ATL Automotive has pumped US$3 million in the construction of a bond store and pre-delivery inspection (PDI) centre at Ferry in St Andrew.

A bond store facilitates the release of vehicles to authorised dealers on behalf of their clients upon payment of customs and duties, which triggers the transfer of ownership from the Government to the dealer or driver.

As part of the PDI, the dealership activates the vehicle’s various functions such as air conditioning and radio in preparation for use by the driver.

“Full quality checks are done to activate the vehicle and ensure everything is working correctly before the delivery to the customer. This includes any and everything, from the lights, the computer, the radio, wipers, etc. In essence, it’s a full bumper-to-bumper check,” Christina Taylor, group marketing manager, ATL Automotive, told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine in an e-mailed response.

According to Taylor, the new facility can accommodate 650 bonded cars and will prepare the vehicles to be delivered to the customer as they arrive at the dealerships – Honda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and MINI.

To this end, combining the bond store and the PDI centre at one location results in better customer experience as there is a quicker turnaround time for a customer, from approval of a loan to the delivery of the car.

Presently, ATL’s bond stores are located at different locations, such as Ripon Road and Tinson Pen in Kingston.

“It also allows our service facilities to increase their service capacity as our service facilities and technicians on-site will no longer PDI vehicles and they can focus solely on service checks,” Taylor explained.

“We had to undergo rigorous checks to become a bonded warehouse – sufficient spacing, accessible to the customs officers as we undergo periodic checks to ensure all laws are being abided by and for them to check goods,” the marketing manager continued.

The completion of the facility also reduces the lengthy process of securing vehicles from Customs, which includes securing police escort. Additionally, ATL anticipates that the development will contribute to an increase in revenues of 10 per cent across the dealership group.

Asked about the selection of the location, Taylor told Auto that Ferry was chosen due to the large space needed to accommodate the facility, in addition to its proximity to the ports.

“And we have future plans to develop the land and grow the ATL Automotive Group even further,” she revealed.

“We are looking to expand Ferry in the future with the addition and development of a new state-of-the-art ‘ATL Bodyworks’ facility as it provides sufficient space.

This new facility will mirror the ATL Bodyworks facility opened in January 2022 in Montego Bay, which created jobs for some 150 individuals during construction and now employs 20 trained professionals.

“To celebrate our 25th anniversary with the opening of our new bond store and PDI centre is an amazing achievement. We’ve said it before: We’re not afraid to invest, and this facility is a bold investment as we continuously strive to modernise the way our customers interact with us. We’re always looking ahead at the next big step, and watch out Jamaica, this is the first of many big things to come,” Taylor added.