Caterpillar Further Expands in China With Two New Facilities

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) said Monday it is building two new facilities in China as part of its ongoing effort to strengthen its leadership in the country.

Representatives from Caterpillar and the Xitong Technical Industrial Park Administrative Committee signed an agreement recently to build a state-of-the-art proving ground and a large wheel loader manufacturing facility in the Tongzhou, Juangsu Province.

The new facilities add to Caterpillars 16 manufacturing facilities, three research and development centers and three logistics and parts centers in China.

This is another important step as Caterpillar continues to invest in its business in China to support our customers who continue to play a role in the transformation of the Chinese economy, said Kevin Thieneman, Caterpillar country manager for China.

The Asia Pacific Proving Ground, which is expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2012, expands the companys research and development presence in Asia. Caterpillar said the ground will provide it with validation and product development services for its machinery produced in China and the surrounding region.

The wheel loader plant, which Caterpillar hopes will support customer demand in China and other emerging markets when it opens in the fourth quarter of next year, will target machines developed at Caterpillars Wuxi Research and Development Center.

The site in Tongzhou is located near Caterpillars existing manufacturing facilities in the country.