The parts department of farm equipment maker AGCO has announced plans to expand its distribution site at Regina to a full-service parts distribution centre.

The transition will be completed in time for spring seeding, the Georgia-based machinery firm said in a release Thursday.

The expansion will see an additional $3.4 million in parts inventory handled through the Regina centre, the company said.

"The decision by AGCO to stock more than $8 million of parts inventory at the expanded facility will improve order responsiveness and lower delivery times to speed repairs during critical planting and harvest seasons," the company said.

"Transitioning our current Regina parts distribution center to a full-service location illustrates AGCO's commitment to support our western Canadian dealers and their customers," Darrell Vander Bloomen, director of AGCO's parts supply chain operations, said in the release.

"This will provide faster service to our dealers and support their efforts to make certain their customers' equipment is performing at optimum levels."

AGCO, which has grown through brand acquisitions, recently announced a new branding strategy focused on its "core" brands: Challenger, Fendt, Massey Ferguson and Valtra.

The transition for its Regina site was described as a "direct response" to requests from its dealerships in Western Canada.

The upgraded Regina facility is expected to be fully stocked and up to speed by March 2010, with "nearly 60,000" part numbers in stock, AGCO said. An open house also is planned for this spring for dealers and their customers to tour the facility.

AGCO's seven other North American distribution centres, apart from its Regina facility, are at Kitchener, Ont., Chicago, Atlanta, Fort Worth, Harrisburg, Pa., Independence, Mo., and Stockton, Calif.

Regina is also a regional parts distribution centre for equipment maker John Deere, which last year also announced expansion plans there.