Yamaha Golf Car Opens Specialty Vehicle & Distribution Center – Palmetto
/ Dec 20, 2021 /
The Yamaha Golf-Car Company (YGC) hosted a grand opening event yesterday for its brand-new YGC Specialty Vehicle & Distribution Center – Palmetto. This event was open to all YGC team members and additional key members from various third-party companies, other Yamaha business units, and local media. Guests were welcomed to explore the facility, take a formal plant tour, and see the countless improvements that have been made to YGC’s overall production.
Located about 10 miles northeast of YGC’s original facility, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation (YMMC) in Newnan, Ga., this new Palmetto location provides more opportunity for the growth of YGC’s future business. In YGC’s previous manufacturing location, it slowly outgrew its limited space and needed to find a new site that would accommodate its goals of streamlined production, improved shipping efficiency, and more. All YGC production team offices are now in one central location that allows for improved communication, which is a stark contrast to its three separate buildings back in Newnan.
The Palmetto location is comprised of a total of 250,000 square feet, with the ability to expand. The Palmetto facility can accommodate the increasing demand of the golf car business. Palmetto now offers the space needed for YGC to bring in a used car operation, purchase material directly from suppliers, and provide proper storage for both parts and vehicles. Previously in Newnan, completed vehicles were stored outside and subject to the weather; Palmetto provides various indoor storage enhancements that improve the overall presentation of cars to customers, saving on scrap and rework due to fading, water damage, etc.
YGC also commissioned the help of Georgia Institute of Technology to ensure the new layout and flow of the cars, materials, etc. were optimized to be as efficient as possible. Labor requirements are reduced due to the restructuring of the assembly line, the workforce no longer needing to wash and clean as much or work outside in the elements. Additional trailer spaces, dock doors for unloading material, and dock doors for shipping/loading directly from inside the plant allow YGC to facilitate the safe movement and production of more product. “YGC’s new Palmetto operation along with our new, online Business Portal, complete with build-your-own functionality, will allow us to expand and improve our operations. This helps us meet our goals of making it easier and more efficient for our customers to do business with us,” says Doug Griffin, YGC’s Chief Operating Officer.