BAIC FOTON opens European parts distribution hub in Unna, Germany

BAIC FOTON's European Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) officially opened in February 2026 in Unna, Germany. It prestocks genuine spare parts locally in Europe, enabling a closed-loop workflow covering receiving, warehousing, sorting, verification and direct delivery. This shifts aftersales support from 'crossborder waiting' to 'localised rapid response', tackling the long seafreight lead times that once caused vehicle downtime and operational losses.

The roughly 20,000 square-metre warehouse uses pallet-based storage bays for large components such as engines and chassis, plus dedicated slots for small parts, with zoned management for efficient turnover. Stocked parts have expanded from several hundred items at the initial stage to nearly 1,600 SKUs, covering engines, braking systems, chassis and electrical components. Automated conveying and sorting lines, dense bin-type automated racking, high-bay pallet racks and robotic picking equipment reduce repetitive handling and improve space utilisation and picking efficiency. The Warehouse Management System (WMS) assigns every spare part a dedicated storage location and automatically calculates the optimal picking route, with man-machine collaboration and full traceability across picking, checking, packaging and outbound dispatch. Since the warehouse went operational, the team has kept optimising receiving, putaway, picking and shipping procedures, translating smart hardware capabilities into consistent and reliable service performance.

After months of operation, spare-parts inventory variety had risen 119% as of July, monthly outbound value is growing steadily, and a local distribution network covering key European markets is taking shape. Parts that once required long-distance transfers can now be dispatched locally, so repair workshops and vehicle owners receive genuine OEM parts more quickly, cutting downtime and operational losses. The RDC has also helped build growing trust among European customers in BAIC FOTON's aftersales service, laying a more solid foundation for vehicle sales, customer retention and long-term brand development. BAIC FOTON says the centre is a key pillar for deepening its European footprint and advancing its global layout, and is exploring replicable approaches for building the overseas aftersales supply-chain system for Chinese commercial vehicles.