DUBAI, UAE-Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc., a subsidiary of the Peoria, IL-based Caterpillar Inc., is building a new distribution center here. The 450,000-square-foot property, the third new oversees site announced by the firm in the past year, is expected to be completed by 2012.

Paolo Fellin, distribution VP for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA), said the new facility will be part of a parts distribution expansion into the area. Once operational, the Dubai Distribution Center will increase total warehouse capacity for the EMEA network, adding to capacity from existing centers in Grimbergen, Belgium; Johannesburg and Moscow.

Fellin said the company is excited about growth opportunities in the EMEA region. “The center, combined with further enhancements to our Johannesburg Distribution Center, will allow us to improve parts and components availability and the delivery process to our dealers and customers in this growth region,” he said in a statement. The Dubai facility will also contribute to the company’s sustainable development goals by reducing airfreight for parts ordered in the region.

The company started the global expansion plan five years ago, including distribution centers in Shanghai and Moscow. Caterpillar Inc. has also started construction this past summer on equipment manufacturing plants in Xuzhou, China and Brazil.