Toyota is now shipping cars from Japan through CentrePort, improving delivery time to its customers in the Lower North Island.
Toyota New Zealand says an increase of 30% in volumes shipped through other ports since 2012 saw the company look for a more efficient solution to send cars to the lower North Island.
CentrePort chief executive Derek Nind says the new deal with Toyota will see total vehicle volumes through the port increased by 15% in 2016.
“On Monday, we offloaded the latest shipment of new Toyotas direct from Japan, with priority cars delivered to Palmerston North by Monday afternoon,” he says.
Toyota New Zealand’s parts and logistics operations manager Dave Rhodes-Robinson, says the new agreement with CentrePort will see around 200 Toyotas processed through CentrePort every month.
“In the past, we distributed our cars to lower North Island customers by road from Auckland, but with new vehicle volumes up over 30% since 2012 and putting pressure on other ports we needed a more efficient vehicle distribution model,” says Rhodes-Robinson.
The CentrePort network allows Toyota to get its cars to dealers and customers in the lower North Island several days faster than if they were coming by road from Auckland.
“By directing our cars to CentrePort we have reduced total CO2 emissions for vehicle movements by almost 10%, or 160 tonnes a year,” says Rhodes-Robinson.
Nind says CentrePort’s new deal with Toyota demonstrates the competitive advantage CentrePort offers its customers.
“Our inland transport links, including our CentreRail service, are a real drawcard for customers looking to cut road transport costs and improve their environmental efficiency,” he says.
