FCA US Mopar Parts Distribution Center Honored With Prestigious LEED Gold Environmental Award

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. June 8, 2018 /3BL Media/ - The FCA US LLC Mopar Parts Distribution Center (PDC) in Romulus, Michigan, has been honored with the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold award for achieving excellence in green building standards. Administered by the United States Green Building Council, the PDC is the fourth FCA US facility to receive the elite designation.

The comprehensive LEED system defines, measures and validates green buildings. The Romulus PDC received the certification after meeting strict standards in five key areas: site planning, water management, energy, material use and indoor environmental quality.

“The certification of the Mopar Romulus PDC as LEED Gold is a great honor and one that reinforces the commitment to building green, environmentally-friendly facilities by FCA,” said Mark Bosanac, Director – Global Parts Supply Chain Management and Operations. “The Romulus facility is the latest in a number of positive environmental milestones we have realized throughout our NAFTA supply chain thanks to our focus on sustainability.”

The 500,000-square-foot PDC, opened in December 2017, is projected to ship an estimated 45 million pieces annually. The facility was designed to handle the fastest-moving parts in the Mopar distribution network while maintaining a sustainable, eco-friendly environment.

The design and construction of the building focused on reducing energy usage. Material used during construction included more than 200 insulated pre-cast panels, delivering an effective, energy-saving building envelope to maintain a consistent internal climate throughout the year. Additional energy savings were achieved via an engineered air exchange system that moves air throughout the warehouse, as well as by installation of smarter, more efficient LED motion-controlled lighting. Site planning for the facility incorporated 80 skylights to filter in natural light, decreasing energy consumption while enhancing indoor environmental quality for the more than 100 PDC employees.

Total energy reduction includes a 58 percent savings in electricity (kWh) consumption per square foot at the facility, in comparison to a traditional PDC, with natural gas (MMBtu) consumption savings of 69 percent. Energy savings in electricity and natural gas at the PDC are equivalent to the combined energy used to power nearly 500 residential homes per year.
 
Water usage at the PDC is optimized by using recycled storm water for landscaping irrigation. To help further reduce water consumption throughout the facility, drinking fountains are fitted with water bottle fillers and restroom facilities include low-flow plumbing fixtures.

Savings in water usage are 72 percent greater at Romulus compared to similar PDCs. Total water usage has been reduced by a million gallons per year compared to similar facilities — equivalent to the average water usage of nearly 100 residential homes per year.

The Romulus facility is part of the global Mopar PDC network, which features 23 PDCs in the U.S., and more than 50 PDCs worldwide.

Mopar-first Features
During the brand’s 80-plus years, Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• wiADVISOR: first to incorporate a tablet-based service lane tool
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals on a smartphone app

About Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service, parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era, with Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, and expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, the Mopar brand’s global reach distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for all FCA US LLC vehicle brands. Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles, offering a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com.

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Contact:
Ariel Gavilan
(248) 512-3404 (office)
(248) 495-4645 (cell)
ariel.gavilan@fcagroup.com

Darren Jacobs
(248) 512-3156 (office)
(248) 884-5918 (cell)
darren.jacobs@fcagroup.com