Caterpillar, excavator--Caterpillar to Set Up New Plant

Caterpillar Inc. said it has selected the city of Victoria, Texas, as the location for the company's new hydraulic excavator manufacturing facility. Ground breaking for the 600,000-sq. ft. manufacturing operation is scheduled to take place in September 2010. The facility is expected to begin production in mid-2012.

Once fully operational, Cat said the new plant will triple its current capacity of hydraulic excavators in the United States. In the U.S., Caterpillar currently produces two excavator models at a facility in Aurora, Ill. In addition, Caterpillar produces excavators in Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Japan and Russia.

The new facility will manufacture the two models now made in Aurora, as well as several additional excavator models now produced in Akashi, Japan, and exported to the United States.

Cat said, the expansion of excavator production in the U.S. will allow the facility in Japan to better serve the demand for excavators in Asia.  Caterpillar has also recently announced plans to quadruple excavator capacity at its manufacturing facility in Xuzhou, China.

This is Cat's second new plant in Texas following the opening of an engine plant in Sequin, Texas earlier this year.

Source: Diesel Progress Online