GRIMES, Iowa — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) celebrated the opening of its newest parts distribution center here last week.

The Grimes parts distribution center, plans for which were announced last year, is situated just west of Des Moines. DTNA, which is the parent company of school bus manufacturer Thomas Built Buses, said that the new facility will facilitate faster service to customers in the Midwest.

“Uptime is critical to our customers’ business, and having the right part at the right time is essential to achieve a 24-hour-or-less service turnaround time,” said Stefan Kurschner, senior vice president of aftermarket for DTNA. “The new facility located in Iowa is fundamental to our ongoing investment in our network.”

The Grimes location is the third parts distribution center opened by DTNA in two years, and the ninth in DTNA’s overall supply chain network. That includes the recent addition of new parts distribution centers in Indianapolis and Dallas.

Jay Johnson, general manager of aftermarket supply chain for DTNA, said that with the opening of the facility in Iowa, the company can now deliver 80% of dealer order volume in the U.S. by the next day.

“While we’re excited about that turnaround time, fast shipments are only part of our larger strategy to deliver uptime and improve the customer experience,” Johnson said.