with the 75th anniversary of Vermeer, and Jason Andriga, Vermeer CEO, said the new distribution center builds on the legacy of his grandfather, the founder of the company, who would fly parts to a customer and help the customer fix a machine himself.

A model of the airplane is in the lobby of the new Global Parts Distribution Center. While things have changed with a worldwide network of Vermeer dealers, the goal remains the same, Andringa said.

“It’s the idea that we want to be so responsive to our customers’ needs, [and] making sure our customers continue to do the important work that is in front of them, that we will go to extreme efforts to serve our dealers’ needs and serve our customers’ needs,” he said during the celebration on April 20.

Today the company can provide next-day shipping, and same-day shipping by air, Vermeer officials said.

Mark Core, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Vermeer, said the facility brings everyone in distribution under one roof to better meet the growing demands of customers.

“When we talk about delivering certainty to our customers, it’s exciting, it’s motivating and it’s daunting,” he said.

He said customers’ demands aren’t getting any “shorter or easier.”

“They’re getting more demanding for all the right reasons, and we would expect that and our ability to deliver them certainty has to continue to ramp up,” Core said.

Tony Briggs, vice president of life cycle solutions and distribution, said the building is an example of Vermeer’s ability to improve its processes by eliminating waste and doing the job more efficiently.

It also includes work to improve connections to the company’s dealers and customers.

“This includes how we use data to make smarter decisions and ultimately get the right part to the customer at the right time,” he said. “This new facility creates space for our teams to collaborate to accomplish the work we have at hand to do it efficiently and successfully.”

About the distribution center

Size: 312,000 square feet
Number of docking bays: 23
Employees: 150
Operates: 24 hours a day